How do you define quality of care

How do you define quality of care?

I define quality of care by doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right purpose, for every individual patient, every time to achieve the best possible outcomes. Providing a safe environment, patient-centered care, in a timely fashion, effectively, and efficiently.

2. What factors can you control, as a manager, for your staff to provide high-quality care (which factors are internal and which are external)?

As a manager, I would work internally to make sure there is adequate staffing, so a nurse is not stressed or has a patient load that is no easy to handle, perform daily huddles so that my team is aware of what is going on in the unit, also use this huddle time to identify in areas of improvement. I would make timely rounds to make sure that a nurse is not in need of any help or that they are not overwhelmed. I would do whatever is possible so that my unit is organized and so that my staff feels comfortable. Externally I would discover ways to improve our satisfaction scores.

3. If an organization is deciding between several quality management programs which would you recommend and why?

If an organization is deciding between several quality management programs I would recommend DMAIC Method. “DMAIC is a 6-sigma process improvement method (Sullivan, p. 74). I would choose this method because it seems straight forward and to the point. “Define what measures will indicate success, measure baseline performance, analyze results, improve performance, control and sustain performance” (Sullivan, p. 74). I also like this method because it sounds similar to how our unit operates in the ICU.

Resources

Sullivan, E. (2012). Effective leadership and management in nursing. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice-Hall.8th ed.