GMKA's Quality and Safety Program Presented at the 2025 European Pancreatic Club Meeting

Her poster, titled “Enhancing Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Surgery Outcomes Through Collaboration-Driven Quality Improvement in Ukraine,” highlighted GMKA’s efforts to elevate the standard of care in Ukraine through a structured, evidence-based approach to surgical quality and safety.

“My goal, and GMKA’s, at this conference is to represent Ukraine with a scientific project rooted in practical clinical advancement,” said Dr. Huivaniuk. “The EPC brings together experts from across the pancreatology spectrum — biologists, pathologists, endoscopists, oncologists, surgeons, and gastroenterologists. GMKA’s Quality and Safety Program is largely focused on the registry and monitoring of treatment for patients with pancreatic diseases. These data — the practical processes implemented to address real-world problems through a scientific approach — are what I am sharing here with the European pancreatology community.”

As part of the program, GMKA has been implementing standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols, operating procedures, checklists, clinical algorithms, and international guidelines. The initiative is being piloted in hospitals such as the Kyiv Regional Oncology Center, where Dr. Huivaniuk practices. 

Dr. Huivaniuk discussed the academic partnership between GMKA, the University of Toronto (Canada), Mass General Brigham and Ukrainian healthcare institutions. Together, they developed and implemented a system for tracking surgical outcomes — supporting continuous quality improvement across participating sites. She presented the results of a prospective 2024–2025 study on implementing a quality improvement program in HPB surgery, demonstrating how high compliance with key infection prevention measures was achieved.

In addition, Dr. Huivaniuk explained how using the REDCap platform for data monitoring and analysis made it possible to systematically track perioperative outcomes and manage complications.

“Ukrainian academic medicine is inseparable from the European community, and GMKA strives to strengthen and enrich its presence,” she emphasized. “Our experience serves as an example for other healthcare professionals and teams — showing how daily clinical practice can always be improved through a methodical, scientific approach. It demonstrates how standardization, systematization, and communication improve patient outcomes.”