Authorship has long been seen as the coin of the realm in academic medicine. Students
seek publications on their resumes, faculty get promoted at least in part based on …

The recent article by Davidoff and Batalden and the accompanying commentaries left us
with mixed emotions. 1–4 On the one hand we applaud the authors' efforts to improve the …

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for the rigorous
evaluation of healthcare interventions because, when feasible, they generate the least …

Gaps in the quality of healthcare, characterised over a decade ago as a chasm, 1 continue
to demand systematic resolution. Local improvement initiatives are essential to better, safer …

The SQUIRE (Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence) guidelines seek to
improve the reporting of studies of healthcare improvement work, 1 but are interventions in a …

The increased focus on the epistemology—the theory of knowledge—that underlies both
healthcare improvement and patient safety has brought a fresh vitality to the scholarly …

Background Peer-reviewed publication plays important roles in disseminating research
findings, developing generalisable knowledge and garnering recognition for authors and …

Significant problems with the quality and safety of care seem endemic in all healthcare
systems. In a recent systematic review of case note review studies, over 9% of patients …

Healthcare personnel often find it challenging to incorporate disciplined quality improvement
into their daily work. Planning, managing and completing improvement projects with …

In considering the place of incident monitoring in the overall scheme of things, one is
reminded of Peter Ustinov's anecdote about his father who is reported to have enjoyed …