An introduction to quality improvement

Abstract

‘You must take steps to monitor and improve the quality of your work’ and ‘you must take part in systems of quality assurance and quality improvement’ are statements taken from the General Medical Council’s guidelines in Good Medical Practice. The requirement to undertake quality improvement activities, as part of the revalidation process, is a regulatory driver to enhance quality improvement. The RCGP revalidation toolkit confirms that revalidation allows flexibility in the choice of quality improvement activity. However, moving from compliance to a commitment to quality improvement can be an empowering and fulfilling exercise that can improve patient safety, clinical care, the culture of an organisation, and the many processes and protocols that lead to a functioning GP surgery. In this, the first of three articles, we discuss the principles of quality improvement. The second article offers an overview and application of a simple model, the Model for Improvement. In the final article we will discuss the importance of measurement for improvement.