Optimization of Maintenance in Critical Equipment in Neonatology

2017 ◽  
pp. 26-48
Author(s):  
María Carmen Carnero ◽  
Andrés Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Continuous Time ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Evaluation Technique ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Continuous Time Markov Chains ◽  
Maintenance Decisions ◽  
Maintenance Policies

Maintenance decisions by medical staff play an essential role in achieving availability, quality and safety in care services provided. This has, in turn, an effect on the quality of care perceived by patients. Nonetheless, despite its importance, there is a serious deficiency in models facilitating optimization of maintenance decisions in critical care equipment. This chapter shows a decision support system (DSS) for choosing the best combination of maintenance policies, together with other actions for improvement, such as the increase in the number of back-up devices used in the assisted breathing unit in the Neonatology Service of a hospital. This DSS is combined with an innovative form of continuous time Markov chains, and the multicriteria Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH). The result is a ranking of the various maintenance alternatives to be applied. Finally, the real implications for availability and quality of care of applying the best solution are described.

Using Employer Purchasing Power to Improve the Quality of Perinatal Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 103 (Supplement_E1) ◽  
pp. 248-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne G. Castles ◽  
Arnold Milstein ◽  
Cheryl L. Damberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Care Services

Large employers have become increasingly involved in helping to set the agenda for quality measurement and improvement. Moreover, they are beginning to hold health care organizations accountable for their performance through marketplace incentives, including the public reporting of comparative quality data and the linkage of reimbursement to performance on quality measures. The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) is an employer coalition that has been prominent in establishing models for collaborative quality measurement and improvement in the California marketplace. PBGH's involvement in quality stems from an environment in which purchasers were faced with high health care costs, yet virtually no information with which to assess the value their employees received from that care. Research indicating widespread variation in performance across health care organizations and seemingly limited oversight for quality of care within the industry has further motivated purchasers' efforts to better understand the quality of care being delivered to their em-ployees. Using the purchasing power of employers representing 2.5-million covered lives, PBGH endeavors to encourage the transition of the health care marketplace from one that competes solely on price to one that competes on price and quality. This entails collaborating with the health care industry to develop and publicly report valid performance data for use by both large employers and consumers of health care services. It also includes communicating to the marketplace purchasers' commitment to making purchasing decisions based on quality as well as cost. PBGH efforts to measure, report, and improve quality have been demonstrated by several undertakings in the perinatal care arena, including research to assess cesarean section rates and newborn readmission rates across California hospitals. employer coalition, purchaser, quality measurement, quality improvement, report cards, perinatal quality of care.

Developing E-Learning Provision for Healthcare Professionals' Continuing Professional Development

2011 ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Susi Peacock ◽  
Gloria Maria Dunlop
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Specific Group ◽  
Care Services ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Practical Reflection

This chapter discusses the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) for allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) through e-learning. External pressures are increasing on AHPs to engage with CPD on a regular basis to improve the quality of care services and facilitate changes in working practice. E-learning has the potential to reach this group of diverse learners and integrate learning into their work schedule at a time and place convenient for them and their employers: eCPD. We provide a practical reflection grounded in the experience of practitioners and students who have been involved in our deployment of eCPD over the last three years. The issues that have arisen from this initiative will be familiar to many of those who have been involved in the deployment of e-learning in our sector. Ultimately, we hope that the solutions we have provided to meet the needs of this specific group of learners will address those for all e-learners. In addition, we believe that it will support the process of embedding (“normalising”) e-learning across an institution.

scholarly journals Satisfaction of patients received in emergencies in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Yalgado Ouedraogo teaching hospital: comparative study before and after the introduction of free care

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 3259
Author(s):  
Hyacinthe Zamané ◽  
Sibraogo Kiemtoré ◽  
Paul Dantola Kain ◽  
Lydie Zounogo Ouédraogo ◽  
Blandine Bonané Thiéba
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Free Care

Background: The quality of care perceived by the users of health care services is an important indicator of the quality of care. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction of patients received in obstetric and gynecological emergencies department of Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching Hospital before and after the introduction of free care.Methods: This was a cross-sectional investigation. Data collection was carried out from February to July 2016, covering the last three months before the start of free care and the first three months of implementation of this free policy in Burkina Faso.Results: A total of 620 patients formed the sample. The reception (p=0.0001), the waiting period (p=0.0001), respect for treatment schedules (p=0.0001), respect for intimacy (p=0.0001), communication between providers and patients (p=0.007), the comfort of the delivery room (p=0.003) and the comfort of the ward room (p=0.002) were more favorably appreciated by patients before the free treatment than during that period. Overall patient satisfaction was better before the effectiveness of free care (p=0.003).Conclusions: The realization of free care process was followed by a lower patient’s satisfaction reflecting an alteration in the quality of health care services. A situational analysis of this free health care process is necessary in order to make corrective measures. Also adequate preventive measures should be adopted before any implementation to a larger scale of this free policy.

scholarly journals The role of boards in clinical governance: activities and attitudes among members of public health service boards in Victoria

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie M. Bismark ◽  
Simon J. Walter ◽  
David M. Studdert
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Public Health Service ◽  
Clinical Governance ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Quality Performance

Objectives To determine the nature and extent of governance activities by health service boards in relation to quality and safety of care and to gauge the expertise and perspectives of board members in this area. Methods This study used an online and postal survey of the Board Chair, Quality Committee Chair and two randomly selected members from the boards of all 85 health services in Victoria. Seventy percent (233/332) of members surveyed responded and 96% (82/85) of boards had at least one member respond. Results Most boards had quality performance as a standing item on meeting agendas (79%) and reviewed data on medication errors and hospital-acquired infections at least quarterly (77%). Fewer boards benchmarked their service’s quality performance against external comparators (50%) or offered board members formal training on quality (53%). Eighty-two percent of board members identified quality as a top priority for board oversight, yet members generally considered their boards to be a relatively minor force in shaping the quality of care. There was a positive correlation between the size of health services (total budget, inpatient separations) and their board’s level of engagement in quality-related activities. Ninety percent of board members indicated that additional training in quality and safety would be ‘moderately useful’ or ‘very useful’. Almost every respondent believed the overall quality of care their service delivered was as good as, or better than, the typical Victorian health service. Conclusions Collectively, health service boards are engaged in an impressive range of clinical governance activities. However, the extent of engagement is uneven across boards, certain knowledge deficits are evident and there was wide agreement among board members that further training in quality-related issues would be useful. What is known about the topic? There is an emerging international consensus that effective board leadership is a vital element of high-quality healthcare. In Australia, new National Health Standards require all public health service boards to have a ‘system of governance that actively manages patient safety and quality risks’. What does this paper add? Our survey of all public health service Boards in Victoria found that, overall, boards are engaged in an impressive range of clinical governance activities. However, tensions are evident. First, whereas some boards are strongly engaged in clinical governance, others report relatively little activity. Second, despite 8 in 10 members rating quality as a top board priority, few members regarded boards as influential players in determining it. Third, although members regarded their boards as having strong expertise in quality, there were signs of knowledge limitations, including: near consensus that (additional) training would be useful; unfamiliarity with key national quality documents; and overly optimistic beliefs about quality performance. What are the implications for practitioners? There is scope to improve board expertise in clinical governance through tailored training programs. Better board reporting would help to address the concern of some board members that they are drowning in data yet thirsty for meaningful information. Finally, standardised frameworks for benchmarking internal quality data against external measures would help boards to assess the performance of their own health service and identify opportunities for improvement.

Measuring Quality of Care in Palliative Care Services

2000 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene J. Higginson ◽  
Anna L. Romer
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Palliative Care Services

Next level of board accountability in health care quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Pronovost ◽  
C. Michael Armstrong ◽  
Renee Demski ◽  
Ronald R. Peterson ◽  
Paul B. Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer six principles that health system leaders can apply to establish a governance and management system for the quality of care and patient safety. Design/methodology/approach Leaders of a large academic health system set a goal of high reliability and formed a quality board committee in 2011 to oversee quality and patient safety everywhere care was delivered. Leaders of the health system and every entity, including inpatient hospitals, home care companies, and ambulatory services staff the committee. The committee works with the management for each entity to set and achieve quality goals. Through this work, the six principles emerged to address management structures and processes. Findings The principles are: ensure there is oversight for quality everywhere care is delivered under the health system; create a framework to organize and report the work; identify care areas where quality is ambiguous or underdeveloped (i.e. islands of quality) and work to ensure there is reporting and accountability for quality measures; create a consolidated quality statement similar to a financial statement; ensure the integrity of the data used to measure and report quality and safety performance; and transparently report performance and create an explicit accountability model. Originality/value This governance and management system for quality and safety functions similar to a finance system, with quality performance documented and reported, data integrity monitored, and accountability for performance from board to bedside. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first description of how a board has taken this type of systematic approach to oversee the quality of care.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Essential Health Care Services Delivery in Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Devkota
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Equity And Efficiency

Background: Ensuring delivery of quality health services in a sustainable and equitable manner is a challenge in Nepal. A host of factors may have impeded the access, quality and utilization of the health services particularly by the marginalized and disadvantaged sections of the population. Review essential health care services (EHCS) provided by the public health facilities, level of progress, effectiveness, sustainability, equity and efficiency, quality of care and inclusion of marginalized and disadvantaged populations in health care servicesMethods: A total of 40 VDCs from 10 districts representing five regions and three eco-zones were covered. Altogether 800 mothers with under two year children, 40 health service providers, 145 key informants and 40 exit clients were interviewed. Forty focused group discussions were also conducted. From each district, health records of one hospital, PHCC, HP, SHP and Ayurvedic health facility each were collected.Results: More than two-third (68.2%) of the mothers received antenatal checks, highest in hills (85%) followed by terai (64.5%) and mountain districts (52.8%).Tetanus vaccine coverage (80.7%) seems higher compared to Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2001 (45%). FP use rate in mountain, hill and terai are 57.6%, 54.1% and 49.7%, higher than in DoHS 2003/2004 statistics, which were 26.8%, 36.4% and 45.3% respectively. Nine out of ten patients visiting the health facilities were outpatients. The coverage of DPT 3, Polio 3, BCG and measles are 92.8%, 93.4%, 95.2% and 90.7% respectively. From the service utilization perspective, disparities in terms of gender, ecological regions, season of the year and health facility were revealed.Conclusion: Health sector services are yet to be made responsive to the ecological and district specific health problems, and be made more inclusive linking with doable safety nets.  Key words: Essential health care services; Effectiveness; Sustainability; Equity and efficiency; Quality of care and inclusion  doi: 10.3126/jnhrc.v6i2.2188Journal of Nepal Health Research Council Vol. 6 No. 2 Issue 13 Oct 2008 Page: 74-83 

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