Quality Management In Healthcare Organizations Research Articles

Beyond tokenism in quality management policy and programming: moving from participation to meaningful involvement of people with HIV in New York State.

Consumer involvement in health-care policy and quality management (QM) programming is a key element in making health systems people-centered. Involvement of health-care consumers in these areas, however, remains underdeveloped and under-prioritized. When consumer involvement is actively realized, few mechanisms for assessing its impact have been developed. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) embraces consumer involvement of people with HIV in QM as a guiding principle, informed by early HIV/AIDS advocacy and a framework of people-centered quality care. HIV consumer involvement is implemented statewide and informs all quality of care programming as a standard for QM in health-care organizations, implemented through four key several initiatives: (i) a statewide HIV Consumer Quality Advisory Committee; (ii) leadership and QM trainings for consumers; (iii) specific tools and activities to engage consumers in QM activities at state, regional and health-care facility levels and (iv) formal organizational assessments of consumer involvement in health-care facility QM programs. We review the literature on this topic and place the methods used by the NYSDOH within a theoretical framework for consumer involvement. We present a model that offers a paradigm for practical implementation of routine consumer involvement in QM programs that can be replicated in other health-care settings, both disease-specific and general, reflecting the priority of active participation of consumers in QM activities at all levels of the health system.

Total Quality Management: Perspective of Saudi Healthcare Organizations

Total Quality Management is essential in the healthcare sector. Delivering good healthcare services is one of the main issues among healthcare organizations. Healthcare customers are satisfied with healthcare providers when their services meet the level of their expectations. Satisfying healthcare customers (both public and private) can be attained through Total Quality Management. This paper highlights the importance of using Total Quality Management in healthcare organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A review of the implementation of TQM among Saudi healthcare organizations highlighted the challenges faced in the sector. The sustained efforts in improving the service quality in Saudi healthcare have led to remarkable results. However, there are more challenges regarding the quality of services. This paper is helpful for strategic planners, policy makers, and management in the KSA healthcare sector and in other jurisdictions.

Features of Quality Management in Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The main factor that determined the relevance of the author’s research is the need to continue and develop the processes of modernization in the healthcare economy, provided for in the framework of the state program of health development of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Densaulyk”, as well as the “ Strategy-2050. The article shows the significant changes affecting the increase in the provision of medical organizations with high-tech medical and diagnostic equipment, as well as the solution of issues related to their informatization through the introduction of medical information and analytical systems aimed at automating the main processes of medical activity. The authors prove that in order to achieve the highest efficiency and effectiveness of the functioning of medical organizations, it seems appropriate to introduce process-oriented quality management systems in healthcare, which are a synthesis of professional management and modern information technologies. The objectives of the study in the study of the main aspects of quality management in healthcare organizations and the analysis of the quality management system are defined. On the basis of the study, the authors draw the appropriate conclusions.

Quality management in healthcare organizations: Empirical evidence from the baldrige data

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of customer satisfaction and quality results in the healthcare industry using the Baldrige data. We use publicly available data on quality assessment of healthcare organizations that applied for the Baldrige award to examine two research questions: 1) whether the Baldrige model is a reliable and valid model for assessment of quality practices in healthcare organizations, and 2) to determine the relationship between quality practices and their impact on quality results in the healthcare organizations. Using structural equation modeling, the findings suggest that the Baldrige model is a valid and reliable quality assessment model for healthcare organizations. Consistent with previous studies, the findings suggest that the main driver of the system is leadership, which has a significant effect on all quality practices in the healthcare industry. Controlling for the applicants’ year, the findings indicate that 1) Information analysis and knowledge management has a significant impact on Quality results, 2) Workforce development and human resource management has a significant impact on both Customer focus and satisfaction and Quality results, and 3) Strategic planning for quality has a significant impact on Customer focus and satisfaction. The study provides insights and suggestions for healthcare organizations on how to improve their quality systems using the Baldrige model.

Human Performance Improvement in the Health Care Organizations. Results of Empirical Study in Poland

Abstract Human Performance Improvement (HPI) as well as human aspects in Quality Management (QM) has received strong attention from researches. Many studies investigate the level of health care services and their main determinants. This paper seeks the relationships between the concepts of HPI and QM. The aims are to present the HPI practices on the example of EFQM Business Excellence Model criteria. HPI criteria were measured by EFQM model in Health Care Organizations (HCO) in Poland with use of case study methodology conducted on the basis of self-assessment reports documentation. The study included all HCO which are Polish Quality Award winners in the years 2005-2010. Studied HCO belonged to public sector. Results of study: (1) showed that the rules of HPI apply to all criteria of the EFQM model in Human Resources Management range, (2) justified the role and importance of HPI in the evaluation QM in HCO. The use of the EFQM model to assessment of the quality level of HCO is helpful for implementation of aimed improvement. Building QM awareness contributes to HCO creation of the need for management mechanisms and the development of medical service personnel function which is related to HPI.

The impact of legislative versus non-legislative quality policy in health care: a comparison between two countries

An important aim of the government's quality policy is to stimulate quality management (QM) in health care organizations. The relationship between the government's quality policy and QM in health care organizations is unknown. This article explores that relationship by comparing two countries with different quality policies, The Netherlands and Finland. In The Netherlands QM is required by law and health care is organized at national level. In Finland, QM is not required by law and the responsibilities for organizing health care are delegated to the municipalities. The question is whether or not these differences in national policy are reflected in the extent and effectiveness of QM in health care organizations in the two countries. A cross sectional survey was conducted in late 1999. Data about QM in both countries were gathered by questionnaire. The subsectors involved were hospitals, care for the disabled and care for the elderly. A total of 1172 health care organizations participated in the study (response rate 64%). The results show that-in keeping with our hypothesis-slightly more QM-activities and more patient participation were found in Dutch health care organizations compared with the Finnish ones. However, contrary to our expectations, the Finnish organizations reported more perceived effects of their QM-activities. Further analyses showed that some QM-activities are more closely related to the effectiveness of QM than others. In particular, cyclic quality improvement procedures, human resource management and the flexible attitude of employees showed the strongest relationship with the perceived effects of QM. The difference between the national approach in The Netherlands and the decentralized approach in Finland did not, as we had assumed, result in more regional variation in QM in Finland. Conclusions: a government's quality policy may have some influence on the extent of QM in health care organizations. However, more QM-activities do not necessarily imply more effects. Recommendations: since QM-activities differ in the degree to which they bring about changes and improvements in care, it is recommended that policy makers promote those QM-activities, which are the most potent, in order to improve the quality of care.

Obstacles to the application of total quality management in health-care organizations

This paper involves a significant review of the obstacles that face health-care organizations that undertake total quality management (TQM) implementation. A definition of the concept of quality is thoroughly explored, along with the concept of total quality. The importance of TQM in the health-care industry is discussed, and a comparison of TQM in manufacturing environments to TQM in a health-care organization environment is made. Obstacles to the application of TQM in health-care organizations are presented and discussed and conclusions and recommendations regarding the philosophy and practice of quality management and dignified leadership are made.