According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Radiology is one of the specialties most likely to be the subject of claims of medical negligence.

There have been many serious injuries, including death, to individuals who inadvertently entered the MRI Suite and are injured by the force of the magnet on projectiles, etc.  Significant time must be spent providing education on MRI safety to those who will be practicing in that area or to those whose duties may take him/her into the MRI Suite.

“Quality is not a static goal but a progressively improving state, and Interventional Radiology is a rapidly moving, technology-driven subspecialty in which high-quality patient care should be the norm” (Steele. R. et al.).  These non-static functions make the study of quality in interventional radiology challenging and motivating as clinicians work to reach the point where this care is available at the highest quality level for those who need what this technology has to offer.

Objectives

After studying the information presented, the reader should be able to:

• Describe medical errors, medical mistakes, and adverse events.
• Discuss the basic elements of continuous quality improvement.
• Discuss the value of peer review regarding safe/quality healthcare.
• Discuss the value of peer review regarding continuous quality improvement.
• Describe the value of Deming’s 14 rules for quality improvement.
• Identify significant components of a departmental CQI plan.
• Briefly describe the components of the basic ethics of healthcare as they relate to quality.