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The concepts of quality improvement in a health care organization
The concepts of quality improvement in a health care organization
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Quality Improvement Systems in Health Care
Quality improvement is a term that has been associated in many aspects of business, specifically manufacturing for many years. Quality improvement is not an end goal, but an ongoing cycle of enhancements and corrections. The importance of measurement cannot be understated in a quality improvement system, as quality management is best achieved when the quality examined can be measured, quantified, compared and monitored over time (Anderson & Zwelling, 1996). As a result, Quality Management has been most utilized in a manufacturing and product setting, and a multitude of quality management systems and theories have been developed and successfully applied by many product producing companies.
However, these same quality management techniques are being applied to service related industries with great success. Moreover, quality management has become a vital factor in developing a strategic plan for success in all areas of health care (Anderson & Zwelling, 1996).
Measuring Quality in Health Care
There is a unique need for strategic quality management in health care, because cost reduction must be a priority and access to care increased, all without loss of health care quality. In order to accomplish this, health care administrators are implementing traditional quality improvement methods to improve all facets of the health care system. Analyzing these methods is an important step in quality improvement implementation, and studies show that there are both positive and negative characteristics of each system in relation to development of health care quality.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a well know improvement system popular in the 80s, meaning 3.4 defects per million, and its aim is to re...
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...rld, there is a crucial focus on improving health care quality, as cost of care has careened out of control, and much of the globe has little access or poor quality of care. The three studies above indicate that quality improvement systems formally used in manufacturing and product settings can be applicable in service settings, specifically health care. Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, and Benchmarking have all achieved success in various health care settings, and these processes should continue to be developed as quality management grows in importance in the health care industry. Quality, access, and cost of health care can all be effectively improved with proper systems, but most importantly, it will take providers, patients and families, administrators, payers, researchers, and educators to all participate and collaborate to truly improve today’s health care system.
With healthcare costs soaring in the United States, there is a continuous movement by hospitals and health systems towards reaching a number of patient and system oriented goals related to higher levels of quality, safety, and cost effectiveness. The Triple Aim captures the essential challenges and opportunities of this time within the U.S. Healthcare system. Formally introduce by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in October 2007, the Triple Aim is theoretical model for optimizing health system performance. The initiative has three components: improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita costs of health care (Berwick,
Nurses are pivotal in hospital efforts to improve quality because they are in the best position to affect the care patients receive during their hospitalization. Data collection and analysis is the core of quality improvement assisting in understanding how the system work, identifying potential areas in need for improvement, monitoring the effectiveness of change and outcome. Nurses are also the eyes and ears of the hospital to positively influence patient outcome. For example, nurses are the ones catching medication errors, falls, and identifying barriers to delivering care. In this nurse’s facility, in order to minimize patient falls the hospital implemented a falls risk assessment tool called, “The Humpty Dumpty Scale” upon admission
Improvement in quality of healthcare: Work in interprofessional teams, employ evidence-based practice, utilize informatics, provide patient-centered care, and apply quality improvement (QI).
Dinh et al. (2014) found that by employing a quality improvement system lowered trauma patient mortality by statically significant amount. These reductions in patient mortality for course benefit patients, but also lower costs by identifying waste. Caldwell (2006) states quality improvement techniques; like lean sigma six, can allow better unit staffing allocations based on patient census that protect patient safety and care quality, but also reduce staffing levels more effective and lower overall unit staffing
The Six Sigma approach was designed by Motorola in 1986. The primary objective of the concept was to develop a tool for tallying the process defects and, as the result, improving business operations. The foundations of the approach are the customer needs, statistical analysis of data and facts, and timely execution. The method promises numerous benefits such as increasing performance and profitability of an organization, improving product or service quality and employee morale, decreasing costs, the growth of market share, the higher level of satisfying customer needs, etc. (Meredith & Shafer, 2013). The primary advantage
The National Quality Strategy (NQS) is a publication first published in March 2011 and is developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (About the National Quality Strategy, 2017). The publication is a collective process that involves the help of many healthcare based organizations and groups that actively work on the complexities of healthcare and how to simplify them and help for providers and clinicians to achieve the highest degree of patient and consumer satisfaction (About the National Quality Strategy, 2017). Based on this information gathered during research the publication had developed three main aims of the group as well as six priorities set forth by the organization which will all be discussed in this paper. After
Quality improvement (QI) involves the regular and constant actions that enable measurable improvement in health care. QI results in enhanced health services, organizational efficiency, quality and safe care to patients, and desired health outcomes for individuals and patient populations (U. S. Department of Health and Human Service, 2011). A successful quality improvement program is patient-centered, a collaboration of teams, and uses data in systems. QI helps to develop a culture of excellence in nursing, identify and prioritize areas of improvement, promote communication and collaboration, collect and analyze data, and encourage continuous evaluation of systems and processes (American Academy
Bengoa, R. (2006). Quality of care: a process for making strategic choices in health systems.. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Understanding quality measurement is essential in improving quality. Teams need to be able to understand whether the changes being made are actually leading to improved care and improved outcomes. For data to have an impact on an improvement initiative, providers and staff must understand it, trust it, and use it. Health care organization must understand the measurement of quality provided by the Institute of Medicine (patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, compliance, efficiency, safe, timely, patient centered, and equitable. An organization cannot improve its performance if it does not know how it is performing. Measuring quality improvements is essential as it reflects the quality of care given by the providers and that by comparing performance
To achieve the goal of health care safety by providing quality services throughout their leadership role. Quality management provides a specific framework to consider the successful implementation of the risk management and improve the programs where participation is needed to share experiences. The governing body demonstrates that commitment of all stakeholders to sufficient management resources for effective mitigation. Quality of system increases patient satisfaction and will help people and employees to achieve the target goals. When an organization plans to increase needs and considers the improvement of quality, it will perceive the needs of patients.
Improvement in the quality is a continuous process; by discontinuing the continuity will shatter the business competitiveness in the market. Generally, six sigma, lean and Kaizen are being used for continuous improvement by the companies. But in case of manufacturing companies, they need to be more calculative and carful in the continuous improvement is essential but the company should be cautious in not investing in destructive research. It is not possible for implementing the TQM in all process (Ashkenas, 2013).
Providing quality health care is the degree to which health care services both increase desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge (Huber, 2014). Nurses serve as health care quality professionals and constantly promote the standardization and measurement of quality improvement programs. In fact, nurses are bound by their professional association’s code of ethics and scope of professional standards to participate in the continuous improvement of the services they provide (Huber, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the quality program of my organization. I will discuss what my organization’s quality programs goals and objectives are as well as the management structure.
Shepard, M. (2009, August). Improving quality and value in the u.s. health care system. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2009/08/21-bpc-qualityreport
The community, providers and health organizations work together with entrepreneurs to change health care delivery and improve quality care and outcomes regardless of existing constraints brought about through policy, regulation, innovation, and increasing technological demand. Quality in healthcare is the continuing effort to reach and maintain necessary goals and requirements in order to meet standards of care provided by the healthcare facility. Quality in health care leads to accreditation, performance improvement, and high quality evaluation reports that greatly benefit the healthcare institution as a whole. The entrepreneurship process has influenced the delivery of health care services and products. (Feigenbaum,
In the year of 1986 Six Sigma began as a statistically-based method to reduced variation in electronics manufacturing process developed by Motorola. Nowadays Six Sigma is used by many sectors of industry as an all-compassing business performance all over the world. By using Six Sigma, causes of detects and errors in manufacturing and business process can be identified and then been removed. Six Sigma is a customer focus change strategy which is a business strategy that helps company to improve in terms of business performance. There is a methodology involved which allows company to systematically enhance processes. Businesses are in business for two reasons which are to satisfy the customer and to make money. Six Sigma basically implies a measure of quality that strives for close flawlessness. Six Sigma is restrained, information driven methodology and system for eliminating defects in any procedure from manufacturing to transactional and from products to service. Six Sigma emphasize that continuous effort to achieve stable and predictable process results of vital importance to business. Other than that, the characteristics that manufacturing and business process have can be measured, analysed, improved and controlled. Process improvement, process design or re-design and process management are the three basic elements of Six Sigma. Six Sigma helps an organisation to focuses on understanding and managing customer requirements, achieving those requirements by aligning key business, minimize variation in those processes by utilizing rigorous data analysis and driving rapid and sustainable improvement to business processes.