Quality+Improvement

=Quality Improvement (Quality Management) (N=8)=


 * Defintion 1:** Quality improvement - a method of evaluating and improving processes of patient care which emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, and focuses not on individuals, but systems of patient care which might be the cause of variations.
 * Source:** [|http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov]
 * Focus:** Health Care


 * Definition 2:** "Quality Improvement" (QI): Periodic examination of organizational activities, policies, procedures and performance to identify best practices and target areas in need of improvement; includes implementation of corrective actions or policy changes where needed. (Preserving Public Trust, 2001)
 * Source:** The University of Texas at Austin[| http://www.utexas.edu/research]
 * Focus:** General Research


 * Definition 3:** Quality improvement: The process of developing a quality improvement plan linked to an organization's strategy, goals, and objectives in order to improve or increase the effectiveness of a program.
 * Source:** http://www.case.edu/med/epidbio/mphp439/Dictionary.htm
 * Focus:** Health Care

The consolidation phase enables the organization to take stock of what has been taking place and to ensure made to processes that require documentation (both to allow processes to be repeatable and to facilitate recognition of the achievement of some form of quality standard).
 * Definition 4:** Quality management is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system and its performance.The following diagram is the Shewhart cycle (PDCA) for quality improvements, made popular by Deming....The philosophy is to keep improving the quality of an organization. It is defined by four keys:
 * Plan: Design or revise business process components to improve results
 * Do: Implement the plan and measure its performance
 * Check: Assess the measurements and report the results to decision makers
 * Act: Decide on changes needed to improve the process
 * Source:** Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_management
 * Focus:** General


 * Definition 5:** Quality improvement: Batalden & Davidoff (2007, QSHC) propose defining it as the combined and unceasing efforts of everyone – healthcare professionals, patients and their families, researchers, payers, planners and educators – to make the changes that will lead to better patient outcomes (health), better system performance (care) and professional development (learning).
 * Source:** http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2464920/pdf/2.pdf
 * Focus:** Health Care


 * Definition 6:** Quality improvement is defined as systematic, data-guided activities designed to bring about immediate improvements in health care delivery in particular settings.
 * Source:** Hastings Group / AHRQ-funded working group on ethics: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=734470
 * Focus:** Health Care


 * Definition 7:** Quality improvement intervention: An effort to change/improve the clinical structure, process, and/or outcomes of care by means of an organizational or structural change.
 * **//Structure of care//**: //Context within which care processes are delivered//
 * **// Process of care //**// : Interaction between a provider and a patient //
 * **// Outcomes of care //**// : Effects on patient prognosis, symptoms, functional status, or other aspects of health-related quality of life, patient satisfaction with care, and patient economic consequences; as well as organizational outcomes such as cost //
 * Source:** http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20630931
 * Focus:** Health Care


 * Definition 8:** Quality improvement:The attainment or process of attaining a new level of performance or quality. MeSH term
 * Source:** []
 * Focus:** Health Care