Quality Management in Radiology Department - Essay Example

Quality Management in Healthcare System: Radiology Department Name Institution Date Abstract The quality management practices puts in place mechanisms that will be used to achieve goals in an organization. This is mainly in terms of service improvement and customer satisfaction. The paper will discuss some of the quality management systems and its application in radiology department. The advantages disadvantages and comparisons will also be discussed. Introduction Quality management has been used allover the world to improve services offered to the clients. The main aim of the system is to ensure that the quality of the goods and services are good and beneficial to the clients. The healthcare system is no exception to the provision of quality services to the patients. Quality management practices have been introduced in the healthcare sector for the purpose of prolonging life, relieving stress, restoring function and preventing disabilities (The Institute of Medicine, 2004). Quality improvement processes. PDCA This process involves four repetitive processes which include: Plan, Do, Check and act. This process is based on trial and learning methodology. The planning process includes strategies, aims and objectives. The strategies are then tested to check its potential and how best it can deliver. It can then be adopted based on the results posted. Once a problem has been identified, solutions are suggested and tested on small scale. The process of testing the hypothesis will however be done on a small section or a department. The changes are not made immediately until the best solution is tested and produces the desirable results, it can be adopted (Mangione-Smith, 2007). In the healthcares system the method is quite practical and can be used to solve problems of patient flow and treatment. Advantages This system provides room for corrections and improvements since the strategies will only be adopted once it has posted successful and desirable results. The system also aims at eliminating errors. This is made possible by the fact that the process identifies all errors and solutions are strategized. This method is also less costly as it does not require many resources to implement it. All the solutions are generally based on experimentations. The method can also be applied in large scale or small scale enterprises as it is quite flexible. Disadvantages The use of this method is time consuming. This is mainly because the trials may not achieve the desired result; therefore it has to be repeated several times. This will therefore delay the implementation process and hence a delay in solving of the problems. ISO 9000 International organization for standardization was formed in the year 1947. However at the time it was mainly for the purpose of ensuring goods and services produced meets reasonable standards for consumption. ISO 9000 was formed in 1987. Its main aim is to maintain the quality and standards of manufactured goods. The system aims at producing a worldwide recognized methodology of standardization in the manufacturing industry. Its main area of focus being customer satisfaction, leadership, innovation, employee involvement, process approach, continuous improvement, proper decision making, system approach to management and beneficial relationships. This system is useful I the delivery of quality services in the healthcare system. The system puts more emphasis on the use of standardized equipment and accountable procedures. Advantages This quality management system is quite useful in streamlining the operations of an organization. This is mainly because it sets standards that the organization has to meet. This is important for the organization as it will gain recognition for the good services. The clients also benefit a lot from this system. This is mainly because the system is mainly aimed at improving the quality of goods and services provided to the clients. The organization also benefits from the system as the profits increases due to customer satisfaction. The process will benefit an organization in terms of eliminating problems. This is mainly because the process is continuous and thus solves problems permanently. Disadvantages This method focuses a lot on the quality of goods and services delivered as a result of this; little emphasis is placed on the process of delivery itself. Some employees may go back to their old methods of operations but targeting the end results. This therefore makes the process unreliable and is only suitable for organizations with committed staff. The process is also quite costly. This is mainly because it involves the third party auditors who are experts in the field. An organization therefore ends up spending more in the process. The process may also not be accountable and transparent enough. Lean methodology This process is aimed at improving the quality of manufacture products. It aims at eliminating all the wastage in the course of production. The method is customer focused and t aims at satisfying the needs of all the clients. Its strategies are derived from what the customers require, set actions to take to achieve the desired results and make the process flow. The system is also aimed at making the customer acquire the gods and services easily. This is done through ensuring that the products and services are perfect to the consumer. Using this process, wastage is eliminated in terms of manpower, resources and time (McGlynn, 2003). Advantages This method is customer focused and as a result it ensures that the customer receives the best quality of goods and services. It eliminates wastes and as a result the product is quite perfect. This method is also useful in eliminating errors in the process and thus streamlining the operations of an organization. Since time is not wasted in the process, the method ensures that the gods and services are delivered on time which is important in satisfying the clients. Limited wastage of time is also essential for mass production and as a result an organization is able to make much profit from the business. This method is also advantageous in terms of innovations. This is mainly because it ensures the customer is satisfied at al cost and as a result it leads to innovations. Disadvantages This method is quite tedious as it aims at eliminating any wastage. This results to a lot of strain to the employees resulting to low morale at work. This is risky as it leads to a lot of conflicts at the workplace. This method also requires experienced personnel to carry out most of the activities. This is to avoid any wastage due to errors. The method also method has little room for corrections as the process aims at saving time. Six sigma This method is customer focused and seeks to eliminate defects. It is considered mathematical due to the nature of collection of data and analyzing it. This method was made popular by Motorola Company in the 1990s. Solutions to the problems are solved through the analysis of the data and the progress during the implementation is measured by mathematical means. This process is based on the use of five principles which includes; defining a mission, measuring the extent of the problem, analyzing the causes of the defects, improving the process by establishing solutions and controlling the progress once it has achieved its desired objectives (Ransom, 2008). In the healthcare sector once the provision of quality services is achieved, the process is controlled. Advantages The process is customer focused and it ensures that the clients receive better quality of goods and services. This is quite important in the rentention of customers. Customer satisfaction means that the customers will always return to the organization. This method operates step by step and the next step will be reached only after achieving the desired objectives. It is thus important in terms of eliminating errors on the organizational processes. This is quite applicable in the radiology department as it will eliminate any medical errors witnessed before. Disadvantages This process is continuous and aims at achieving certain results. During its implementations, it is quite difficult to make innovations s the process will also maintain desired results once it has been achieved. This method is quite cumbersome and it requires the services of experts, who are able to collect data, analyze and translate it into real solutions for improving the quality of goods and services. The process may also require a lot of time in order to achieve the desired results. This may have some effects in the healthcare systems. Donabedian Model This method of quality improvement aims at improving the structure of an organization. According to this model, the structure will always determine the outcome of the goods and services. This method also puts more emphasis on risk reduction. This is mainly because the risks will always be minimized once good policies and structures are in place. As applied to the healthcare provision, the model aims at improving the infrastructure of the healthy facility so as to provide an enabling environment for patients to heal. This includes the use of modern technology and also standardized equipment that saves lives. This model is mainly applicable in the healthcare sector and it is important in the improvement of the services provided (Donabedian, 2003). Advantages The model is aimed at the provision of quality services and as a result it benefits the clients and the employees. The model provides for better working conditions for the employees due to modernized and improved equipment. This is important in boosting the morale of the employees resulting to better performance. In the healthcare sector this model is useful in eliminating risks during medical procedures and as a result it saves lives. Disadvantages This method is quite costly and it requires a lot of resources for it to be successfully implemented. It is thus not applicable in organizations with little resources. Comparison of the systems Quality systems. Main focus Ease of implementation and resource use. ISO 9000 Certification. Trust from clients. Maintenance of desired results. Conformity with quality standards. Quality goods and services. Requires resources and exports. Six sigma. Customer satisfaction. Reduction of errors. Improvement of standards. Maintenance of good quality standards. Easy to implement Donabedian model Risk reduction. Better working conditions for employees. Customer satisfaction. Proper infrastructure. Adoption of modern techniques. Requires a lot of financial resources PDCA Process improvement. Quality goods and services Elimination of errors. Easy to implement as it does not require much resources Lean methodology. Elimination of wastage. Customer satisfaction. Increased productivity. Save time Improve the process. Requires much resources. Application of PDCA method in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School The medical facility had a problem with the maintenance of its radiology records. As a result of this, the physicians in the department could not avail some records where medical error occurred. This affected the quality of service provision and the facility had no means of making improvements in its operations. However the organization conducted several studies and the use of PDCA was used to solve the problem. It involved a group of experts and ten steps were used during the implementation process. This resulted to an online reporting system where all the activities were posted online. This improved data collection for improvement of the facility by more than fifty percent. As a result of this, the health facility has developed a functional and reliable database which is accessible and has helped in making improvements towards the treatment of patients (Jonathan, 2006). Each case that was reported then reviewed using the procedure illustrated in the flowchart below Conclusion The paper has analyzed several quality management systems used in the healthcare and other organization. According to the paper, the main aims of the systems are to ensure the provision of goods ad services are improved and more focus placed on the needs of the customer. Various comparisons have also been made to differentiate the quality management systems. A case study in Harvard medical school has also been done to show the importance of quality management systems in the improvement of services. References Ransom E, et al (2008). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools. 2nd edition. Chicago: Health Administration Press; Chapters 1 and 2. Donabedian A, (2003). An Introduction to Quality Assurance in Health Care. New York: Oxford University Press McGlynn E, et al (2003). The Quality of Health Care Delivered to Adults in the United States. Mangione-Smith R, (2007). The Quality of Ambulatory Care Delivered to Children in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:1515-23. The Institute of Medicine. (2004). Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington DC: National Academy press, THE ARTICLE Jonathan B, et al (2006). Implementation of Online Radiology Quality Assurance Reporting System for Performance Improvement: Initial Evaluation Retrieved on 13 March 2012, from http://radiology.rsna.org/content/241/2/518.full Read More