Harvesting knowledge from improvement
Article Abstract:
Medical journal editors should publish reports of quality improvement even though the reports may not arise from a controlled clinical trial. A 1996 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that mortality rates from coronary artery bypass graft surgery could be reduced by implementing a continuous quality improvement program in a group of regional hospitals. The study did not use a control group or sophisticated statistical manipulations. Instead, it focused on the 'plan-do-study-act' principle of quality improvement. The researchers also used the tools of quality improvement such as exploratory data analysis, control charts and process flow diagrams. Data from studies of quality improvement could be very useful, since the technique mimics the process by which humans naturally learn.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1996
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Service Quality in Health Care
Article Abstract:
All healthcare personnel should focus on delivering quality service to their patients. Most healthcare workers focus on providing technically adequate care, but often neglect the service side. The case of a man who needed a diagnostic test illustrates the lack of a service mentality in many healthcare settings. Many companies must provide good quality service or they will lose customers. Healthcare workers can learn much from other industries, such as airlines, package delivery companies, and hotels. One of the best ways to encourage a service mentality is to hire people who have this mentality and reward them for providing good service to patients.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1999
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Quality health care
Article Abstract:
Clinical practice guidelines can help shorten the time lag between the introduction of a new, efficient medical technique and its acceptance and use by the medical community. Studies have documented the existence of this delay. Delay in using a new technique may lead to higher patient mortality or complication rates. Factors associated with the delay include a lack of knowledge on the physician's part about how or when to use the new technique, a lack of acceptance of new data by physicians and the fact that a physician may be practicing in an environment that is not open to the introduction of new techniques.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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