Continuous Quality Improvement in a Hospital System: Implications for Hospital Epidemiology

1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 288-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Decker ◽  
William E. Scheckler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Hospitals ◽  
Hospital Epidemiology ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Key Steps

The purpose of this report is to describe the “Continuous Quality Improvement” (CQI) paradigm as adopted by one of the 30 largest hospital systems in the United States and to explore the implications for hospital epidemiology and infection control. Hospital epidemiology has its roots in the application of epidemiologic tools and principles to the problems of nosocomial infections. Key steps in the development of hospital epidemiology came from physicians in Great Britain and the United States who were part of the public health systems of those countries. In the United States, physicians trained in infectious diseases as a subspecialty occupy the position of hospital epidemiologist in most university, Veterans Affairs, and larger community teaching hospitals. Some of these individuals argue that hospital epidemiologists should continue to focus principally on infection control. Others are just as convinced that the premises and knowledge of epidemiology honed by experiences in infection control are very well suited to many other problems facing hospitals in the 1990s.

scholarly journals Continuous Quality Improvement of an Engineering Program as a Requirement for Abet Accreditation

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 393-398
Author(s):  
Michalene Eva Grebski ◽  
Radosław Wolniak ◽  
Wieslaw Grebski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Quality Improvement Process ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Practical Recommendations

Abstract The paper addresses the benefits from accreditation of an Engineering program. The criteria for accreditation are also being discussed as well as the cost of domestic and outside of the United States (US) accreditation. The paper also contains procedures for curriculum development as well as evaluation and assessment. Implementation of a comprehensive continuous quality improvement process (CQI) for individual courses as well as the entire Engineering program is being discussed and analyzed. The conclusions include practical recommendations for the effective closing of the CQI loop.

Continuous Quality Improvement Applied to Medical Care: Experiences at LDS Hospital

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. S60-S65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gil Kuperman ◽  
Brent James ◽  
Julie Jacobsen ◽  
Reed M. Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Analytic Approach ◽  
Statistical Tools ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Key Steps ◽  
Expected Outcomes

At LDS Hospital the authors are implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI), a systems-analytic approach to quality management in industry, as an approach to quality management in medical domains. Their approach consists of 1) choosing a process to be improved, 2) assembling a team of expert clinicians that understands the process and the outcomes, 3) determining key steps in the process and expected outcomes, 4) collecting data that measure the key process steps and outcomes, and 5) feeding back the data to the practitioners. CQI theory states that the practitioners will use the information and their own best intentions to improve the manner in which they provide care. The authors have developed statistical tools that display the data and distinguish between random and assignable variation.

scholarly journals Improving healthcare quality in the United States healthcare system: A scientific management approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Soumya Upadhyay ◽  
William Opoku-Agyeman
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Healthcare Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Continuous Quality

The US healthcare system has been facing pressures from stakeholders to reduce costs and improve quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model to illustrate the approaches used in healthcare quality management (Continuous Quality Improvement/Total Quality Management, Lean, and Six Sigma) weaved into the underlying framework of scientific management theory. This paper employs scientific management theory to explain the healthcare quality tenets that influence the quality of care in our healthcare organizations. The father of scientific management, Frederick Taylor, and other key contributors collectively created scientific management principles, which are widely used for quality improvement purposes both in the engineering and the healthcare field. Healthcare quality is also discussed with examples of the application of scientific management principles. Shared themes between scientific management principles and healthcare quality tenets, as given in CQI/TQM, Six Sigma-Lean, and Donabedian Model, were developed. To understand the three pillars of quality (structure, process, outcome) in relation to the underpinnings of scientific management principles, we incorporated insights of scientific management theory into Donabedian’s healthcare quality model. It is recommended that selection of personnel play a more significant role among human resources practices in organizations; strategy formulation must include a careful assessment of organizations’ strengths and weaknesses with regard to continuous quality improvement, with organizations striving to achieve standardization to attain efficiency and reduce costs.

scholarly journals Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Outside the United States

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas F. Widmer ◽  
Hugo Sax ◽  
Didier Pittet
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospital Epidemiology

Results of a Survey of Ventilator Circuit Practices in the United States

1984 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 353-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald E. Craven ◽  
Michael G. Connolly ◽  
Theresa A. Goularte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Small Particle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Hospitals ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Ventilator Circuit ◽  
Mechanical Ventilators ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Community Teaching

The responses to a survey of ventilator circuit practices published in Infection Control are shown in the Table. The majority of 249 individuals who responded were located in community hospitals or community teaching hospitals of 100 to 500 beds. Most of the hospitals changed ventilator circuits (tubing humidifying cascades and swivel adapters) every 24 hours or less. Interestingly, 30.1% of the hospitals indicated that “self-study” was used to determine the time interval of ventilator circuit changes. Our 1982 study of contamination in mechanical ventilators at 24 and 48 hours confirmed earlier observations that mechanical ventilators with cascade humidifiers do not generate small particle aerosols.

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