Quality Assurance In Health Care Research Articles

Synergizing Ai and ERP for Predictive Supply Chain Management and Quality Assurance in Healthcare

This article explores the transformative potential of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in healthcare, focusing on applications in predictive supply chain management and quality assurance. The healthcare industry faces increasing pressure to improve efficiency while maintaining high-quality care, and AI-ERP integration offers a compelling solution. By combining ERP's comprehensive data management capabilities with AI's predictive and analytical power, healthcare organizations can enhance operational efficiency, improve decision-making, and ultimately deliver better patient outcomes. The article examines current implementations, case studies, and future projections to provide a comprehensive overview of how this technological synergy can help healthcare providers navigate the complex challenges of modern healthcare delivery, from optimizing inventory levels to ensuring regulatory compliance and proactive risk management.

The global research landscape and future trends in healthcare Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) is instrumental in augmenting the quality and efficacy of healthcare service delivery, but a comprehensive evaluation of present and evolving TQM research trends within healthcare research articles is notably absent. This study provides an insightful view into the prevailing international scenarios and upcoming research frontiers in healthcare TQM research field, utilizing bibliometric mapping through VOSviewer. Drawing data from 360 publications in the Web of Science core citation database, it delineates a steady growth in the field over the last 30 years. Research outputs span 51 countries and regions, with notable contributions from the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Italy. The top five research institutions and numerous authors predominantly hail from the United States. Key keywords in near years encompass healthcare safety, healthcare quality assurance, quality indicators, and the application of Six Sigma management principles. This exploration serves as a pivotal reference for understanding the global research landscape and future trends in healthcare TQM, particularly in guaranteeing quality and safety. Future scientific endeavors will build upon these focus areas, exploring and connecting research gaps in more specialized fields.

Machine Learning Algorithms for Predictive Quality Assurance in Healthcare in DW ETL Processes

Machine Learning Algorithms for Predictive Quality Assurance in Healthcare in DW ETL Processes

Microwave biosensors utilizing metamaterial enhancement: Design and application

Microwave sensing technology has become increasingly widely applied in the biomedical field, playing a significant role in medical diagnosis, biological monitoring, and environmental warning. In recent years, the introduction of metamaterials has brought new possibilities and opportunities to microwave biosensors. This paper aims to explore the applications of microwave sensors in biosensing, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the crucial role of metamaterials in enhancing sensor performance and sensitivity. It provides a thorough examination of the fundamental principles, design strategies, fabrication techniques, and applications of microwave biosensors leveraging metamaterial enhancement. Moreover, it meticulously explores the latest applications spanning biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food safety, shedding light on their transformative potential in healthcare, environmental sustainability, and food quality assurance. By delving into future research directions and confronting present challenges such as standardization and validation protocols, cost-effectiveness and scalability considerations and exploration of emerging applications, the paper provides a roadmap for advancing microwave biosensors with metamaterial enhancement, promising breakthroughs in multifaceted bioanalytical realms.

Servqual method– A tool for quality assurance in health care

Ensuring high-quality service delivery in the healthcare industry is crucial for both overall organizational success and patient satisfaction. However, numerous gaps often exist between patient expectations and perceptions of service quality, necessitating effective tools for assessment and improvement. The SERVQUAL method emerges as a valuable tool for quality assurance in healthcare, addressing these gaps through its comprehensive framework. SERVQUAL encompasses five key domains: reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness.When SERVQUAL is used in the healthcare industry, these domains are evaluated using a variety of approaches, such as focus groups discussions, interviews, and surveys. Healthcare organizations can customize interventions to enhance service quality and patient satisfaction by finding gaps between patient expectations and actual service delivery. The intricacy of patient-provider interactions and cultural diversity present challenges for SERVQUAL implementation in the healthcare industry, emphasizing the necessity for nuanced methods.Despite these challenges, SERVQUAL remains a valuable tool for enhancing quality assurance in healthcare, promoting a patient-centered approach to service delivery. Through its methodical assessment of service quality along several dimensions, it helps healthcare organizations to focus on important areas for development, which eventually improves patient outcomes and experiences.

Quality Indicators of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Korea.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a procedure that requires significant experiences and skills and has various procedure-related complications, some of which can be severe and even result in the death of patients. Expanding ERCP availability has the advantage of increasing accessibility for patients. However, ERCP poses a substantial risk if performed without proper quality management. ERCP quality management is essential for both ensuring safe and successful procedures and meeting the social demands for enhanced healthcare competitiveness and quality assurance. To address these concerns, the Korean Pancreatobiliary Association established a task force to develop ERCP quality indicators (QIs) tailored to the Korean medical environment. Key questions for five pre-procedure, three intra-procedure, and four post-procedure measures were formulated based on a literature search related to ERCP QIs and a comprehensive clinical review conducted by experts. The statements and recommendations regarding each QI item were selected through peer review. The developed ERCP QIs were reviewed by external experts based on the latest available evidence at the time of development. These domestically tailored ERCP QIs are expected to contribute considerably to improving ERCP quality in Korea.

Leapfrog Safety Grades in California Hospitals: A Data Analysis.

Within the realm of health care quality assessment, quality assurance and safety grading systems play a vital role in gauging hospital performance and communicating results to the general public. The primary objective of this review is to analyze the hospitals in California through the lens of Leapfrog Safety Grades and discuss the complex interplay of geographical location, hospital size, and larger system affiliation status. Leapfrog Safety Grades, hospital characteristics, and geographic information were collected. Hospitals were categorized by geographic region, size, rural/urban classification, and larger system affiliation status. Of the 284 hospitals included in the study, 95 were given a grade of A, 68 given a grade of B, 93 given a grade of C, 23 given a grade of D, 2 given a grade of F, and 3 were not graded. The vast majority of hospitals in California were classified as urban, with 183 falling under this category. The average number of hospital beds and SD was 227 ± 47.57. On average, hospitals that received a grade of D were significantly smaller in size than those that received a grade of A, while hospitals that received a grade of B or C were similar in size. A total of 107 hospitals were affiliated with a larger health care system. About 70% of hospitals affiliated with a system received an A or B grade, while 50% of unaffiliated hospitals received an A or B grade. Results of this study demonstrate a need for improving health care access and quality in medically underserved urban and rural areas. Hospitals affiliated with a larger health care system received higher grades than unaffiliated hospitals, suggesting that affiliation may also play a role in the implementation and mitigation of factors that contribute to Leapfrog Safety Grades.

Are clinical registries an effective tool for hospital health services to address unwarranted clinical variation?

To map clinical registries within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN); and to identify how these registries were currently used for addressing unwarranted clinical variation in care. An online survey was sent to all Heads of Units (HoUs) within CALHN. The survey addressed participation, type of data, reporting processes and use of the clinical registries for research, quality assurance (QA), quality improvement (QI) and clinical variation in health care. Twenty-six HoUs responded (26%); 25 contributed to a clinical registry (96%); all provided data to more than one registry, but only 34.6% had an existing financial and governance arrangement with the network. Health outcomes were the most common datapoints; 77% of all data were collected manually; and 38.5% of data analysis was risk adjusted. Access to aggregated data varied across the registries; and 65.4% of reports included benchmarks and outliers. Clinical registries were used for research in 65.4%, and QA and QI in 73.1 and 69.2%, respectively. Most used external comparators and measured clinical variation, but there was marked inconsistency in the exploring clinical variation, improving care and reporting activities. Based on this sample, clinical registries within CALHN did not currently appear to be a reliable resource to consistently address unwarranted clinical variation but were shown to be valuable resources for research and quality initiatives at a high level. Further research is required to facilitate effective integration of clinical registries with administrative and quality systems.

Patientenzentrierte Qualitätssicherung durch PREMs und PROMs: Befragungen von Patientinnen und Patienten mit einer perkutanen Koronarintervention (PCI) und Koronarangiografie

BackgroundThe Institute of Quality Assurance and Transparency in Health Care (IQTIG) was commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) to include the patient perspective in the quality assurance programme for patients undergoing percutaneous cardiac intervention (PCI) and coronary angiography (“QS PCI”). This article describes both the development methodology and the survey-based quality indicators. MethodsOn the basis of a systematic literature research, focus groups with patients, interviews with doctors and an expert group meeting, quality criteria were defined which were relevant to patients. These criteria were translated into PREMs and PROMs. The questionnaires were subjected to a two-phase pretest. Quality indicators were composed by aggregating the items. ResultsAltogether, 12 topic areas were identified which are relevant to patients receiving percutaneous cardiac intervention or coronary angiography. Here, communication and interaction were of high importance. In addition, information before, during and after the procedure was very relevant, and, likewise, the health care professionals’ interaction with patients. Also, symptoms and treatment effects were important. In accordance with the defined topics, 19 quality indicators were developed which can display quality of health care from the patients’ perspective. ConclusionThe development of PREMs and PROMs expanded the quality assurance programme “QS PCI” to include significant dimensions relevant to patients, which can, therefore, provide valuable information to improve patient-centred care.

Quality management of the newborn screening network: the Chinese experience.

Quality management of the newborn screening network: the Chinese experience.

Quality contract ‘prevention of postoperative delirium in the care of elderly patients’ study protocol: a non-randomised, pre–post, monocentric, prospective trial

IntroductionPostoperative delirium (POD) is seen in approximately 15% of elderly patients and is related to poorer outcomes. In 2017, the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss) introduced a ‘quality contract’ (QC)...

OPHTHALMOLOGICAL CARE IN UKRAINE. STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES OF IMPROVEMENT (literature review)

The aim: to conduct an analysis and generalization of scientific publications regarding the current state and prospects for further development of the ophthalmological care system in Ukraine.
 Materials and methods. An analysis and generalization of scientific research and publications regarding the current state and prospects for further development of the ophthalmological care system in Ukraine has been carried out. Methods were used: systematic approach, bibliosemantic, analytical.
 Results and discussion.
 According to medical statistics, the most common eye pathology is inflammatory eye diseases, which in 80% of cases lead to temporary disability.
 Age-related macular degeneration occupies the leading position in the world ranking of causes of blindness. On average, the incidence is about 15 people per 1,000 population, increasing significantly with age, for example, in the age group from 52 to 64 years it is 1.6%, from 65 to 74 years - 15%, from 75 to 84 years - 25% , and among people over 85 years old – 30%.
 The strategic areas of WHO activity are embodied in the national health care policy of Ukraine.
 When developing programs to preserve and improve the health of the population of disabled age at the state and regional levels, attention should be paid to measures against the most common age-related pathology.
 In addition, issues of ensuring the availability of high-quality ophthalmic care remain unresolved; the activity of the ophthalmology service in conditions of deficit of budget funding of the health care system; reduction of the cost of ophthalmic care against the background of maintaining its high quality; modernization of the system for managing the efficiency and quality of ophthalmic care, etc.
 Conclusions. The analysis of the domestic and foreign experience in the theory and practice of quality assurance and management in health care, its types, approaches and methods showed that one of the priority directions of the development of the domestic health care system at present is the creation and development of the management system of health care , in particular in the system of ophthalmological care for the population.

Study on quality management within the hospital unit in the city of Novaci

Although most people would think that quality assurance in healthcare is important, many would think that they know exactly what «quality» means. The supplier organization's perspective includes quality and quality conformity. Performance quality includes the features and attributes designed for the product or service provided to the patient. Quality compliance refers to the compliance of the medical service with the targeted objectives. It is important to ensure the functionality of the institutional quality management system in hospital units, which would lead to the efficiency of directing and allocating resources and applying quality tools or techniques in order to achieve well-formulated performances and results. Keywords: quality management, cost of quality, Six Sigma method, strategies, hospital unit.

Pay-for-performance and tools for quality assurance in health care

Ongoing health care reforms in the countries of Southeast Europe (SEE) to modernise and promote the health sector include the introduction of innovative payment methods for health care providers in hospitals and outpatient services. The idea of remunerating health workers according to the work they do and the results they achieve has been present in the countries of SEE for more than four decades. This includes the need to develop and implement objective measures and criteria to regulate the work of health facilities and health professionals. Implementing the "Pay-for-performance" (P4P) model is a major challenge with the risk of compromising the quality of health services in all countries, and positive experiences for quality assurance have been modest in many countries around the world. Standards and norms (S/N), clinical pathways (CPW) and checklists (CL) are necessary regulatory tools that complement each other to protect the quality of health services and implement the "Payment for success" (P4S) model. The absence of S/N, CPW and CL in the implementation of the P4P model leads to inefficiencies, inadequate/unrealistic numbers, and poor quality of health services, as well as more frequent medical errors. With the development, introduction and implementation of S/N, CPW and CL in the application of the P4S model, everyone benefits: patients, healthcare organisations and their employees, health insurance companies, ministries of health and the state.

Valve-Related Complications in TAVI Leading to Emergent Cardiac Surgery.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now a standard procedure for the treatment of symptomatic aortic valve stenosis in many patients. In Germany, according to the annual reports from the German Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Healthcare (Institut für Qualitätssicherung und Transparenz im Gesundheitswesen), the rate of serious intraprocedural complications, such as valve malpositioning or embolization, coronary obstruction, aortic dissection, annular rupture, pericardial tamponade, or severe aortic regurgitation requiring emergency cardiac surgery has decreased markedly in recent years from more than 5.5% in 2012 to 2.0% in 2019. However, with increased use, the total number of adverse events remains about 500 per year, about 100 of which require conversion to sternotomy. These, sometimes, fatal events can occur at any time and are still challenging. Therefore, the interdisciplinary TAVI heart team should be prepared and aware of possible rescue strategies.

Military HealthySteps Pilot Program Outcome Study.

Military families face many unique challenges, including frequent separations, demanding work hours, and relocations. The HealthySteps (HS) program may offset these challenges utilizing the expertise of a nonclinical child development specialist called a HS specialist who offers enhanced well-child visits (WCVs), support between visits, and connections to community resources. Our study sought to identify the impact of the military HS pilot program on the timeliness of WCVs, immunizations, routine behavioral and developmental screenings, and referrals to community resources within the first 15 months of life (MOL). We retrospectively reviewed charts of 26 HS-enrolled and 26 randomly selected age-matched non-HS-enrolled children from age 2 to 15 MOL. Demographic variables obtained include child's gender, child's birth order, mother's age, active duty parent's rank classification, and active duty parent's gender. We examined five outcomes measures aligning with the American Academy of Pediatrics health supervision, immunization, and screening recommendations and National Committee for Quality Assurance Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures: (1) completed six or more WCVs in the first 15 MOL, (2) completed developmental screening at the 9-month WCV, (3) up to date on vaccinations at 15 MOL, (4) completed three or more postpartum depression (PPD) screens in the first 6 MOL, and (5) the total number of documented referrals to community resources within the first 15 MOL. Chi-square analysis and independent t-tests were used to compare the groups. There was no statistical significance (P > .05) between the HS-enrolled and control groups for all five demographic variables. A significantly higher percentage of children in the HS-enrolled group received PPD screening compared to the control group (96% vs. 73.1%, P = .021). The HS-enrolled group had a higher mean number of community resource referrals at 15 MOL of 2.46 (SD = 1.14) vs. the control group with a mean of 0.19 (SD = 0.49). None of the other outcomes showed a statistically significant difference between groups. The results of this study indicate the positive impacts of the military HS program on referrals to community resources and PPD screening, reflecting the HS specialist focus on the family unit. Limitations of this study include the small population size and limited demographic information resulting from the retrospective nature of the study and pilot status of the HS program. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify the true impact of the HS program in the military health system.

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening Coverage in Managed Care Plans—United States, 2018

(Abstracted from Prev Med 2022;159:107019) To prevent cervical cancer, vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is recommended for adolescents aged 21 to 65 years and cervical cancer screening for women aged 21 to 65 years. The National Committee for Quality Assurance Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) evaluates managed care plan effectiveness of care for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, allowing individual health plans to assess their preventive services performance rates compared with other plans.

Compassionate and respectful maternity care for mothers who gave birth in public health facilities in North Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background Improving the prevalence of compassionate and respectful maternity care is a critical agenda and an important component of healthcare provider quality assurance. Making compassionate and respectful maternity care available is an important way to increase facility-based childbirth use in Ethiopia. However, evidence on compassionate and respectful maternal care during labour delivery services is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess compassionate and respectful maternity care, and its predictors, among those who gave birth in health facilities in North Gondar. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2020 in a public health facility in North Gondar, Ethiopia. Systematic random sampling was used to select 398 study participants. Data were collected from participants using a pretested structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model analyses with 95% confidence intervals were carried out to identify predictors of compassionate and respectful maternity care. Results A total of 398 respondents participated in the study. The overall prevalence of compassionate, respectful maternal care was 52.5%. Having primary school level education (adjusted odds ratio: 1.96), having attended antenatal care (adjusted odds ratio: 2.92), labour lasting for less than 6 hours (adjusted odds ratio: 2.22), and the intention to give birth in a health facility (adjusted odds ratio: 3.06) were significant predictors of compassionate and respectful maternity care. Conclusions The prevalence of compassionate and respectful maternity care was low and violations of women's rights are an important barrier to women seeking to give birth in a health facility. Hence, to promote high-quality maternal health services, health professionals must practice women-friendly approaches to improve the relationship between health workers and mothers during their stay at health facilities. Enforcing respectful maternity care is vital to strengthen maternal services and improve the rate of institution-based birth.

Lean six-sigma (LSS) applications in hospitals: a decade (2011–2020) bibliometric analysis

PurposeThis study examines the research landscape of Lean Six-Sigma (LSS) applications in hospitals for the period of the last decade (2011–2020) to derive answers to the research questions RQ 1: What are the current publication trends for the application of LSS in hospitals concerning document type, Journal (Source), active authors and country-wise publications and their comparison in the two most reputed scientific databases, i.e. Scopus and Web of Science (WoS), RQ2: What are the clusters based on the authors and keywords? RQ3: What are the research trends and author's productivity in LSS applications in Hospitals? RQ4: What are the future research areas?Design/methodology/approachThis article compares these two databases (Scopus and WoS) based on publication pattern, document type, active authors and co-citation analysis. This article analyzes the core sources, author's productivity, globally cited articles, word growth analysis, thematic map and world collaboration map on the WoS and Scopus dataset. The software used are Vosviewer, Biblioshiny (R Package for Bibliometric) and M.S. Excel.FindingsThe application of LSS in hospitals is a niche theme. In the WoS database International Journal of Lean Six-Sigma and in Scopus database International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance are the most relevant sources publishing research articles in this field. The USA has the highest scientific production in this field. Among the authors, Antony J is the most active author in this area, with the highest contribution over the years.Originality/valueThis study fills the literature gap by mapping the field of LSS in hospitals.

Quality assurance and improvement in healthcare: instruments and perspectives

In the German statutory health insurance system, quality healthcare is an imperative- healthcare must correspond to current medical knowledge. The central decision-making body, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), uses directives to regulate quality standards and instruments to ensure compliance. The Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Health Care (IQTIG) supports the G‑BA in this task with independent scientific recommendations. Acentral task of the institute is the development of quality indicators based on billing data, patient records, and patient surveys.With regard to instruments for the improvement of quality, the IQTIG distinguishes between improvement instruments, instruments based on selection decisions, and instruments based on incentives for providers. Quality improvement requires quality management and intrinsic motivation on the part of the providers. However, due to perverse incentives, intrinsic motivation and thus quality improvement alone are not always sufficient and must be supplemented by extrinsic incentives and other instruments. In particular, instruments enabling quality-oriented physician and hospital choice have not yet been implemented in Germany. The quality information required to enable patients to make such choices does not yet exist and should be based on billing data and patient surveys. Further, such quality information should be presented as simply and understandably as possible on online comparison platforms.To ensure high-quality healthcare, the various instruments for improving quality must be coordinated with one another and aligned with asystem of healthcare targets. Such asystem of overarching healthcare targets allows the limited resources to be focused on those areas in which the need for action is greatest.