One can think of the situation when the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) results have shown to be below 50%. Such a case is very realistic and indeed occurs from time to time in institutions of healthcare. To deal with such a situation and raise the level of patients satisfaction, one needs to consider management initiatives. One of them is called “total quality management” (TQM) and is the topic of this paper.
To start, let us find out whether this idea of continuous quality improvement is intrinsic to healthcare. According to Liebler and McConnell (2016), this focus on quality stems from the purpose of a healthcare institution, so it is incremental to healthcare. Regarding TQM, it is perhaps one of the most reliable and effective strategies as it permeates every part of the organization. This makes the strategy worth consideration in cases when the quality of provided services by the hospital has significantly worsened.
To successfully implement TQM, it is crucial to understand the process of TQM. Five components should be considered here to give a complete picture of how TQM should be articulated. The first one is the commitment of senior management, without which the initiative is destined to fail. The main burden in terms of conveying the message lies on top management. Secondly, continuation as TQM is not a one-day process. Thirdly, working as a team is essential since even though senior management’s role is important, the rest of the staff needs to get clear instructions and some authority to feel like a part of TQM. Fourthly, training is significant as it helps employees to develop professionally. Last but not least, making a customer a priority of an organization can change the underlying philosophy of a hospital and improve patients’ reviews.
TQM embodies a problematic process in which success strongly hinges on every element of its system. Although there are five main components of TQM, the critical source of its advances is efficient top management. Leadership is a contributive element of the system which directs, rules, corrects, inspires, changes, and carries out many other vital functions which can lead to re-shaping of the system and starting over from a clean slate.
Reference
Liebler, J. G., & McConnell, C. R. (2016). Management principles for health professionals (7th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.