“Quality improvement is the systematic approach that is guided by data to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery,” “Quality improvement focuses on care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered.” With this information staff work to identify areas of improvement and highlight areas of excellence. This work aims to improve patient outcomes, achieve efficiency in the delivery of medical care and reduce healthcare costs. Quality Improvement Project involves topics that are evidence based.
Below is an examples of quality improvement:
“Decreased medication administration errors”
Most examples of quality improvement in healthcare are guided by a framework developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which identifies six primary goals for patient care
According to the framework, patient care should be:
- Safe: Avoiding harm to patients during their medical treatment.
- Effective: Providing medical services to patients who could benefit from them and avoiding the use of services that are unlikely to result in better patient outcomes.
- Timely: Reducing wait times and delays for appointments and treatment.
- Efficient: Avoiding waste of medical equipment, supplies, time and energy.
- Equitable: Ensuring quality of care does not vary because of patient characteristics like gender, ethnicity, geography and socioeconomics.
- Patient-centered: Respecting individual patient preferences and ensuring that patients are valued and involved in decisions related to their care.
With this framework as a guide, healthcare quality professionals play an essential role in improving patient care outcomes and significantly impact the healthcare industry.
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Decreased medication administration errors.