Introduction
Continuous quality improvement is a concept that healthcare organizations should pursue in order to meet the changing demands of their patients. The selected institution has decided to create a dashboard to display various measures each month. Such items are necessary since they will give a clear picture of the initiatives put in place and the anticipated improvement goals. This report describes the major quality measures and the potential sources of data.
Five Quality Measures
The practice of measuring and monitoring quality in health care is essential since it provides evidence-based insights for improving quality. This initiative is vital since misuse, underuse, and overuse are common challenges disorienting care delivery. The selected hospital can use these five quality measures to pursue the intended aims: structure, process, culture, outcome, and patient experience (Joshi, Ransom, Nash, & Ransom, 2014). Each of these attributes is capable of guiding performance and ensuring that the introduced processes resonate with the intended goals.
The structure quality measure has been selected because it makes it possible for participants to assess the effectiveness and characteristics of the personnel, facilities, and existing policies for delivering quality care. The process determinant is critical since it dictates the quality of medical services available to different patients (Saver et al., 2017). It ensures that every initiative is in accordance with established clinical care procedures. The outcome quality measure can be appropriate for this organization since it will determine the health of different patients after receiving the intended services. The fourth aspect that the selected institution should consider is that of patient experience (Saver et al., 2017). This attribute will ensure that those involved examine or gauge the experiences of different patients after the completed care delivery process. Culture is an essential quality measure since it monitors the effectiveness of the existing relations, leadership, and organizational behaviors and how they influence future health procedures.
A detailed analysis of these five measures can make it easier for managers and experts to identify key strengths and areas that need enhancement. Such examples are informed by the idea of continuous improvement and they will make it easier for the hospital to identify existing gaps that have the potential to affect the intended results. Displaying each of these quality measures on this organization’s dashboard every month will ensure that all participants are involved, aware of key areas that require constant monitoring, and present adequate guidelines or resources to support the process (Joshi et al., 2014). Such measures will eventually make it possible for this hospital to minimize most of the obstacles affecting care delivery and meet the health demands of every patient.
Sources of Data
Several data sources are available for each of the outlined quality measures. For instance, the first one is that of structure and it can benefit from administrative information and health plan databases. These platforms will offer evidence-based information regarding the availability of resources, competencies of different professionals, and established policies to support the provision of high-quality services (Joshi et al., 2014). The second measure is that of process and the most appropriate data sources include disease and patient registries. These systems are organized in such a way that they offer meaningful information about the procedures implemented to meet patients’ health needs.
The existing organizational culture can be monitored using qualitative data. This information will be obtained from focus groups, teams, and health care professionals (Joshi et al., 2014). Administrative data can also present useful insights regarding the nature of behaviors and practices associated with this organization. The fourth quality measure that different participants should consider is that of the outcome. Such stakeholders can understand or monitor this parameter using disease or patient registries and medical records (Saver et al., 2017). These databases will offer quality and timely information on medical conditions, health outcomes, and care delivery models.
The final quality measure is that of patient experiences and outcomes. Participants can get relevant data from patient registries, health care databases, patient surveys, and interviews. Administrative facts can offer meaningful insights regarding the nature of the implemented quality measures and make it easier for all participants to make proper inferences. Such sources are easily accessible and capable of presenting relevant information to ensure that every implemented QI initiative resonates with the diverse needs of different patients (Saver et al., 2017). Through such measures, the organization will be able to provide safe, efficient, effective, equitable, and timely care within the stipulated period. Consequently, it will transform the lives and experiences of the greatest number of people.
Conclusion
The above discussion has supported the use of quality measures and improvements to ensure that all patients have access to high-quality medical services, minimize disparities and reduce costs. With proper sources of data, participants and QI teams can make adequate decisions and set the right priorities for ensuring that affordable care is available and capable of transforming the health outcomes of underserved communities. The identified attributes will eventually make it possible for the identified organization to achieve its goals and continue offering exemplary medical services.
References
Joshi, M., Ransom, E. R., Nash, D. B., & Ransom, S. B. (2014). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Saver, B. G., Martin, S. A., Adler, R. N., Candib, L. M., Deligiannidis, K. E., Golding, J., … Topolski, S. (2017). Care that matters: Quality measurement and health care. PLoS Medicine, 12(11), e1001902.