The Promise of Equity: A Review of Health Equity Research in High-Impact Quality Improvement Journals

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Scott ◽  
Shail Rawal
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Equity Research

Equity is a core domain of health care quality. This study characterizes equity research in the quality improvement (QI) literature. The data sources were all review articles, methodology articles, original research, and research letters/abstracts published in 5 high-impact QI journals in 2015. Using the Institute of Medicine definition of equity, 2 reviewers assessed the abstracts to identify equity-focused articles. The number of Google Scholar citations and study site were recorded for each abstract. For equity-focused studies, the equity topic was recorded. Of 684 abstracts, 63 (9.2%) investigated equity topics. A weighted average of 7.4% of abstracts examined equity. The most commonly studied equity topics were health care resource scarcity, race/ethnicity, and mental health. Equity-focused articles received equal citations and were more likely to be conducted in low-/middle-income countries when compared with articles unrelated to equity. Few articles published in 5 leading QI journals addressed topics related to equity.

Patient-Centered, Integrated Health Care Quality Measures Could Improve Health Literacy, Language Access, and Cultural Competence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignatius Bau ◽  
Robert A. Logan ◽  
Christopher Dezii ◽  
Bernard Rosof ◽  
Alicia Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Organizational System ◽  
Language Access

The authors of this paper recommend the integration of health care quality improvement measures for health literacy, language access, and cultural competence. The paper also notes the importance of patient-centered and equity-based institutional performance assessments or monitoring systems. The authors support the continued use of specific measures such as assessing organizational system responses to health literacy or the actual availability of needed language access services such as qualified interpreters as part of overall efforts to maintain quality and accountability. Moreover, this paper is informed by previous recommendations from a commissioned paper provided by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to the Roundtable on Health Literacy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In the commissioned paper, NCQA explained that health literacy, language access, and cultural competence measures are siloed and need to generate results that enhance patient care improvements. The authors suggest that the integration of health literacy, language access, and cultural competence measures will provide for institutional assessment across multiple dimensions of patient vulnerabilities. With such integration, health care organizations and providers will be able to cultivate the tools needed to identify opportunities for quality improvement as well as adapt care to meet diverse patients’ complex needs. Similarly, this paper reinforces the importance of providing more “measures that matter” within clinical settings.

scholarly journals Quality indicators of dental health care in Serbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Svetlana Jovanović ◽  
Maja Milošević ◽  
Irena Aleksić-Hajduković ◽  
Jelena Mandić
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health System ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
System Quality ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
Quality Health

Summary Health care has witnessed considerable progresses toward quality improvement over the past two decades. More precisely, there have been global efforts aimed to improve this aspect of health care along with experts and decision-makers reaching the consensus that quality is one of the most significant dimensions and features of health system. Quality health care implies highly efficient resource use in order to meet patient’s needs in terms of prevention and treatment. Quality health care is provided in a safe way while meeting patients’ expectations and avoiding unnecessary losses. The mission of continuous improvement in quality of care is to achieve safe and reliable health care through mutual efforts of all the key supporters of health system to protect patients’ interests. A systematic approach to measuring the process of care through quality indicators (QIs) poses the greatest challenge to continuous quality improvement in health care. Quality indicators are quantitative indicators used for monitoring and evaluating quality of patient care and treatment, continuous professional development (CPD), maintaining waiting lists, patients and staff satisfaction, and patient safety.

The essence, content and characteristics of medical services’ quality

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-43
Author(s):  
Constantin Etco ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Services Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Care System

One of the priorities of the health care system in Moldova is the medical services’ quality improvement. Th is article presents various defi nitions for health care quality and the principles connected with quality improvement. An important part in this article is allocated to the structure and main principles of total quality management in the health care system. Th is part reveals the problems of the commissions that are studying the quality of medical services in healthcare establishments.

scholarly journals Shifting to Remotely Delivered Mental Health Care: Quality Improvement in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Daigle ◽  
Abraham Rudnick
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Quality Improvement Initiative ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Specialized Mental Health

This paper presents an organizational (ambulatory) case study of shifting mental health care from in-person to remote service delivery due to the current (COVID-19) pandemic as a rapid quality improvement initiative. Remotely delivered mental health care, particularly using synchronous video and phone, has been shown to be cost-effective, especially for rural service users. Our provincial specialized mental health clinic rapidly shifted to such remote delivery during the current pandemic. We report on processes and outputs of this rapid quality improvement initiative, which serves a purpose beyond pandemic circumstances, such as improving access to such specialized mental health care for rural and other service users at any time. In conclusion, shifting specialized mental health care from in-person to remotely delivered services as much as possible could be beneficial beyond the current pandemic. More research is needed to optimize the implementation of such a shift.

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