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Delaware Handbook: Quality Improvement and Peer Review

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND PEER REVIEW?

The distinction between peer review (PR) and quality improvement (QI) is blurry at best. Historically, peer review has been the traditional process of physicians sitting down to examine and discuss the performance of a fellow practitioner, usually in response to an adverse outcome.
Quality improvement is a more modern term springing from other industries and adopted by hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Instead of closely scrutinizing the care of a specific patient, QI meetings typically involve a review of organization-wide issues, such as readmissions after discharge, infection rates, wrong-sided surgery, and others. A QI committee often comprises representatives…

Curi’s risk mitigation resources and guidance are offered for educational and informational purposes only. This information is not medical or legal advice, does not replace independent professional judgment, does not constitute an endorsement of any kind, should not be deemed authoritative, and does not establish a standard of care in clinical settings or in courts of law. If you need legal advice, you should consult your independent/corporate counsel. We have found that using risk mitigation efforts can reduce malpractice risk; however, we do not make any guarantees that following these risk recommendations will prevent a complaint, claim, or suit from occurring, or mitigate the outcome(s) associated with any of them.

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