Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

Question 1

What is patient safety?

Answer 1

• preventing patients being harmed by the care they receive
  
  • if harm does occur identify and analyse it
  • learn from it to prevent recurrence

Question 2

What factors can contribute to harm?

Answer 2

• poor administrative systems
• poor communication
• not enough equipment
• time pressures
• stress
• understaffed
• hierarchy
• poor leadership

Question 3

What is quality improvement?

Answer 3

• application of a systemic approach that uses specific techniques to improve quality

Question 4

What are the steps of the quality improvement journey?

Answer 4

• creating conditions
• understanding systems
• developing aims
• testing changes
• implement
• spread
• continuous throughout journey
  
  • leadership and teams
  • project management and communication
  • measurement