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Study: Quality improvement efforts should extend beyond guideline adherence
Authors of this study addressed various quality improvement standards, as well as areas in need of improvement in rheumatology. They noted that goals for quality improvement should extend beyond guideline adhere to include aspects that better meet patients’ needs and features that are professionally rewarding to clinicians.
They outlined six domains of quality improvement — patient safety, patient-centered care, effective care, timely care, efficient care and equitable care. The authors also discussed the Model for Improvement, which identifies a measurable accomplishment within a specific time frame. This model offers the acronym “SMART,” which stands for the following characteristics: specific; measurable; applicable; realistic; and timely. The authors noted that example of a goal articulated in this manner would be, “We will reduce the median wait time for new appointments by 50% over the next 12 months.”
applied these factors, through the use of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles, to two rheumatology goals: increasing access to rheumatology care and improving vaccinations in immunosuppressed patients. The researchers considered the problems through PDSA cycles, as well as through a fishbone diagram, Pareto analysis and run charts. Through these tools, the authors achieved some level of success in addressing both problems.
[quality improvement] QI methods in recent years, successful improvement projects deliver an intrinsic satisfaction associated with solving problems that frustrate efforts to deliver high-quality care.” -by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.