Do Quality Improvement Collaboratives Improve Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients?
Authors: Stephen B. Kritchevsky
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters3 March 2009Do Quality Improvement Collaboratives Improve Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients?Stephen B. Kritchevsky, PhD, Barbara I. Braun, PhD, and Bryan Simmons, MDStephen B. Kritchevsky, PhDFrom Wake Forest University School of Medicine and J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; and Methodist Health System, Memphis, TN 38104.Search for more papers by this author, Barbara I. Braun, PhDFrom Wake Forest University School of Medicine and J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; and Methodist Health System, Memphis, TN 38104.Search for more papers by this author, and Bryan Simmons, MDFrom Wake Forest University School of Medicine and J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; and Methodist Health System, Memphis, TN 38104.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-5-200903030-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We thank Dr. Liu and colleagues for their comments regarding our recent article. They made several statements about our results that readers less familiar with the article may find misleading. Although both groups showed improvements in many aspects of antimicrobial prophylaxis, differences in the extent of improvement between the 2 groups on any indicator were not significant. Our conclusion is correct in this regard. Our study was designed to examine the absolute difference in change between the 2 groups, not the relative difference in change; thus, the proper statistic to evaluate the effect of participation in the collaborative ...References1. Grol R, Grimshaw J. From best evidence to best practice: effective implementation of change in patients' care. Lancet. 2003;362:1225-30. [PMID: 14568747] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Pawson R, Tilley N. Realistic Evaluation. London: Sage; 1997. Google Scholar3. Schouten LM, Hulscher ME, van Everdingen JJ, Huijsman R, Grol RP. Evidence for the impact of quality improvement collaboratives: systematic review. BMJ. 2008;336:1491-4. [PMID: 18577559] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Wake Forest University School of Medicine and J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; and Methodist Health System, Memphis, TN 38104.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Effect of a Quality Improvement Collaborative to Improve Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients Stephen B. Kritchevsky , Barbara I. Braun , Andrew J. Bush , Michele R. Bozikis , Linda Kusek , John P. Burke , Edward S. Wong , John Jernigan , Cralen C. Davis , Bryan Simmons , and Do Quality Improvement Collaboratives Improve Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients? Stephen K. Liu , Karen Homa , Paul Batalden , and Frank Davidoff Metrics Cited ByHistory of SHEA-Sponsored Research: Time to Pass the Torch 3 March 2009Volume 150, Issue 5Page: 358-359KeywordsAntimicrobialsConflicts of interestHealth care qualityMotivationProphylaxisQuality improvementSystematic reviews ePublished: 3 March 2009 Issue Published: 3 March 2009 CopyrightCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...