The phrase “quality improvement” may sound intimidating. For some, the words are heavy with data, statistics, and change. But at its core, quality improvement is about doing what you did today a little bit better tomorrow. Small steps can take you a long way. Indeed, taking one step after another can lead you all the way to enhanced patient safety and improved physician well-being.

To help you on the path, ASA’s Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting (AQPSM) is loaded with carefully curated content designed to help you master today’s unique challenges and opportunities. This year’s virtual meeting, planned for July 14-15, will explore six key themes: clinical applications of quality, social determinants of health, hospital safety and reporting systems, embedding a culture of safety, preoperative optimization, and whole-physician wellness. Every session will examine the topic from a number of angles. You’ll benefit from a range of perspectives and a host of complimentary material.

This year’s agenda is packed with credible, passionate practitioners who will offer didactic sessions on the most salient patient safety topics. Our lineup includes new leaders who are bringing innovative ideas and unique visions forward as well as guests from a range of organizations that share our passion for patient safety. In addition to taking in fresh perspectives from diverse thought leaders, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to network and share with your peers in roundtable discussions.

Iterative change is always an essential part of quality improvement, so we’ve listened to feedback from members and evolved the event to better meet today’s landscape. The agenda has been reimagined. From all-new sessions to a streamlined format, you will have a unique experience unlike any other year before. Fundamentals, traditionally the Friday focus, will be available in the ASA Education Center so this year’s content can shift the lens to be more application-centered. Friday will zoom in on clinical applications of quality, and Saturday’s theme will be the whole patient, whole physician, bringing together the essential issues of patient safety and clinician well-being. In addition to vibrant question-and-answer periods, we’ll offer safe tables where we’ll examine a range of patient complications, inviting discussion and feedback. Learning how others have managed the unanticipated can remind you that you’re not alone and will prepare you to better manage the unexpected. Plus, the event is more convenient than ever, saving you time and money with all-virtual sessions.

As we organized the event, we were intentional about ensuring the meeting speaks to practitioners at every career stage. The e-poster program for residents is not new, but it is an excellent opportunity for new anesthesiologists to present their work to peers and mentors, inviting feedback and enhancing their resumes in the process. Our keynote speakers will appeal to learners across the career spectrum. A speaker from Doctors Without Borders will address how the organization keeps doctors safe in the war-torn environments they visit. ASA President Michael Champeau, MD, FASA, and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) President Daniel Cole, MD, FASA, will discuss how ASA and APSF work together to protect patient safety and advance the profession. And, of course, we believe members at every stage will benefit from deep dives into how to develop a culture of safety, embrace data collection and rapid process improvements, recognize and grapple with social drivers of health, improve preoptimization, and more. There’s something for everyone interested in quality patient care.

We’ve worked hard to bring you the best quality improvement event possible. I’m confident attendees will walk away with a heightened awareness that quality and patient safety can be found, and improved, all around us. Creating a healthy culture that cares for patients and physicians builds a sustainable ecosystem for great patient care and a happy career. This meeting will give you the right skills, introduce valuable tools, and expose you to new ideas and people so you can see what success looks like in diverse environments and find learning that applies to your environment. Who knows, maybe next year you will be one of our success stories.