Assessment of morbidity and mortality conferences as a tool for physician education and improvement of quality of care and patient safety: A literature review

Background > In France, national incentives promote the development of morbidity and mortality conferences (M&MC) in hospitals. Objective > A systematic literature review was performed to investigate the effectiveness Of M&MC as well os how they were conducted and how participants experienced them. Databases > [lie review was coined out by searching the MEDLINE Grid PASCAL databases and included articles in English and French. The following keywords were used. mortality, morbidity, conference, rounds, review, meetings, committee. Study selection > Two independent reviewers selected oil original studies describing or evaluating M&MC and published from 1st January 2002 through 31st December 2008. Results > we analyzed 17 articles, of which I I reported structured interviews, 3 analyzed M&MC minutes, 2 monitored indicators, Grid I described observations of M&MC. They showed good physician participation and a wide variety of types of meeting organization. Attendance by paramedical staff, the number of cases covered per meeting, and case selection criteria affected their content Studies of the efficacy of M&MC were fore and concerned specific topics (digestive endoscopy and childbirth) Study limitations > Both the methods end the objectives of studies analyzing M&MC ore heterogeneous. Conclusion > The published studies viewed M&MC as a valuable tool for physician education and quality assurance, but the factors associated with their effectiveness require further study,