A structured framework for optimizing surgical quality through process-of-care trials

Abstract Increased national focus has been placed on care delivery processes and their effect on health care quality. At the institutional level, investigators are increasingly engaged in surgical process-of-care trials that, compared to traditional randomized treatment trials, more explicitly control and mitigate provider- and system-based risk. Process-of-care trials have the potential to improve patient care while also improving the culture of a surgical department, hospital, and system.