International journal of health care quality assurance
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Int J Health Care Qual Assur · Jan 2015
Roadmap for developing a national quality indicator set for general practice.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a national, comprehensive quality indicator set to support delivering high-quality clinical care in Irish general practice. ⋯ The authors describe in detail a method to develop general practice quality indicators for a regional or national population from existing validated indicators using consensus, action research and an illuminative evaluation.
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Int J Health Care Qual Assur · Jan 2015
National early warning score (NEWS) - evaluation in surgery.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate staff opinion on the impact of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) system on surgical wards. In 2012, the NEWS system was introduced to Irish hospitals on a phased basis as part of a national clinical programme in acute care. ⋯ Appropriate audit of the impact of the NEWS system on patient outcome may be pertinent to obtain the support from senior doctors. Deficiencies with the system were also observed including the absence of a rapid response team as part of the escalation protocol and a lack of concordance of the NEWS in patients Day zero post-operatively. These issues should be addressed moving forward.
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Int J Health Care Qual Assur · Jan 2015
Comparing Choice and Partnership Approach assumptions to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The purpose of this paper is to compare NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) activity data over a one-year period to the Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA) demand and capacity model assumptions, providing an evaluation of CAPA model implementation and its effects on actual demand and capacity of the service. ⋯ The data allow for identification of inefficiencies within CAMHS and highlights how capacity can be increased, without increasing budgets, to meet a rising clinical demand. The results allow managers and clinicians to improve job planning to ensure more children and young people have quick access to services.
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The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of how patient deterioration is detected and how clinical care escalates when early warning score (EWS) systems are used. ⋯ The paper raises the EWS debate and alerts EWS users that scrutiny is required.
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Lean and Six Sigma are continuous improvement methodologies that have garnered international fame for improving manufacturing and service processes. Increasingly these methodologies are demonstrating their power to also improve healthcare processes. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a case study for the application of Lean and Six Sigma tools in the reduction of turnaround time (TAT) for Emergency Department (ED) specimens. This application of the scientific methodologies uncovered opportunities to improve the entire ED to lab system for the specimens. ⋯ While this is not the first case study that has demonstrated the use of continuous process improvement methodologies to improve a hospital process, it is unique in the way in which it utilizes the strength of the project focussed approach that adheres more to the structure and rigor of Six Sigma and relied less on the speed of lean. Additionally, the application of these methodologies in healthcare is emerging research.