Introduction
For this assignment, I met with the representative of the Risk Management department at my work site and interviewed one. With the help of such a survey, I received an opportunity to explore quality initiatives that are utilized and make all workers constantly improve the quality of the services they provide. As I attended the in-service, I got a chance to assess the processes for analysis of errors as well.
Continuous Quality Initiatives
Quality improvement initiatives are critical for healthcare establishments, as they allow to improve their performance and reach a greater number of positive health outcomes (Muething et al., 2012). In my organization, standardized quality measures are implemented. They are extremely helpful, as they allow assessing the performance of a person or the whole organization and find out what should be improved (Yu, 2014).
We highly value physician-patient education, as we are sure that health outcomes depend on the patient’s behavior greatly. We also pay much attention to the physician or patient reminders. Health information technology is constantly improved to remain up-to-date and increase the use of preventive services. Finally, the organization provides payment incentives to practices that are focused on treating chronic diseases. For example, it does its best to improve the quality of hypertension.
Processes for Analysis of Errors
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
When attending the in-service, I found out that the analysis of serious adverse events that happen within the healthcare establishment is constantly maintained, which provides an opportunity to get to know what was done wrong and how the outcomes can be improved if a similar situation occurs again. In this framework, RCA professionals reconstruct everything that happened to define those factors that lead to an adverse outcome. They often refer to record reviews and interviews to gather all necessary information.
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is also often used in my work site. With its help, professionals identify those elements of the working procedures that require alterations. It is used as a proactive measure, which is rather advantageous for the organization, as adverse outcomes can be prevented before they occur. FMEA allows us to assess current processes and find out what can go wrong. Professionals define the cause of the failure and its possible consequences. After analyzing this information, they develop the way, in which negative effects can be prevented. This method is mainly based on the professionals’ skills and knowledge, as they are the ones to see possible issues.
Serious Safety Events (SSE)
Any health care organization faces SSEs from time to time. At my work site, we try to eliminate them and make patients experience no harm (Serious safety events, 2016). As SSE happens, it is thoroughly analyzed. With the help of a structured problem-solving process, professionals define what caused it. Based on the received information, they design a plan of actions that are expected to prevent the causes. A safety briefing is maintained daily for all professionals to be ready.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that the quality improvement processes within my work site are maintained decently. The seniors support the development of quality initiatives and their utilization, as believe it to be beneficial for achieving positive health outcomes. They encourage special teams to analyze those errors that already occurred and to consider possible causes. On this basis, professionals develop strategies and plans of actions that are followed by the medical staff and allow the organization to enhance its performance and reduce the number of adverse health outcomes.
References
Muething, S., Goudie, A., Schoettker, P., Donnelly, L., Goodfriend, M., Bracke, T.,… Kotagal, U. (2012). Quality improvement initiative to reduce serious safety events and improve patient safety culture. Pediatrics, 130(2), e423–e431.
Serious safety events. (2016). Web.
Yu, Y., Zhou, Y., Wang, H., Zhou, T., Li, Q., Li, T.,… Liu, Z. (2014). Impact of continuous quality improvement initiatives on clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis. Peritoneal Dialysis International, 34(2), 43-48.