Quality of care is one of the most important aspects of nursing, therefore managers pay much attention to the subject. The term “quality of care” is understood as the aggregate of characteristics that depict the timeliness of providing medical aid, the correctness of choosing the prophylaxis methods, diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. According to Guololo (2021), such factors that affect care quality as training in nursing care and planning and preparedness can be defined. These factors mean that, first, nurses need to be qualified for their healthcare practice and be able to act fast in various situations and be acquainted with solutions to different diseases. Second, the hospital along with the nursing department are required to be prepared for emergencies, be well-equipped, and be ready to provide medical care for a huge amount of patients. Those factors are internal, however, some external factors such as the fixed budget, number of sponsors, and the changes in the educational system can affect the quality of care.
However, managers cannot affect the external factors, therefore, the only chance of bettering the quality of care is to focus on internal ones. For example, managers can control care by developing their employees’ knowledge through courses, seminars, and training, providing better medical equipment for their departments, reduce the cases of private data breaches. All those directions of development assist in achieving a higher level of healthcare.
From my point of view, hospitals should focus on such quality management programs as effectiveness improvement, reduction of the need for expensive medical procedures, and personnel broadening. To my mind, many patients suffer from high medical expenses, although some procedures are rather preferable than obligatory, therefore, lowering the cost of medical treatment is patient care as well. The estimation of effectiveness will help in finding breaks in the system and their reduction, while personnel broadening will provide access to medical care for everyone.
Reference
Goulolo, N. D., Bugoro, H., Whittaker, M., Larkins, S., Harrington, H., Carlisle, K., MacLaren, D., & Evans, R. (2021). Perspectives of nurses about factors affecting quality of care at the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital during the 2016-2017 dengue outbreak: a qualitative study. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 33(6-7), 761-766. Web.