scholarly journals Microbial Air Monitoring in Turbulent Airflow Operating Theatres: Is It Possible to Calculate and Hypothesize New Benchmarks for Microbial Air Load?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10379
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Cristina ◽  
Anna Maria Spagnolo ◽  
Gianluca Ottria ◽  
Elisa Schinca ◽  
Chiara Dupont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Reference Values ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Surgical Site Infections ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Monitoring Campaign ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Operating Theatres ◽  
Turbulent Airflow

Multiple studies have demonstrated the presence of microorganisms commonly associated with surgical site infections (SSIs), in the air within the operating theatre (OT). In some countries such Italy, the limit of microbial concentration in the air for OT with turbulent airflows is 35 CFU/m3 for an empty OT and 180 CFU/m3 during activity. This study aims to hypothesize new benchmarks for the airborne microbial load in turbulent airflow operating theatres in operational and at rest conditions using the percentile distribution of data through a 17-year environmental monitoring campaign in various Italian hospitals that implemented a continuous quality improvement policy. The quartile distribution analysis has shown how in operational and at rest conditions, 75% of the values were below 110 CFU/m3 and 18 CFU/m3, respectively, which can be considered a new benchmark for the monitored OTs. During the initial stages of the monitoring campaign, 28.14% of the concentration values in operational conditions and 29.29% of the values in at rest conditions did not conform to the Italian guidelines’ reference values. In contrast, during the last 5 years, all values in both conditions conformed to the reference values and 98.94% of these values were below the new benchmarks. Continuous improvement has allowed contamination to be reduced to levels well below the current reference values.

Continuous Quality Improvement and Optimization of Design Tolerances Using Demerit Score System

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Abraham ◽  
Ram Naresh Roy
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Production Engineering ◽  
Score System ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Optimizing Design ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Reducing Costs

Continuous improvement is a concept that has gained wide popularity in every sphere of human activity in recent times and the area of production engineering is no exception. This is a far cry from ancient times when people were afraid or forbidden to innovate, usually under authoritative duress. Continuous quality improvement has been proven to bring in reduction in failure rates and cost of repairs. Quality improvement is not ‘putting out fires’ or ‘identification and removal of a spike’, but rather, it continually questions the existing systems and methods. This paper introduces a novel, inexpensive and practical tool for quality improvement, to be called ‘demerit scores’, or a system of negative weights that continually keeps tab on the production scenario with the objective to improve. This tool is useful for building robustness into the design by optimizing design tolerances for increasing productivity and reducing costs of production. The technique is illustrated with two examples in this paper.

Total Quality Management—Excellence—Deming Management Method

2017 ◽  
pp. 83-95
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Total Quality Management ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Employee Empowerment ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Student Orientation ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Management Method

Higher Education Institutions worldwide, in order to enhance product and service quality and boost customer satisfaction, are replacing conventional management methods and systems with Total Quality Management (TQM). Higher education managers need to cultivate and sustain a quality culture within their institution emphasizing the following elements: (a) quality leadership, (b) student orientation, (c) employee empowerment, (d) teamwork, and (e) continuous quality improvement. Deming, furthermore, pointed out that the necessity of top management involvement, attention to the customers' needs, and the participation of all staff in the process of continuous improvement, were fundamental keys to corporate success. Chapter three presents a brief overview of the Deming Management Theory, the elements of a Quality and Excellence Culture and the theory of Total Quality Management, in order to help the reader understand why Deming and TQM have gained such popularity in the management community.

scholarly journals Continuous Quality Improvement as a Central Tenet of TQM: History and Current Status

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behrooz Lahidji ◽  
Walter Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Continuous Quality

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The great promise of continual quality improvement advocated by early quality gurus like Deming and Juran has not been fully realized. This paper explores the reasons for the limited success of implementation and institutionalization of continuous quality improvement.</p><p><strong>Approach:</strong> About 100 quality professionals from diverse organizations answered questions related to this study. Additionally, the authors executed a wide-ranging literature search including the use of Google Scholar.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> Nearly all quality professionals queried in this study agree that compliance to an external quality standard such as ISO is mandatory for their organizations. However, there is disagreement as to whether or not compliance with the continuous improvement proviso in most quality standards is actually implemented and functioning.</p><p><strong>Research limitations/implications:</strong> The sample size is small and there is a need for a larger universe of quality professionals, registration/standards organizations, and academic researchers.</p><p><strong>Practical implications:</strong> Many organizations from a broad array of economic sectors both public and private must comply with external quality standards. Most external quality standards contain a requirement for evidence of continuous improvement. However, the potential for improvement associated with compliance is frequently not realized.</p><p><strong>Originality/value:</strong> Continuous quality improvement is central to many quality standards including ISO 9001. Unfortunately, many ISO compliant organizations are unable to operationalize and sustain the process of continual improvement. This paper provides a novel examination of this problem and suggests ways that organizations can leverage the potential for improvement via their existing quality systems.</p>

Pelaksanaan Continuous Quality Improvement(CQI) dalam Kalangan Pensyarah di Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mar

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyssa Daud ◽  
◽  
Faizal Amin Nur Yunus ◽  
Mohd Bekri Rahim ◽  
Mohd. Zulfadli Rozali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality

scholarly journals Tracking metrics that matter for scaling up employment outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Alberto Migliore ◽  
John Butterworth ◽  
Jeannine Pavlak ◽  
Michael Patrick ◽  
Stephen Aalto
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Employment Supports ◽  
Employment Programs ◽  
Improved Methods

BACKGROUND: Supporting employment consultants in their work with job seekers is critical for increasing the employment outcomes of people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: To better understand how to leverage data for supporting employment consultants, including what metrics to track, what to do with the data, and what can be improved. METHODS: A panel of three directors of employment programs addressed these questions as part of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) 2020 conference. RESULTS: Most employment service providers collect data for billing and compliance reporting. Innovative providers leverage data for quality improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Tracking metrics designed specifically for monitoring the implementation of effective employment supports is key for leveraging data for continuous quality improvement and thus improving job seekers’ employment outcomes.

scholarly journals Task Analysis of Paramedics in the Ambulance Patient Compartment

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 278-284
Author(s):  
Rosnah Mohd Yusuff ◽  
Abdul Malik bin Zainal Abidin ◽  
Fazlollah Agamohamadi
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Medical Equipment ◽  
Layout Design ◽  
Vehicle Body ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Occupant Protection ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Working Space ◽  
First Response

An ambulance is designed through the modification of an existing standard vehicle body. By converting, renovating and equipping a standard vehicle body with a patient stretcher, paramedic seats, nearside seats, and related medical equipment, the vehicle becomes an ambulance. Therefore, the requirements and layout of the ambulance interior are constrained by the space available and dimensions of the adopted vehicle. Ambulance occupant protection, safety and ergonomic aspects are usually compromised. High quality and consistent emergency care demand continuous quality improvement and is directly dependent on the effective monitoring, integration, and evaluation of all components of the patients care. Currently, there is no standard or guideline regarding patient compartment layout to help ambulance manufacturers to improve this confine working space. This study aims to assess and evaluate ambulance patient compartment and its effect on the paramedics in performing their tasks. Since the paramedics have to respond to emergencies, their comfort, safety and ease of handling the various equipment in the ambulance has to be considered. A combination of techniques was applied to collect comprehensive data, including interviews, observations and questionnaires which outcomes are used as a basis of suggestions for the improvement in ambulance layout design. By analyzing the tasks performed, a proper layout which considers the ergonomic aspects will ensure that the first response is efficient and reliable.

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