NURS_4221 Quality In Healthcare Essay
Quality in healthcare can be defined as the degree to which healthcare services for individuals and populations maximize the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are compatible with current professional knowledge (Cribb et al., 2020). Avedis Donabedian is one important quality theorist who has significantly advanced the area. The structure, process, and result model, which offers a framework for evaluating and improving healthcare quality, is notable for Donabedian’s work on it.
In my own experience as both a health care customer and practitioner, I have had an issue with the extended wait times in the emergency room. Using Donabedian’s concept, the structure alludes to the healthcare setting’s material and administrative assets (Creighton, 2023). The structure, in this instance, involves the number of employees, the equipment’s accessibility, and the emergency department’s physical layout. The procedure includes all the interactions between medical staff and patients, including consultations, evaluations, and medical interventions. The final consideration is the outcome, including patient satisfaction and health results.
The experience in the emergency room may have been enhanced by avoiding unproductive procedures, including ineffective patient flow and pointless delays. For instance, streamlining triage procedures, allocating employees more efficiently, and putting in place efficient healthcare provider communication technologies might have decreased wait times and enhanced the patient experience overall. This supports Donabedian’s assertion that process and outcome measurements are crucial for evaluating quality (Creighton, 2023). Furthermore, Donabedian’s emphasis on patient-centeredness and the achievement of desired health outcomes is consistent with how I define quality in healthcare. In addition to being effective and efficient, quality care should put the patient’s choices, requirements, and values first. Healthcare organizations can improve the quality of care by focusing more on patient-centered practices and guaranteeing timely access to appropriate care by addressing the practice problem of high waiting times.
References
Cribb, A., Entwistle, V., & Mitchell, P. (2020). What does ‘quality’ add? Towards an ethics of healthcare improvement. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(2), 118–122. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2019-105635
Creighton, S. (2023, January 17). Avedis Donabedian: The creator of the Donabedian Model of Care. Blog.lifeqisystem.com. https://blog.lifeqisystem.com/avedis-donabedian
As health care consumers, we all expect quality care and positive outcomes. It is important as professionals that we meet these demands of health care consumers. Consider the work of the major theorists you examined in this week’s Resources and think about how these theories apply to your own experience as a health care customer and/or practitioner.
Post your definition of quality, and apply it to the work of one major quality theorist (e.g., Donabedian, Juran, Deming, Triple Aim (IHI) – Berwick). Identify a practice problem that you have had some experience with as a customer or as a practitioner and explain how eliminating wasteful practices could have improved the experience. Include how your definition of quality applies to that experience.
Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature. Your posts need to be written at the capstone level.
This post should be a 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence to an external site from the readings and include in-text citations to an external site. Utilize essay-level to an external site writing practice and skills, including the use of transitional material to an external site and organizational framesLinks to an external site.. Avoid quotes; paraphraseLinks to an external site. to incorporate evidence into your own writing. A reference listLinks to an external site. is required. Use the most current evidenceLinks to an external site. (usually ≤ 5 years old).