A Canadian strategy for surgical quality improvement

Summary: The Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) Board of Directors hosted a symposium to develop a Canadian strategy for surgical quality and safety at its mid-term meeting on Feb. 24, 2018. The following 6 principles outline the consensus of this symposium, which included diverse stakeholders and surgeon leaders across Canada: 1) a Canadian quality-improvement strategy for surgery is needed; 2) quality improvement requires continuous, active and intentional effort; 3) outcome measurement alone will not drive improvement; 4) increased focus on standardization and process improvement is necessary; 5) new, large electronic medical record systems pose challenges as well as benefits in Canadian hospitals; and 6) surgeons in remote and rural hospitals must be engaged using tailored approaches.