Quality care is probably the most important factor in providing treatment. Understandably, hospital managers thrive to improve the health care process to attract clients and to ensure their needs are met. This project analyzes the key principles of the quality improvement framework to draft the best solutions for nursing leaders. The purpose of this project is to identify who should take part in quality improvement and how it should be done based on models found in literature and practice.
The literature review works as the primary source for data collection. The first step lies in identifying the threats facing the quality of health services. Factors like people, environment, and others may be the reasons for the underperformance of nurses (Awases, Bezuidenhout, & Roos, 2013). The next step is to analyze the effectiveness of quality improvement teams. Research proves that they have a positive effect due to staff involvement (Rantz et al., 2013). Thus, the final step is to identify the goals and timeframes for measuring outcomes of the program.
The primary goals of the QI process include the increase in motivation level among employees, as well as integration and transparency. The level of motivation among nurses positively impacts the quality of health care as it is the base for a positive attitude and a regular development of professional knowledge (Huber, 2006, p. 163). Transparency allows managers to easily track possible issues regarding quality and take actions whenever necessary. Finally, the integration of nurses in the QI process serves as the determinant of their willingness to improve the quality of treatment.
Information technologies appear to be very helpful in measuring the progress of the QI program. The continuous measurement of information is crucial for the Total Quality Management (TQM) framework (Lawrence, 1993, p. 10). Managers should collect the data based on employees’ questionnaires where they assess their work, as well as other types of research, and use information technologies to detect changes and make predictions for the future. Moreover, IT is currently an essential part of providing treatment in hospitals. Regular assessment of these facilities would ensure quality health care.
One of the internal benchmarks would be the self-assessment of nurses. Factors that should be analyzed include the level of motivation and satisfaction with their work. Moreover, their interest and engagement in the process should define the overall change in the attitude resulting in quality improvement. External benchmarks are the changes in the number of patients admitted to the hospital. Besides, their level of satisfaction should be the primary result of the QI process.
It is perceived that the positive changes would be made during the next year. After this milestone, the program must be evaluated. If the results meet the initial expectation, the program should be exercised further. However, even the best practices tend to worsen over time. That is why the re-evaluation should be done every half a year. Three fundamental outcomes that should be measured is the degree of the nurses’ output correspondence with quality standards, the enhancement of capabilities through an operational process, and the level of experience contribution. The key players include top managers, heads of departments, and nursing personnel.
The factors described above should positively contribute to the quality improvement in hospitals. It is important to remember, though, that goals have to be specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant to the problem (Pryjmachuk, 2011, p. 130). Nurses would become more motivated and willing to contribute their skills, while it would be easier for managers to keep track of service quality.
References
Awases, M. H., Bezuidenhout, M. C., & Roos, J. H. (2013). Factors affecting the performance of professional nurses in Namibia. Curationis, 36(1), 1-8.
Huber, D. L. (2006). Leadership and nursing care management (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA: Elsevier.
Lawrence. M. L. (1993). Total quality management in human service organizations. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.
Pryjmachuk, S. (2011). Mental health nursing: An evidence based introduction. London, UK: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Rantz, M., Zwygart-Stauffacher, M., Flesner, M., Hicks, L., Mehr, D., Russel, t., & Minner, D. (2013). The influence of teams to sustain quality improvement in nursing homes that “need improvement.” Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 14(1), 48-52.