A cross-case comparison of hypothermia prevention methods and continuous improvement culture between aesthetic plastic surgery sites.

The Patient Safety Committee of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has initiated a new patient safety training program. The pilot module of this program will focus on hypothermia prevention, with the goal of decreasing the negative effects of hypothermia for surgery patients. Previous literature has shown that hypothermia can result in a higher incidence of surgical wound infections and longer postanesthesia recovery times, among other adverse effects. Therefore, educating medical personnel on patient safety techniques like hypothermia prevention is important for achieving positive patient outcomes. However, organizational research indicates that implementing and sustaining improvements system-wide requires a "continuous improvement culture." Earlier research has identified concepts such as double-loop learning, problem-solving, error management, and organizational routines as key elements of a continuous improvement culture. Antecedent to the ASAPS training program, a case study analysis of three surgery practices was performed to better understand the relationship between organizational structure, hypothermia domain knowledge, and continuous improvement culture characteristics. The data analysis indicates a positive correlation between hypothermia prevention and elements of a continuous improvement culture. These findings suggest that a patient safety training program, which includes learning objectives directed at improving organizational culture in addition to specific research-based preventative techniques, is more likely to achieve sustained improvements in patient outcomes than training focused on preventative techniques alone.