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NeoReviews Vol.5 No.2 2004 e42
© 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics

The Vermont Oxford Network

Improving Quality and Safety Through Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Jeffrey D. Horbar, MD^*,
Paul E. Plsek, MS
Kathy Leahy, RN, NNP^*,
Pam Ford

^* University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Vermont Oxford Network, Burlington, VT
Paul E. Plsek and Associates, Atlanta, GA

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Objectives

 
After completing this article, readers should be able to:

1. Describe the topics of study of the Neonatal Intensive Care Quality Improvement Collaboratives.
   
2. List the four key habits of clinical improvement.
   

"The nation’s health care system lacks... the capabilities to ensure that services are safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable... Between the health care we have and the care we could have, lies not just a gap but a chasm." IOM 2001 (1)

"More people die in a given year as a result of medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS." IOM 2000 (2)

	Introduction

 
In 2000 and 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences issued two landmark reports that presented a clear and compelling challenge to all health care professionals. (1)(2) We must improve the quality and safety of the medical care for the patients and families that we serve. In this article, we describe the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) and the quality improvement (QI) activities it has undertaken to meet this challenge.

	Vermont Oxford Network

 
The VON is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality and safety of medical care for newborns and their families through a coordinated program of research, education, and quality improvement. (3)(4) VON currently has more than 440 member neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from North America and around the world. Members participate in a range of Network activities, including randomized controlled trials, outcomes research, and a variety of QI projects. The focus of this article is QI. Descriptions and references for other VON activities are available on the VON Internet site (http://www.vtoxford.org).

	VON Database

 
In support of its mission, VON maintains a database that includes information about the treatment and outcomes for high-risk . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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