Insights on the Future of Anesthesia Quality Improvement with AQI

ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 Desiree Chappell and Mike Grocott discuss the latest advancements and key topics in the field of anesthesiology with special guests Sheila Barnett, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Professor of Anesthesiology at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Patrick Guffey, Professor of Clinical Practice, Anesthesiology-Pediatric Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The conversation centers around the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI) and its various initiatives, including the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACO) and the importance of integrating electronic health records for improved data collection and quality of care. The guests highlight the challenges and opportunities of using clinical data to drive quality improvements and the future potential of collaborating with electronic health record systems like Epic. The episode underscores the importance of quality data in anesthesia and highlights efforts to enhance patient outcomes and healthcare value.