Automated Methods of Clinical Quality Management

Abstract

The concept of quality management methods has existed for at least the last 40 years. The late W. Edwards Deming is considered to have been the originating and driving force behind what many call Total Quality Management (TQM) or Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). (In this chapter TQM will generally refer to both concepts.) The TQM concepts have caught fire and are currently quite in vogue with most companies, management seminars, books, and business schools. Yet, even with such exposure and concomitant enthusiasm, TQM principles have not yet been embraced by most mental health professionals. TQM concepts are on their way, however. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) endorses numerous TQM ideals and thus, many approved psychiatric facilities are working to better understand and utilize them. This chapter broadly covers the key aspects of TQM philosophy and specifically provides two detailed actual examples of procedures using such principles, demonstrating how automated methods expedite the system.