Quality improvement and patient safety: Reality and responsibility from Codman to today.

Quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) has become increasingly important in the practice of medicine, particularly since the Institute of Medicine's report, "To Err is Human." Despite surgery having been initially at the forefront in instituting QIPS, there has been a lag in promoting its importance until recently. A short history of QIPS is presented along with an introduction to the SQUIRE guidelines used for standardizing QIPS publications. As surgeons we are becoming even more accountable in promoting value in health care. As such, knowledge of QIPS will become an increasingly important component of our future practices and publications.