Quality management developments in cardiology

PhD ceremony: Mr. R.P. Vermeulen, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Quality management developments in cardiology

Promotor(s): prof. M.P. van den Berg

Faculty: Medical Sciences

In healthcare, multiple parties are involved in providing the best possible care for patients. The advance of new professions in healthcare, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners (together ‘allied professionals’), influence the way in which healthcare is provided. To maintain and improve the quality of care, continuous close cooperation between the different partners is a prerequisite. This thesis provides several illustrations of how quality management for cardiac patients has changed in the last few years. Topics of interest are working with integrated care systems and the effect on diagnosis-to-balloon time for patients with myocardial infarction, the use of blood lactate as risk stratification tool for adverse events, finding a safe and patient friendly tool to obtain vascular closure after cardiac catheterisation, clinical performance indicators as defined by health care professionals themselves and planning and monitoring patients on the waiting list for electrical cardioversion.