Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016:2016:7679196.
doi: 10.1155/2016/7679196. Epub 2016 Apr 17.

At the Crossroad with Morbidity and Mortality Conferences: Lessons Learned through a Narrative Systematic Review

Xin Xiong  1 , Teela Johnson  2 , Dev Jayaraman  3 , Emily G McDonald  4 , Myriam Martel  5 , Alan N Barkun  6
Affiliations

At the Crossroad with Morbidity and Mortality Conferences: Lessons Learned through a Narrative Systematic Review

Xin Xiong et al. Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016.

Abstract

Objective. To determine the process and structure of Morbidity and Mortality Conference (MMC) and to provide guidelines for conducting MMC. Methods. Using a narrative systematic review methodology, literature search was performed from January 1, 1950, to October 2, 2012. Original articles in adult population were included. MMC process and structure, as well as baseline study demographics, main results, and conclusions, were collected. Results. 38 articles were included. 10/38 (26%) pertained to medical subspecialties and 25/38 (66%) to surgical subspecialties. 15/38 (40%) were prospective, 14/38 (37%) retrospective, 7/38 (18%) interventional, and 2/38 (5%) cross-sectional. The goals were quality improvement and education. Of the 10 medical articles, MMC were conducted monthly 60% of the time. Cases discussed included complications (60%), deaths (30%), educational values (30%), and system issues (40%). Recommendations for improvements were made frequently (90%). Of the 25 articles in surgery, MMCs were weekly (60% of the time). Cases covered mainly complications (72%) and death (52%), with fewer cases dedicated to education (12%). System issues and recommendations were less commonly reported. Conclusion. Fundamental differences existed in medical versus surgical departments in conducting MMC, although the goals remained similar. We provide a schematic guideline for MMC through a summary of existing literature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proposed characteristics of MMC, modified with permission from Aboumatar et al. [2].
Figure 2
Figure 2
QUOROM diagram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Characteristics of MMC in medicine (n = 10, percentages not mutually exclusive).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Characteristics of MMC in surgery (n = 25, percentages not mutually exclusive).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bal G., David S., Sellier E., François P. Assessment of morbidity and mortality conferences as a tool for physician education and improvement of quality of care and patient safety: a literature review. La Presse Médicale. 2010;39(2):161–168. doi: 10.1016/j.lpm.2009.11.005. (Fre). - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aboumatar H. J., Blackledge C. G., Jr., Dickson C., Heitmiller E., Freischlag J., Pronovost P. J. A descriptive study of morbidity and mortality conferences and their conformity to medical incident analysis models: results of the morbidity and mortality conference improvement study, phase 1. American Journal of Medical Quality. 2007;22(4):232–238. doi: 10.1177/1062860607303292. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Orlander J. D., Barber T. W., Fincke B. G. The morbidity and mortality conference: the delicate nature of learning from error. Academic Medicine. 2002;77(10):1001–1006. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200210000-00011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pierluissi E., Fischer M. A., Campbell A. R., Landefeld C. S. Discussion of medical errors in morbidity and mortality conferences. The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;290(21):2838–2842. doi: 10.1001/jama.290.21.2838. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vidal-Trécan G., Christoforov B., Papiernik É. Mortality-morbidity conferences: evaluation of an intervention to expand their practice in a university hospital. Presse Medicale. 2007;36(10, part 1):1378–1384. doi: 10.1016/j.lpm.2006.12.032. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources