Introduction
Quality improvement plays a very important role in ensuring the highest standards of service are offered in health institutions. Since the structure of health systems has many stakeholders, each one of them has to play a role in quality improvement. This paper explores the three cornerstones of quality improvement in health institutions as well as strategies for improving quality in a hospital environment.
Cornerstones of Quality Improvement
Quality improvement is a three concept. First, recognition and understanding by people who serve the customer are essential. For meaningful quality improvement, people directly serving the customer must understand past, present, and future quality demands. In this concept, the customer has quality standard expectations which the people serving them should aim to uphold. For instance, the doctors and nurses in a hospital setup should respond to the patient’s demands for better services. They can analyze the complaints of the patients and use the results to improve the quality of services. If this is done continuously, quality improvement can be observed (Stockfish, 2011).
Secondly, organizational support is imperative in quality improvement. The body mandated to run an organization makes it their duty to identify and improve quality in different areas. For instance, the hospital management may deem it appropriate to carry out routine checkups and make improvements in places that do not meet their predetermined quality standards. Finally, quality improvement may be in the hands of people serving customers. They set and improve standards based on what they believe is the best for clients. For example, hospital workers may work to provide quality services purely based on what they believe is best for the patients (Stockfish, 2011).
Strategies for Improving Quality in Hospital Environment
Hospital environment is very sensitive demanding right strategies to be laid out for quality improvement. This can be done using different approaches. First, the correct culture must be developed for quality improvement to establish. Quality improvement should be an internal drive coming from all stakeholders in the hospital and not just outside pressure from bodies which set quality standards. Secondly, hospital must endeavor to employ and retain the best work force to enhance quality. Higher qualification of nurses, doctors and management, means higher chances of better service delivery thus enhancing quality improvement (Meyer, et al., 2004).
Thirdly, the hospital must endeavor to effectively structure quality improvement processes by developing the effective processes for quality improvement. For instance, quality improvement department must be adequately furnished with the right people and information. Lastly, the staff must be supplied with the right tools of trade to effectively expedite their duties. All hospital staff must be provided with the necessary tools, information and motivation to enable them to continually improve on the quality of their service. When all these strategies are carefully executed, the hospital will be in a capacity to provide quality service and also continuously improve on the same (Meyer, et al., 2004).
Conclusion
Quality improvement in health institutions requires three degrees of approach. The customer, management or service providers can initiate and sustain quality improvement. In addition, best strategies must be cultivated and exercised in order to achieve high quality standards.
References
Meyer, A. et al. (2004). Hospital Quality: Ingredients for Success— Overview And Lessons Learned. Web.
Stockfish, V. (2011). Lean Management in Hospitals: Principles and Key Factors for Successful Implementation. Berlin: Diplomarbeiten Agentur