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The importance of quality in the field of health care
The importance of quality in the field of health care
The importance of quality in the field of health care
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Dimensions of Quality in Health Care The Institute of Medicine defines quality as ‘the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge’. The health system is composed of a few elementary segments – the overarching macrosystems, the front line clinical microsystems, and patient subpopulations needing attention (Sollecito & Johnson, 2013). Amplifying health results and patient safety requires a patient-centered, well-designed health care organization which includes all encounters with the patient. This includes the clerks, paraprofessionals, nurses, and physicians. Good quality care performed by a competent individual cannot …show more content…
However, outcome data is much more difficult to acquire and measure than a process or structure. Negative outcome data is usually easier to obtain and this can present a problem. Outcome measurements should be measured by both positive and negative outcomes in care. Positive measures in patient care outcomes could include a patient being able to return to work within 60 days after heart surgery or an improved quality of life after back surgery. Negative measures in patient care outcomes could include death during a hospital stay or readmission to the hospital within 30 days of discharge (Sollecito & Johnson, …show more content…
Decreasing delays and backlogs of appointments can insure that from the time the patient schedules the need and the service is carried, there is less of a wait for the patient, which in turn, decreases costs and creates less waste in a health system. Demand for access can be predictable and health care organizations have found that analysis of demand data can improve an access system by forecasting based on the range of the provider practice and how that provider practices, as well as the population (Institute for Health Care Improvement [IHI], 2016). Population Health Increasing quality improvement in population health is one of the definitive goals of a public health system. Population-based public health services are designed to assist in targeting and preventing risks that can affect entire populations. Health promotion and disease prevention can help not just with medical treatment, but aim at tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, as well as sedentary lifestyles, diet, and environmental factors (Institute for Health Care Improvement [IHI], 2016).
If patients constantly have to wait an excessive amount of time they will either leave before they receive care or could end up becoming sicker as a result. Donabedian’s three-element model structure, process and outcome have become the gold standard for defining quality measurement (Varkey, 2010). Structure relates to the health care setting, which includes the hospital policies, procedures and design. Process evaluates if the right actions were taken for an intended outcome and how well the actions were executed to achieve the outcome. Outcome focuses on the patient, it measures the patient’s condition, behavior, and response to or satisfaction with care (Varkey, 2010). Although each of these measures focus on different areas, they indicate areas that need improvement. Also, the measurement from structure and process plays an important role in the patient’s outcome. If the hospital has the right staff, equipment and
The interpretation of quality health care varies with each person. Some place emphasis on the ability to access various treatments without interference. Others value the feature of being able to simply select one’s provider. Quality health care, according to the Institute of Medicine (2001), can be defined as care that is “safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable” (p. 3). Furthermore, it should account for, in detail, a patient’s medical history, and improve overall patient well-being.
The health of the American people lags behind those from other developed countries. Federal public health agencies have a wide range of responsibilities and functions which includes public health research, funding, and oversight of direct healthcare providers. It has been a long time since changes have been made to the way the federal government structures its health care roles and programs outside of Medicare and Medicaid (Trust, 2013). With healthcare reform on the horizon now is the time to invest time and money in prevention, not medicine, making it a top priority to improve health and prevent disease. Funding efforts at all levels of the public health continuum need to focus on developing programs aimed at such leading initiatives as tobacco cessation, improving nutrition, supplying safe workplaces, and increasing physical activity in all ages of the population. People should have equal access to quality preventative medicine and education.
“Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans.” ( United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Healthy People 2020 , 2011). It acts as a national guide for disease prevention and health promotion. There are various objectives and goals which serve as the guideline to achieve overall improvement in health . ‘Educational and Community-Based Programs’ is one of them. According to U.S Department of Health and Human Services the main goal of these programs is to “Increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs designed to prevent disease and injury, improve health, and enhance quality of life.” (HHS, Healthy People 2020, 2011). This particular goal of Healthy People 2020 focuses on increasing the number educational and community based programs to increase awareness about disease prevention and health among every individual of the society. It focuses on educating them on various topics including chronic diseases, substance abuse, prevention of injury and violence to encourage and enhance health. It emphasizes on increasing the quantity and quality of such programs so that a larger population could benefit from the program and gain effective knowledge to achieve a healthy life.
... is an abstract model that proposes an exploratory plan for health services and evaluating quality of health care. In accordance with the model, information about quality of care can be obtained from three categories: structure, process, and outcomes. In addition, not long ago The Joint Commission include outcomes in its accreditation valuations (Sultz, & Young, 2011, p. 378).
A report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) introduced five core competencies for health professionals: provide patient-centered care, work in interdisciplinary teams, employ evidence-based practice, apply quality improvement, and utilize informatics (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2003). The objective of the report was to improve the United States health care system. IOM proposes that if all five core competencies are utilized by health professionals, quality patient care can be achieved.
Quality assessment and quality assurance are often found together in health care quality literature. However, these terms are not always differentiated appropriately. Quality assessment is a measurement of quality against an establish standard (Shi & Singh, 2015). The measurement of quality includes the process of describing how quality is determined, identification of specific indicators to be measured, and collection of data for the measurement, statistical analysis, and explanation of the results (Shi & Singh, 2015). Quality assurance is included with quality assurance and is the process of implementing quality through continuous assessment and using the results from the assessments for continuous improvement (Shi & Singh, 2015).
Quality health care is the provision of effective and efficient health care that is free of errors or misjudgments. Quality health care puts the onus on medical practitioners to ensure that patients get the best comprehensive care possible in order to eliminate problematic situations. Over the years, reports have surfaced about discrepancies in the health care systems. Some of these errors have cost patients their well-being or more seriously, their lives. Cases involving medical malpractice, through negligence, are among the issues that compromise health care. Patients suffer adverse effects of omission or commission on the part of medical personnel and the results are sometimes very critical. Because of medical negligence,
In the healthcare system, quality is a major driving compartment for patient outcomes. The quality of care reflects the outcomes in a patient’s care. According to Feeley, Fly, Walters and Burke (2010), “quality equ...
Varkey, P., Reller, M., & Resar, R. (2007). Basics of quality improvement in health care. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 82(6), 735-739.
Healthy People 2020 is a program for the promotion of health and the prevention of diseases, launched by the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2010. According to healthypeople.gov, this program has four overarching goals which are first to achieve healthy, longer lives free of preventable diseases, injuries, and premature deaths; to achieve health fairness, eliminate differences, and improve all groups’ health; also to produce social and physical environments that encourage good health; and last but not least to promote life’s quality, healthy development, and healthy behaviors through all life stages. This program has a vision of a community where people live long, healthy lives. Healthy People 2020 offers a comprehensive set of 10 years of nationwide goals and objectives that is meant to improve the health of the American population. Healthy People 2020 covers 42 topic areas with approximately 600 objectives, which include 1,200 measures. A smaller set of Healthy People 2020 objectives, has been designated to communicate high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them, this objectives are called Leading Health Indicators. The program goes above and beyond these health indicators in order to provide the best care for the people of this country. These indictors cover from the access of health service, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity to substance abuse, environmental quality, injury and violence.
The World Health Organization outlines 6 areas of quality that help shape our definition of what makes quality care. Those areas are; (1) Effective: using evidence bases practice to improve health outcomes based on needs of individuals and communities. (2) Efficient: healthcare that maximizes resources and minimizes waste. (3) Accessible: timely care that is provided in a setting where the skills and resources are appropriate for the medical need and is geographically reasonable. (4) Acceptable/Patient-Centered: healthcare that considers individual needs, preferences, and culture. (5) Equitable: healthcare quality that does not vary because of race, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, or socioeconomically status. (6) Safe: healthcare that minimizes harm and risks to patients. (Bengoa, 2006)
...atient safety and offer a balanced approach for adequate staffing for quality patient care and safety ("Congress.Gov," 2015).
Because state and local public health programs are often funded at least in part with Federal dollars, accountability is often a key issue (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Public health programs therefore document progress towards positive change in health behavior or health status indicators (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Data such as these can be presented to policymakers to document the value or effectiveness of a program (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Those data can also be used for continued program planning and modification (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Policies have positive or negative influences on health. Examples of health policies include safety standards, which influence the incidence of injuries; tobacco regulations affect personal health; and safe city parks can affect the ability for people are active (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). It is a systematic process to utilize appropriate data, develop and track measurable health objectives, establish strategies and actions to guide the targeted improvements (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). The targeted strategies may be laws, codes, regulations and/or
Understanding quality measurement is essential in improving quality. Teams need to be able to understand whether the changes being made are actually leading to improved care and improved outcomes. For data to have an impact on an improvement initiative, providers and staff must understand it, trust it, and use it. Health care organization must understand the measurement of quality provided by the Institute of Medicine (patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, compliance, efficiency, safe, timely, patient centered, and equitable. An organization cannot improve its performance if it does not know how it is performing. Measuring quality improvements is essential as it reflects the quality of care given by the providers and that by comparing performance