In this regard, it is vitally important that leadership communicate effectively with staff, with particular focus on the fact that quality improvement in patient databases means improved quality in health care. This is good not only for patients, but also for the reputation of the Center, and by association for the staff working with patients as well.
In order to further increase the effectiveness of the PDCA model, the Hospital Corporation of America (Ransom et al., 2008, p. 69) went a step further in creating the FOCUS PDCA Model. This model involves the addition of five steps, as indicated by the FOCUS acronym: Find a process to improve; Organize a team that knows the process; Clarify current knowledge of the existing or redesigned process; Understand the variables and causes of process variation within the chosen process; and Select the process improvement and identify the potential action for improvement.
Because of its more detailed description and its flexible applicability to any business process, I would therefore opt for the FOCUS PDCA model in my final analysis.
The Role of Information Technology
Working with databases naturally implies the use of information technology (IT), especially in today's rapidly developing business and technological world. No business can survive without some sort of IT application to organize and continually improve its operations. The University of Kansas Center of Advanced Heart Care is no exception to this. At the Center, keeping an accurate database of patients for the purpose of improving the quality of care means the use and potential implementation of various online and database application.
The importance of the Internet for example cannot be overemphasized (Ransom et al., 2008, p. 273). As this vast research tool develops, its uses also increase exponentially. In terms of database construction, professionals at the center can research the Internet for a variety of related information for the specific conditions suffered by patients. This information...
To improve the accuracy of database construction, patients can for example be allowed limited online access to check their information and notify the physician in question of any errors. This will save a large amount of time, as the responsibility of accuracy is now shared by patients themselves.
In addition, by means of standards such as the common object-request broker architectures (CORBA), third-party components can be incorporated into the database without incurring extra costs for development and maintenance. This is much more sufficient, along with saving time and money for the Center
Milestones
Constructing milestones on the way to achieving quality and excellence goals is a vitally important component of maintaining a high standard of care at the Center. In terms of constructing and maintaining a database, the following milestones and benchmarks appear to be of great importance (Ransom et al., 2008, p. 88): Developing a measurement philosophy; Develop a data collection plan and collect the data; Analyze the data using statistical control methods. These processes, along with others, will help to maintain the accuracy and consistency of patient records by means of electronic databases.
References
Dlugacz, Y.D. (2006). Measuring Health Care: Using Quality Data for Operational, Financial, and Clinical Improvement. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Ransom, E.R., Joshi, M.S., Nash, D.B., and Ransom, S.B. (Eds.). (2008). The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools. Chicago: Health Administration Press.
West Central Georgia Regional Hospital (2010). FOCUS P-D-C-A: Performance Improvement Model to Identify and Solve Problems and Processes. Retrieved from: http://www.nccpeds.com/FOCUSPDCA.pdf
