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Quality improvement (QI) in medicine is reliant on a team-based approach and an understanding of core QI principles. Part 2 of this continuing medical education series outlines the steps of performing a QI project, from identifying QI opportunities, to carrying out successive Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, to hard-wiring improvements into the system. QI frameworks will be explored and readers will understand how to interpret basic QI data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient safety (PS) and quality improvement (QI) have gained momentum over the last decade and are becoming more integrated into medical training, physician reimbursement, maintenance of certification, and practice improvement initiatives. While PS and QI are often lumped together, they differ in that PS is focused on preventing adverse events while QI is focused on continuous improvements to improve outcomes. The pillars of health care as defined by the 1999 Institute of Medicine report "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System" are safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and patient-centered care. Implementing a safety culture is dependent on all levels of the health care system. Part 1 of this CME will provide dermatologists with an overview of how PS fits into our current health care system and will include a focus on basic QI/PS terminology, principles, and processes. This article also outlines systems for the reporting of medical errors and sentinel events and the steps involved in a root cause analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous manifestations of drug reactions are common yet vary widely in their appearance and degree of internal organ involvement. Serum sickness-–like reactions, symmetrical drug-related intertriginous and flexural exanthem, granulomatous drug eruption, pseudolymphoma, and drug-induced lupus are medication-induced conditions with dermatologic presentations. Many of the conditions discussed are relatively rare but nonetheless demand our attention and understanding. Some of the conditions presented may be more likely encountered in the hospital setting, as is the case with serum sickness–like reactions and drug-induced lupus, whereas others may present to outpatient clinic for diagnosis. Given the similarities in clinical history of patients presenting with these conditions, an understanding of the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, culprit medications, histologic appearance, and serologic characteristics is warranted to correctly diagnose and manage these uncommon adverse reactions. We also discuss how to differentiate some of these conditions from more serious mimickers, as in the case of pseudolymphoma drug reaction mimicking a true lymphoma and drug-induced lupus mimicking acute systemic lupus erythematosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]