With the rise in the availability of large health care datasets, database research has become an important tool for colorectal surgeon to assess health care quality and implement practice changes. In this chapter, we will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of database research for quality improvement, review common markers of quality for colorectal surgery, provide an overview of frequently used datasets (including Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program, National Surgical Quality Improvement Project, National Cancer Database, National Inpatient Sample, Medicare Data, and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results), and look ahead to the future of database research for the improvement of quality.
Keywords: database research; quality improvement; quality in colorectal surgery.
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