Key Informants Characteristics

The question can be argued that why isn’t the approach of running a quality improvement-focused business with the aid of automated process systems being applied to all health care delivery

McLaughlin, C.P., & Kaluzny, A.D. (2006). Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care, Third Edition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.

Health care managers need to improve quality services in health organizations. To improve these quality services they have to use methods that are proven helpful in the QI process. For example, Six Sigma is used to display and measure quality improvement data. It is also used to measure

Various methodologies exist for the integration of quality improvement strategies into performance improvement measures. With concepts of total quality management (TQM) and quality improvement (QI) being introduced to health care organizations; administrators have had to decide which methodology is right for the organization. There are numerous methodologies: Six Sigma, Lean, and Customer Inspired Quality. Each has its own pros and cons. A key component of quality improvement is the technology that gathers and compares the data that the quality improvement measure

There are always pros and cons to any quality improvement methodology. For instance, the pros of Six Sigma tend to place extreme importance on leadership and its support for the success of the project. Another pro is the integration of different human elements, which include cultural change, and focus on the customer and their needs. “By using the concept of statistical thinking, Six Sigma encourages applications of statistical tools and techniques that reduce variability” (Harry, 2000). The cons of Six Sigma include, not having the quality data available, especially when a new process has been implemented without having the data available. Often the solutions that Six Sigma proposes can be costly and only a small

Due to ineffective management systems, inefficiency is increasing, which often leads to congested emergency rooms, customer complaints, and lost revenue. Over the past seven years, Six Sigma concepts are increasingly being implemented in the healthcare industry. Despite the challenges of adopting these concepts, the healthcare industry uses them to improve services rendered quality, increase efficiency and reduce fatal human errors. Primarily because Six Sigma is based on a comprehensive approach on improving the human and transactional aspects of the process (human performance and task completion). In the case of JPS, the factors that determine quality and efficiency are the flow of information and interaction with the patients. Using the Six Sigma DMAIC process improvement approach, JPS Emergency Department should be able to streamline information flow and achieve strategic business results (p.

A manager’s and leader’s role of mentoring, coaching, and facilitating is the key to the Lean process and the continuous quality improvement health care delivery requires. A change in management culture is required if lean is to have lasting success. Fortunately, Optum’s transplant services department is learning to apply lean management on a daily basis including the application of continuous quality improvement of the leader’s journey and the demands the industry presents, including taking time for critical

To facilitate quality improvement initiatives in Ontario, Health Quality Ontario (HQO) has developed a comprehensive Quality Improvement Framework (2013) that brings together several QI science models and methodologies including the Model for Improvement, as well as traditional manufacturing quality improvement methods such as Lean and Six Sigma. Health Quality Ontario grounded their framework in Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge to ensure that the suggested processes could be applied to any quality improvement initiative, in any health care sector. Health Quality Ontario’s QI Framework consists of six phases. Each of the phases is iterative and designed to build on knowledge gained in the previous phase. The phases are:

Hospitals are on continuous mission for quality improvement; utilizing new technology, techniques, and research on what works and what does not, as well as persistently training new personnel and meeting the needs of patients. Still, hospitals are devoted to quality improvement but follow different courses, which support increasing observance to treatment etiquette and improve patient outcomes. Hospitals make the most of different approaches and models of quality improvement, such as the use of Lean, Six Sigma (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2008/2016), and the PlanDo-Study-Act (Ibach, 2009) models for improvement. Usually quality improvement efforts are a five step process which

Through customer focus, the LTC organization with understanding must put the patient first by finding new ways for improvement through effective thinking to provide a culture of safety and quality that inheres to good medical outcome that is defect-free (Griffith, Sept/Oct 2017). With the use of the Lean Six Sigma process, the LTC organization must, through change management, make continuous improvement by measuring and analyzing the processes of delivery of care by staying mindful and vigilant in preventing unsafe conditions that pose the risk of defects (Griffith, Jan/Feb

One way to assess the need would be to speak to a “Key informant.” These individuals can provide feedback of what is the major issue for clients who are not receiving the services that they need. In addition, a “Key informant” could provide information of why are individuals not being recommended for services.

Leadership is critical when executing a strategic change initiative. By differentiating leadership and management, leadership styles and the key factors of change we can better understand what should be done to successfully lead change. Success is not obtained through leadership alone but by developing a group of individuals from all levels of the organization who work together as a team. . (Leban and Stone, 2007)

Those leaders resisted change and did not want to set organizational goals with measureable solutions. Sadly, the organization or department, in my case, did not preformed to the institutions standard and the leaders were dismissed. From personal experiences I have seen the importance of having a purpose. Leaders who have a purpose inform their organizations or educational systems about the vision for the organization or educational system. After informing them on the purpose, the leader use resources to hold individuals involved to

Quality improvement is a process, not an event. The fundamental aspects of quality improvement is that, quality is built in a process not added at the end of the process. This requires the involvement of management to support the initiative. In quality improvement the focus is on the setback of the system and in this case a theater checklist was implemented to ensure compliance to developed policies and procedures. All changes made were acceptable by the patients as the lean method was customer focus, and it has addressed the issues of patient safety (Elliott, McKinley and Fox, 2008). This reduced complaints and increased patients experience, satisfaction, hence improve morale of healthcare workers in PMH theatre.

A quantitative study conducted by Lifvergren, Gremyr, Hellstrom, Chakhunashvili, and Bergman (2010) analyzed the experiences and from a hospital group during a three-year period after the introduction of Six Sigma. It reports on 22 large Six Sigma improvement projects, their results and influence on other improvement activities. The study shows that 75% of the completed projects reached their goals within 18 months. The average net cost savings per completed project/year was $55,300. Overall, the results showed that Six Sigma is a useful concept when trying to improve healthcare processes. They recommend that Six Sigma should be an addition to the improvement practices used in healthcare development initiatives. It was also observed that the Six Sigma program can create much organizational pull regarding quality management and improvement efforts if teamwork is applied.