19. Quality improvement

Question 1

What is quality in Healthcare?

Answer 1

“Quality is meeting and exceeding the customers needs and expectations and then continuing to improve’’
There are 6 domains which were identified by Institute of Medicine as quality in healthcare and these encompass person centred care and this system has been adopted by the NHS

Question 2

What are the 6 domains of quality in health care?

Answer 2

S.T.E.E.E.P

E: Effective - based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from actions to those not likely to benefit i.e. Drug A could be better than Drug B for some types of diabetes

E: Efficient - avoids waste, of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy i.e. best treatment in the quickest way possible

E: Equitable - care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristic such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socio-economic status i.e. ensure that all people have equal access to the NHS service

P: Person centred - care that is respectful of and responsive to the individual patient, they’re preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions i.e. shared decision making

Question 3

What is the S in STEEEP

Answer 3

S: Safety - avoiding harm to staff and patients from the care that is intended to help them i.e. by keeping a record of near misses

Question 4

What is the T in STEEEP

Answer 4

T: Timely - reducing waits an harmful delays for both those who receive and those who give care i.e. can you access the care when you need it?

Question 5

What is the first E in STEEEP

Answer 5

E: Effective - based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from actions to those not likely to benefit i.e. Drug A could be better than Drug B for some types of diabetes

Question 6

What is the second E in STEEEP

Answer 6

E: Efficient - avoids waste, of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy i.e. best treatment in the quickest way possible

Question 7

What is the third E in STEEEP?

Answer 7

E: Equitable - care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristic such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socio-economic status i.e. ensure that all people have equal access to the NHS service

Question 8

What is the P in STEEEP?

Answer 8

P: Person centred - care that is respectful of and responsive to the individual patient, they’re preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions i.e. shared decision making