Chapter 18 Terminology Flashcards
Quality Assurance
Customers (Internal)
The physicians, nurses and other professional personnel served by Central Service personnel
Quality
The consistent delivery of products and services according to established standards. Quality “integrates” the concerns for the customers (including patients and user department personnel) with those of the department and facility.
Empowerment
The act of granting authority (power) to employees so they may make decisions within their areas of responsibility.
Process improvement
Activity to identify and resolve task-related problems that yield poor quality; the strategy of finding solutions to eliminate the root causes of process performance problems.
Cross-functional team
Group of employees from different departments within the healthcare facility that works together to resolve operating problems.
Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA)
A process designed to predict the adverse outcomes of various human and machine failures to prevent future adverse outcomes.
Root cause analysis (RCA)
A process that “looks backward” at an event to help prevent its future occurrence.
Sentinal event
An unexpected occurrence involving death, serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof.
Quality assurance
A comprehensive and measured effort to provide total quality. Also, a technical, statistical sampling method that measures production quality
Total quality improvement (TQI)
The concept of measuring the current output of a process or procedure and then modifying it to increase the output, increase efficiency, and/or increase effectiveness
Continuous quality improvement (CQI)
A scientific approach that applies statistical methods to improve work processes.
Processes (work)
A series of work activities which produce a product or service
Total quality management (TQM)
A quality management approach based on participation of all members aimed at long-term success through customer satisfaction and benefits to all members of the organization and society
Six Sigma
A quality process that focuses on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services
Lean
A quality process that focuses on eliminating waste in the production of products.
