Over the years, many different milestones have influenced quality improvement efforts in health care. This Discussion is intended to help you understand how various developments have shaped contemporary perspectives and approaches to promoting health care quality.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Review the information presented in the Learning Resources, and select one milestone that you think is particularly significant or interesting.
- Evaluate how this milestone has influenced health care delivery; consider positive outcomes, failures, and unintended consequences.
- Consider how this milestone relates to the purpose and philosophy of quality improvement.
- Reflect on Dr. Stephen Jencks’s statement in the “Concepts of Quality and Patient Safety” media segment that health care quality is a national priority. Do you agree with this proposition? Why or why not? And, if so, is this true of all the dimensions of quality identified by the Institute of Medicine, or do certain dimensions receive greater attention than others? Use the Walden library and credible Web sites to conduct research so that you can support your response with examples from recent health policy developments and/or other current events. (You will need to cite your sources in your Discussion posting.)
Post by Day 4 a response to the following:
- Identify a milestone in the history of quality improvement in the first line of your posting.
- Analyze how this milestone has influenced health care delivery.
- Explain how this milestone relates to the purpose and philosophy of quality improvement.
- Address the proposition that health care quality is currently a national priority. Include one or more examples from health policy and/or current events to support your response.
Resources: (Google)
- Course Text: Varkey, P. (2010). Medical quality management: Theory and practice. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
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- Chapter 1, “Basics of Quality Improvement”
This chapter introduces some key concepts of health care quality and surveys the history of quality improvement efforts.
- Chapter 1, “Basics of Quality Improvement”
- Course Text: Galt, K. A., & Paschal, K. A. (2011). Foundations in patient safety for health professionals. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
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- Chapter 1, “Key Concepts in Patient Safety”
Foundational principles related to patient safety (one of the six dimensions of quality) are addressed in this chapter.
- Chapter 1, “Key Concepts in Patient Safety”
- Report: Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
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- Executive summary
Released in 1999, this groundbreaking report provides the rationale for implementing comprehensive improvements in patient safety, an important subset of health care quality. Although only the executive summary is required this week, you are strongly encouraged to read additional sections of this report as you proceed through the course.
- Executive summary
- Report: Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
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- Executive Summary
This report was published by the Institute of Medicine in 2001 to highlight the significant gap between the state of health care quality and where itshould be. The report draws attention to the need to improve the U.S. health care delivery system as a whole, and identifies six areas for improvement: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity. Although only the executive summary is required this week, you are strongly encouraged to read additional sections of this report as you proceed through the course.
- Executive Summary
- Article: Wachter, R. (2010). Patient safety at ten: Unmistakable progress, troubling gaps. Health Affairs, 29(1), 165–173. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
This article presents an analysis of progress in patient safety since the publication of the IOM report To Err is Human. As you read this article, evaluate the author’s critique, and consider recent developments that continue to shape patient safety efforts in health care.
- Web Article: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (n.d.). Quality/Equality: Talking about quality. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/program-areas/quality-equality.html
This resource presents health care statistics, facts, and messages related to health care quality and reform. The collection of slides describes the current state of health care quality, goals for the future, and ways to achieve those goals.
Web Sites
- Web Site: Kaiser Family Foundation
Quality of Care http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics.asp?id=70&isID=30&refID=31&sidenav=249&smart=59&tuID=65
Health Reform http://kff.org/health-reform/
Health Reform Implementation Timeline (information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) http://kff.org/interactive/implementation-timeline/
The Kaiser Family Foundation Web site contains a wealth of information related to health care quality.
Optional Resources
- Web Site: Kaiser Family Foundation, Health Policy Media Directory
http://www.kaiseredu.org/Video-Directory.aspx
You may search this database for media segments on quality and safety.
- Book Chapter: Deming, W. E. (1986). Principles for transformation of western management. In Out of the crisis (pp. 18–96). Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center of Advanced Engineering Study.
Deming is well known for his contributions to quality management. This chapter describes key principles with implications for quality in businesses, including health care organizations.
