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

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.

1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 288-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Decker ◽  
William E. Scheckler

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Laura J. Kennedy ◽  
Nathan G. A. Taylor ◽  
Taylor Nicholson ◽  
Emily Jago ◽  
Brenda L. MacDonald ◽  
...  

Healthcare organizations engage in continuous quality improvement to improve performance and value-for-performance, but the pathway to change is often rooted in challenging the way things are “normally” done. In an effort to propel system-wide change to support healthy eating, Nova Scotia Health developed and implemented a healthy eating policy as a benchmark to create a food environment supportive of health. This article describes the healthy eating policy and its role as a benchmark in the quality improvement process. The policy, rooted in health promotion, sets a standard for healthy eating and applies to stakeholders both inside and outside of health. We explain how the policy offers nutrition but also cultural benchmarks around healthy eating, bringing practitioners throughout Nova Scotia Health together and sustaining collaborative efforts to improve upon the status quo.


Author(s):  
Jean-Bosco Ndihokubwayo ◽  
Talkmore Maruta ◽  
Nqobile Ndlovu ◽  
Sikhulile Moyo ◽  
Ali Ahmed Yahaya ◽  
...  

Background: The increase in disease burden has continued to weigh upon health systems in Africa. The role of the laboratory has become increasingly critical in the improvement of health for diagnosis, management and treatment of diseases. In response, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and its partners created the WHO AFRO Stepwise Laboratory (Quality) Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) program.SLIPTA implementation process: WHO AFRO defined a governance structure with roles and responsibilities for six main stakeholders. Laboratories were evaluated by auditors trained and certified by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. Laboratory performance was measured using the WHO AFRO SLIPTA scoring checklist and recognition certificates rated with 1–5 stars were issued.Preliminary results: By March 2015, 27 of the 47 (57%) WHO AFRO member states had appointed a SLIPTA focal point and 14 Ministers of Health had endorsed SLIPTA as the desired programme for continuous quality improvement. Ninety-eight auditors from 17 African countries, competent in the Portuguese (3), French (12) and English (83) languages, were trained and certified. The mean score for the 159 laboratories audited between May 2013 and March 2015 was 69% (median 70%; SD 11.5; interquartile range 62–77). Of these audited laboratories, 70% achieved 55% compliance or higher (2 or more stars) and 1% scored at least 95% (5 stars). The lowest scoring sections of the WHO AFRO SLIPTA checklist were sections 6 (Internal Audit) and 10 (Corrective Action), which both had mean scores below 50%.Conclusion: The WHO AFRO SLIPTA is a process that countries with limited resources can adopt for effective implementation of quality management systems. Political commitment, ownership and investment in continuous quality improvement are integral components of the process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Soumya Upadhyay ◽  
William Opoku-Agyeman

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.


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