BACKGROUND: Deficits in quality of @entity282 management are not caused by the complexity of the medical problem or shortage of suitable drugs but by difficulties in organization and hospital structures. Moreover, there is no consensus on how to measure the quality of @entity158 management. Quality management programs consist of strategies to overcome such difficulties and to increase quality continuously. This study reports the implementation of a quality management program to improve @entity282 management at a university hospital. METHODS: An interdisciplinary task force consisting of nursing staff, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and members of the hospital pharmacy was set up. This task force interviewed @entity1 and performed an analysis of current deficits (phase 1). Then, primary and secondary outcome parameters were defined to measure quality of @entity158 management, and strategies were defined to implement improvements (phase 2). These referred to aspects of organization, standardization, and responsibility. One of the main intentions was the involvement of nursing staff. After implementation (phase 3), a second analysis was performed (phase 4). This was followed by a continuous assessment of parameters indicating quality of procedures and results which were fed back to all @entity1 (phase 5). RESULTS: After implementation of the program (phase 4), significantly more @entity1 reported no or mild (NRS < 4) @entity282 (40.2% vs 30.1%) compared to phase 1. Also, @entity1 ' satisfaction with @entity158 therapy improved significantly. The proportion of @entity1 without @entity158 treatment decreased by one-third. Opioids were given more frequently and more often intravenously. In contrast, the proportion of i.m. injections decreased from 20% to 5%. Continuous assessment of up to now more than 4,900 @entity1 helped to identify possible reasons for problems and to maintain overall quality of @entity158 management. DISCUSSION: Tools of quality management consisting of deficit analysis, definition of outcome parameters, implementation of improving strategies, post-intervention analysis and continuous feed-back may be successfully used to improve @entity282 therapy. Changes in organization of medical management seem to be more important than medical or technical aspects. Similar strategies might be used to increase quality of other medical procedures.

[Quality management in XXXX therapy].

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'participants'] @entity282 :: ('MESH:D010149', 'Disease') :: ['postoperative pain'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['pain']
@entity282 :: (MESH:D010149,Disease) :: ['postoperative pain']
