Total Quality and Risk Management - Patient Safety and Process Improvement



Abstract

This discussion is intended to outline the underlying factors driving the patient safety movement, review the role of quality management in improving patient safety, understand the relationship between quality management and best practice, and finally to understand how quality management and risk management can be an effective tool for improving patient safety. The paper attempts to emphasize the concept of quality management, quality improvement and risk management. It also discusses the different types of safety concepts in the quality management and highlights the various risks associated with the modern concept of healthcare in protecting patients. The paper focuses on the impact of quality management and risk management on patient safety.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Discussion4

Quality and Total Quality Management5

Human Security7

Clinical safety7

Patient safety8

Process and Quality Improvement9

Risk Management11

Risk Analysis and Review11

International Response12

Professional Ethics and Patient Safety13

The Risk Management Challenge13

The Quality Improvement Challenge13

The Resource Utilization Challenge14

Legal Aspects of Patient Safety14

Best Practices and the Link to Quality Improvement15

Methods of Improving Patient Safety16

Adverse Events Affecting Patient Safety17

Conclusion18

Total Quality and Risk Management - Patient Safety and Process Improvement

Introduction

Patient safety is an issue that has been propelled to extreme heights of most sensible healthcare management by the combination of an extremely good research and bad practice, which are the consequences of adverse clinical incidents experienced by hospital patients. This has been the subject of several research studies undertaken over the last decade (Gustafson, Frankel, Simmonds, Neppl, Gandhi & Graydon-Baker, 2003). The magnitude and impact of adverse events are so significant that have attracted the attention of researchers in an increasing degree. Pioneering research as the Harvard study in 1984 showed that 3.7 % of admissions suffer an adverse event. However, studies like that of Australia in 1995, noted that this figure reached 16.6 %, while in the UK reached 10.8 %.

The diversity of methods to assess risk the health field is indicative that there is not yet perfect and unique methods to identify risks for patient safety, since each has inherent strengths and weaknesses, so it is valid benefit from the experience and explore resources incorporate actions such as document review records, voluntary reporting of adverse events resources and evaluation of critical factors in care patients.

Discussion

There is a world-wide movement in health care to reduce the incidence of harm and improve patient safety. It would only make sense that the patient safety movement would have a profound effect on the practice of health professionals including respiratory therapy (Cullen, Bates & Leape, 2000). Different operation translates into getting certain effects, which is the result of changes and modifications made as due to monitoring. It is very necessary to make further measurements to assess and determine if changes or modifications represent an improvement (Lin, Ahern, Gershon & Grimes, 1998).

Patient safety is a key dimension of quality of care and is an integral part of the system to improve care. The organization should establish a system for regular evaluation of patient safety and learning from that evaluation (Gustafson, Frankel, Simmonds, Neppl, Gandhi & ...