Quality Improvement Flashcards
Definition of Quality
Remember that quality is NEVER an accident it represents the wise choices of many alternatives
It can be defined as exceeding patient requirements
Overall it is a continuum to excellence
Quality Management in Health Care
Canadian Pt Safety Institute (CPS) domain
Contribute to a patient safety culture.
Work in teams, communicate effectively.
Manage safety risks.
Optimize human and environmental factors.
Recognize, respond to, and report adverse events
Quality Management…
Quality management refers to a philosophy of health care culture that emphasizes customer satisfaction, innovation, and employee involvement
Quality Improvement…
Quality improvement refers to an ongoing process of innovation, prevention of error, and staff development that is used by institutions that adopt the quality management philosophy
Benefits of Quality Management
Greater efficiency and proactive planning
Increases in patient safety with quality care
Enhanced job satisfaction
Main cause of Medical Errors
poor processes
6 Principles of Quality Improvement
- A patient (customer) focus
- Identification of key processes to improve quality
- Use of quality tools and statistics to support improvements
- Involvement of the HCT in problem solving
- Committed leadership
- Long term commitment
Quality Control as a Process
- The criteria or standard must be determined
Information is collected to see if the standard has been met
Action must be taken if the criterion is unmet
Standards for Benchmarking
- Structure (Audits) - Measures or Standards – focuses on internal characteristics of an organization and personnel.
- Process (Audits) -Measures or Standards – focuses on whether the activities are being conducted appropriately.
- Outcome (Audits)- Measures or Standards – Refers to whether the services provided make a difference
Implications for Patient Care
Must be measured by the value of care
Value is a function of cost and quality outcomes together
Outcomes according to Kelly include a patients clinical or functional outcomes
Cost includes direct and indirect patient care needs
Benchmarking…
Is the tool for identifying desired standards of organizational performance (Marquis & Huston)
Kelly states that “it is the continual and collaborative discipline of measuring and comparing the results of key work processes with those of the best performers
Who is involved in Quality Control?
Organization
Canadian Government
CRNBC
Canadian Patient Safety Institute
Has coordinating and leadership role across health care sectors and systems
Promotes leading practices and raises awareness of patient safety
Not-for-profit organization
Inspires improvement in patient safety and quality by developing evidence-informed practices
Quality Assurance
- This is a method used to monitor health care.
- It focuses on clinical aspects of provider care.
- Many activities focus on standards
Development of Standards
A standard” is a predetermined level of excellence that serves as a guide for practice”
The CRNBC has played a major role in developing professional standards for the BC Nurses.
Standard of CARE
focuses on the pt
Standard of PRACTICE
focuses on the nurse as provider
Standardized Clinical Guidelines
High risk ( med errors, complications, falls, refusal of treatment, patient dissatisfaction etc.)
High volume
High cost
Problem prone
Key Feature of a Profession
it monitors its own practice
Solutions
- Mandatory continuing Education
- Development and use of critical paths
- Risk Management
Measures to implement if Standards are not met
- report and re-mediation
Reporting mechanisms set up in the system
Incident report and documentation
Goal of Quality Improvement
- The goal of QI programs is not to assign blame
- It is the responsibility of all nurses and seeks to improve patient care at the minimal level.
- Working together to prevent problems is far more effective than correcting or dealing with problems after they occur
