title: Improving quality assurance through psychiatric mortality and morbidity conferences in a university hospital.
abstract: To make quality assurance more outcome oriented, the department of psychiatry in a university hospital developed a program of psychiatric mortality and morbidity conferences for reviewing cases with undesirable outcomes. The conference combines aspects of a traditional medical mortality and morbidity conference with features of utilization review and risk management. Case review is focused on mortality, morbidity, or specific indicators developed by the departmental services involved and on a determination of whether an adverse outcome was avoidable, possibly avoidable, or unavoidable. The authors summarize the 100 cases reviewed in the first seven months. They believe the focus on outcome gives the method a useful role in quality assurance; advantages include its recognizable contributions to continuing education and training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kinzie
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Maricle
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Goetz
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000639:trends; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012308:Risk Management / Q000639:trends