IHQSE Faculty, Dr. Sarah Tevis, co-authored a study showing that lumpectomy patients who received a perioperative opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia protocol reported significantly lower postoperative pain and were able to be discharged without an opioid prescription. This publication in Annals of Surgical Oncology showed the reduction of excess opioids available for diversion--made possible by implementing opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia.

IHQSE Faculty, Dr. Sarah Tevis and team, published findings of a study which assessed opioid prescribing preferences for acute postoperative pain. Surgical residents reported that faculty preferences for opioid prescribing are a significant driver in their prescribing practices, inadvertently resulting in variability from established prescribing guidelines. Surgeons were surveyed about their preferences for prescribing opioids; those responses were then compared with actual prescribing practices and prescribing guidelines determined by the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network. Results of the survey suggest that there is a disconnect in communication between residents and faculty as well as opportunity for enhanced education on prescribing guidelines.

Venipunctures are clinically necessary for hospitalized patients, but failed add-on lab tests can lead to excess venipunctures and patient harm. In a recent publication in Applied Clinical Informatics, IHQSE faculty member, Tyler Anstett, DO and team used QI methodology to identify a root cause of add-on failures and then implemented a simple and effective solution.

Alumni of IHQSE’s Certificate Training Program publish outcomes resulting from a series of interventions aimed at improving adherence with recommended well-child checks and continuity of care with the same provider in the first year of a child’s life. Using the medical home concept as a guide, this team’s program showed increased adherence with first five visits in the first year of life from 25% to 78% with sustained improvement in subsequent years.