The role of morbidity and mortality meetings in interventional radiology.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the current practice of interventional radiology (IR) morbidity and mortality (M&M) meetings among interventional radiologists in Europe, and to develop a set of results-based recommendations to increase the prevalence of IR M&M meetings.


METHODS
Online electronic surveys were sent to members of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe (CIRSE). Each survey consisted of 18 questions pertaining to IR M&M meetings.


RESULTS
A total of 150 CIRSE members responded to the survey. Approximately 47% of respondents held IR M&M meetings in their departments. Among those who held IR M&M meetings, 42% held them monthly and 68% rated the quality of the meetings as good or excellent. Of those who did not have M&M meetings, 94% were interested in incorporating M&M meetings into their future practice. The most common reasons for not holding IR M&M meetings were lack of time (68%) and small IR practice groups (43%). A total of 85% were interested in learning more about IR M&M meetings. The preferred method of education about M&M meetings included annual radiology meetings (44%), peer-reviewed articles in radiology journals (31%), websites (26%), and newsletters (15%).


CONCLUSIONS
The data demonstrate that although current practice of M&M meetings in European IR departments is limited, the majority of respondents believe that M&M meetings are beneficial to their practice. There is a need for guidelines or standards of practice to incorporate such meetings in IR departments to prevent medical errors, which may ultimately lead to enhanced patient safety and outcomes.
Radiology Residency Training Program, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. philip.mok@utoronto.ca
Philip S
PS
Mok
Eva Y
EY
Tan
Mark O
MO
Baerlocher
Sriharsha
S
Athreya
D015897:Comorbidity; D003226:Congresses as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015996:Survival Rate