Summary
Constructing a QI program begins with a basic understanding of the methodology associated with quality improvement. Important aspects of continuous QI involve selecting appropriate quality indicators, tracking them, and being able to identify important trends in the data.
There are many tools available for systematically improving quality; the PDSA cycle is useful and easy to apply.The QI program provides a mechanism with which to review all activities related to patient care, communication, and transport operations; identify problems; resolve identified problems; monitor the implementation of change; and provide ongoing reevaluation of strategies for process improvement. A mature QI program requires multidisciplinary commitment at multiple levels: clinical, financial, and administrative. A solid foundation (the transport program), a strong framework (the QI committee), and an insightful leader (the QI coordinator) are crucial to a neonatal-pediatric transport program's maintaining QI as one of its cornerstones. The transport program that continually strives to improve and promote safe, timely, appropriate, and quality patient care will be in a better position to market its services and will rise to the challenges of the future.
References
1. Institute of Medicine, Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2001
2. Few S. Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media Inc; 2006
3. Carey R. Improving Healthcare with Control Charts: Basic and Advanced SPC Methods and Case Studies. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press; 2003
4. Langley GJ. The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2009
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Selected Readings
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Quality and Patient Safety. Available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/. Accessed April 25, 2013Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. AHRQ Tools and Resources for Better Health Care. Available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/tools/toolsria.htm. Accessed April 25, 2013
Carey R. Improving Healthcare with Control Charts: Basic and Advanced SPC Methods and Case Studies. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press; 2003
Donabedian A. An Introduction to Quality Assurance in Health Care. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2003
Few S. Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media Inc; 2006
George M. The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2005
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. How to Improve. Available at: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/ Topics/Improvement/ImprovementMethods/HowToImprove/. Accessed April 25, 2013 Schwartz H, Bigham M, Schoettker P, Meyer K, Trautman M, Insoft R. Pediatric critical care. 2015; in press
Wheeler D. Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos. 2nd ed. Knoxville, TN: SPC Press; 2000