Abstract
BackgroundInspired by the transformation of the Regional Hospital Buea laboratory through implementation of the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme, hospital management adapted the SLMTA toolkit to drive hospital-wide quality improvement.ObjectiveThis paper describes changes in the hospital following the quality improvement activities in hygiene and sanitation, the outpatient waiting area and the surgical and maternity wards.MethodsIn March 2011, hospital management established a quality improvement task force and created a hospital-wide quality improvement roadmap, following the SLMTA model. The roadmap comprised improvement projects, accountability plans, patient feedback forms and log books to track quality indicators including patient wait time, satisfaction level, infection rates, birth outcomes and hospital revenue.ResultsThere was steady improvement in service delivery during the 11 months after the introduction of the quality improvement initiatives: patient wait time at the reception was reduced from three hours to less than 30 minutes and patient satisfaction increased from 15% to 60%. Treatment protocols were developed and documented for various units, infrastructure and workflow processes were improved and there was increased staff awareness of the importance of providing quality services. Maternal infection rates dropped from 3% to 0.5% and stillbirths from 5% to < 1%. The number of patients increased as a result of improved services, leading to a 25% increase in hospital revenue.ConclusionThe SLMTA programme was adapted successfully to meet the needs of the entire hospital. Such a programme has the potential to impact positively on hospital quality systems; consideration should be made for development of a formal SLMTA-like programme for hospital quality improvement.
Highlights
High-quality healthcare service delivery is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing mortality
Progress is measured using the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa’s (WHO AFRO) Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist,[7] which is divided into 12 sections corresponding to the Quality System Essentials.[8]
This study describes how Regional Hospital Buea (RHB) adapted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme in order to strengthen hospital quality systems and to achieve measurable outcomes
Summary
High-quality healthcare service delivery is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing mortality. Despite advances in expanding and strengthening public health services in developing countries, many hospitals continue to struggle to maintain quality systems.[1,2] In order to meet accreditation standards that have been set forth to ensure uniform healthcare, comprehensive quality management systems (QMS) must be established throughout the hospital system.[3,4] That being said, no hospital QMS has previously been piloted or implemented in Cameroon. In the clinical laboratory setting, a proven quality improvement tool already exists, namely, the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. Progress is measured using the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa’s (WHO AFRO) Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist,[7] which is divided into 12 sections corresponding to the Quality System Essentials.[8] Resulting audit percentage scores determine the quality ratings on a zero- (< 55%) to five- (≥ 95%) star scale. Inspired by the transformation of the Regional Hospital Buea laboratory through implementation of the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme, hospital management adapted the SLMTA toolkit to drive hospitalwide quality improvement
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