As a matter of fact, the sphere of medicine should receive the priority on the governmental level as the life of the nation and generations is highly dependent on the quality of care that is provided in the medical establishments. Moreover, it seems especially important to note that every hospital can influence the situation significantly and improve the quality of care; all it takes is desire and effort. The primary purpose of the paper is to provide a detailed report that is focused on providing strategies that are directed on the achievement of current goals of the hospital and satisfying the needs of the clients.
Problem
The biggest problem is the fact that the patients like the hospital; however, there is a gap between the expectations of the clients regarding the quality of service they will get and actually the quality of care they receive. The staff is more centered on the fulfillment of their duties and pays not enough attention to the clients.
Measure the Quality of Service
It should be pointed out that it is significantly important to measure the quality of the health care delivery system in order to understand what should be improved or changed. According to recent researches, only 60% of people get appropriate care that corresponds to the standards in the United States. The service is unorganized, and it might lead to the fact that some symptoms of the patients may get more severe or even consequently result in a death of the client. In order to eliminate or reduce to the minimum, such cases, some steps should be taken. It is worth noting that changes should be made in order to:
- Deliver high-quality service and provide patients with safe environment which is beneficial for the process of treatment;
- Identify what aspects that are implemented in the establishment work not in a proper way;
- Address the disparities in terms of the way the care is delivered to the patients;
- Help the clients to make more reasonable choices regarding the choosing of hospitals based on the information they get.
The following five measurements of quality of care should be implemented in the working process; among them are the following ones, namely:
- Structure;
- Process;
- Outcome;
- Patient experience;
- Health plan.
In order to get deeper involved in the issue, every aspect should be taken into consideration. First and foremost, the infrastructure of the setting should be organized. This element comprises the staff, their capabilities, resources of the heath care center, and policy that controls and determines the delivery of the service. Structure measures help to establish certain standards that will be beneficial for the improvement of the quality of care. The patients are likely to choose the hospital where the process of records is computerized and where the hygiene protocol is implemented. The process measures are related to the treatment and are directed to eliminate the risk of health status complications. Another important factor that influences the patient’s choice is the patient experience. The client is likely to choose a hospital where he will wait for the conversation with a doctor not much. Moreover, the physician should use understandable language while communicating with the patient.
The patients want to receive feedback on their treatment. Thus, this factor seems to be especially important. The clarity of information should not be undervalued as not all the clients can easily understand the terminology, and that is why, some misunderstanding between the physician and the client is possible. It should be stressed that such situations should be reduced to the minimum or eliminated at all. Furthermore, the patients value the ability to get an appointment for the emergency situations as quickly as possible. The staff should realize that people need to be supported and instructed properly. The health plan measures involve a large spectrum of diseases and complications (Aiken, Sloane, Bruyneel, Heede, & Sermeus, 2013). The more diseases can be managed in the hospital the more clients are likely to use the service of the medical establishment. The combination of the stated above aspects can provide a more detailed and complete picture regarding the changes that are essential for the hospital to implement in order to improve the quality of the delivered care significantly.
Main Features
The four main features in the health care organizations that can be used to design a successful quality improvement plan are the following ones, namely:
- Teamwork;
- Patient-centered service;
- Data analysis;
- Computerization and usage of innovations.
Teamwork receives a paramount significance while the improvement of the quality of care. Every member of the team should be involved in the process and be active in order to contribute to positive changes, for example, the reduction of the waiting time, improvement of care among the patients with diabetes (You et al., 2013). Every employee has a unique viewpoint that can be useful while implementing changes. It is impossible to be an expert in all the spheres, and thus, the participation of the staff is especially important while implementing changes.
The patient-centered service is another component that should be taken into consideration as the clients are likely to choose those hospitals that value patients and focus their attention on the improvement of health status and treatment. The patient-centered approach involves the high-quality care directed to every patient. Furthermore, the professional should dedicate a lot of time to details (Pines, Mullins, Cooper, Feng, & Roth, 2013).
The analysis of the data helps to realize what should be done and what is actually done. The factor of computerization and usage of innovation should be prioritized as well because the sphere of medicine should keep pace with the progress and provide every patient with structured information and innovative methods of diagnosis (Tsai, Orav, & Jha, 2015). Stated above aspects will improve the quality of care that is provided to every client. These features can lead to success as they are centered on the most common problems that exist almost in every medical establishment, and it should be highlighted that the Sunlight Hospital is not the exception.
Due to the implementation of the quality improvement plan, people will be aware that consulting this hospital they would receive a highly professional service. In addition, the gap between the expectations of the clients and the level of service they receive will be reduced or even eliminated. The problem of modern medical establishments can be found in the dimension of the service. The vast majority of people are treated without attention. The clients are not satisfied with it and demand changes. Every person should feel care and support, especially in the sphere of medicine. Feeling indifference, the clients are not likely to consult the professional the next time he or she has some health-related problems. In case a person feels comfortably, it creates a number of advantages for both, client and specialists. It improves the quality of service greatly. Thus, people do not experience difficulties in communication with physicians or nurses and will seek for their help in future in case it is needed. The quality of care is a fundamental factor that should be improved in order for the clients to feel more comfortably and establish the relationships between the patient and physician based on trust and respect.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be stated that in order to improve the quality of care in a medical establishment, namely Sunlight Hospital in California, some steps should be taken into consideration. The patients like the hospital, however, they do not find the quality of care satisfying in most of the cases, and thus, it should be improved. Some changes should be implemented in the working process in order to reach this objective. First and foremost, is should be highlighted that the patient-centered approach is a fundamental factor that contributes to the successful implementation of changes and improvement of the quality of care. Every patient should be supported and respected. The waiting time should be reduced, the clients should be provided with a wide spectrum of help and ability to get an appointment in case of emergency as soon as possible. The safe environment contributes to a better recovery process and the process of treatment, and thus, it seems significant to dedicate time for the safety improvement. The proposed changes and quality measures are needed for implementation as they will provide the clients with an appropriate level of care and will significantly improve the quality.
References
Aiken, L., Sloane, D., Bruyneel, L., Heede, K., & Sermeus, W. (2013). Nurses’ reports of working conditions and hospital quality of care in 12 countries in Europe. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(2), 143-153.
Pines, J., Mullins, P., Cooper, J., Feng, L., & Roth, K. (2013). National trends in emergency department use, care patterns, and quality of care of older adults in the United States. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61(1), 12-17.
Tsai, T., Orav, E., & Jha, A. (2015). Patient Satisfaction and Quality of Surgical Care in US Hospitals. Annals of Surgery, 261(1), 2-8.
You, L., Aiken, L., Sloane, D., Liu, K., He, G., Hu, Y., & Sermeus, W. (2013). Hospital nursing, care quality, and patient satisfaction: Cross-sectional surveys of nurses and patients in hospitals in China and Europe. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(2), 154-161.