Quality improvement plan Prof Davidson

Introduction

In healthcare systems, there are several areas that need improvements this depends on the various hospitals, people or culture in a given area, beliefs and various reasons too. There are various models for improvement, in which, they have two basic components. Does it begin by addressing various fundamental questions, like, how can we know if a given change is an improvement? The second part is a vigorous cycle improvement cycle. In this part of the QI plan, we will be dealing with a specific healthcare performance area. In this plan that will include discussing the various models of improvement, current technology, various benchmarks, and milestones that organizations can implement for improvement (Strome, 2013).

Improving Quality

Health literacy viewed as a degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, understand common information that deals with the healthcare facts and facilities. The facts related to the basic information needed in making good and appropriate health care decisions. Quality improvement models are hence needed to attain a suitable health literacy in all of the health care facilities (Carnevale, 2012). We will concentrate on the three common models, which include the Plan-Do-Study-Act model, the Lean model commonly referred to the Toyota model in the business world and lastly the Six Sigma q uality improvement model.

Quality Improvement Model

Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)

The PDSA has been widely used by the Institute of the Healthcare to make a positive change in the healthcare systems and to affect its outcomes for positive results (Carnevale, 2012). This model is capable of impacting and assessing various changes due to its cyclical nature. The primary objective of this model is to derive a functional relationship between the outcomes and the changes in the process to be specific it concentrates on the behaviors and capabilities of the processes. There are three main questions used before the PDSA cycle; these are:

1. What is the aim of the project?

2. How can it be known that the aim of the project has been reached?

3. What should be done to reach that objective of the project?

The three questions review the whole process of the Plan-Do-Study-Act from the beginning to the end.

Six Sigma

This model originally designed as a business model or strategy. Six Sigma involves designing, improving and monitoring processes; this is to eliminate or minimize waste at the same time maximizing satisfaction and also increasing the financial stability. This process is used to find out the size of improvement by comparing the ability process after looking at the potential solutions for improvements and the baseline ability process that is before the actual improvement. For Six Sigma to be effective enough, there are two main processes. The first method inspects the process outcome. The second process uses the estimates to predict the performance of the process. It is attained by calculating the sigma metric from the tolerance that has been defined and also the observed variations (Ming-Chang & Chang, 2012).

Lean Method

The Lean Method concentrates on the identification of the customers’ needs. Its primary objective is to improve the processes in the healthcare and removing various activities that do not add value to the customer service improvement process also known as non-value-added. The Lean method involves maximizing the value added activities in the best process attained. This process is related to the Six Sigma and sometimes overlaps with it but differs from each other in the methodology used in each. Sometimes it depends on the root-cause analysis to find out the various errors and in improving the quality of the processes (Carnevale, 2012).

Framework Model

From the three models, the best model is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) this is because it gives an individual a framework or a good process of reaching the objective. In this method, we see that there are three main questions answered. When answering them one comes up with the solution at the end of the process; the other process is good also but do not give the exact way of improving the health literacy in the healthcare.

Information Technology Applications

Using technology to promote health literacy

Computer software: this is a technology application where there are developed programs to help patients attend to their health issues. For instance, the programs help patients to: stick to restricted diets to help monitor their fat content, access exercise programs prescribed by their doctors amongst others (Jensen, King, Davis, & Guntzviller, 2010).

Mobile technology: availability of mobile devices such as smartphones help patients access the rich information about health in the Internet; this consists of health applications that help patients manage their health issues; such apps include those that can provide advice to the patients. Additionally, the health phones are also helpful to doctors.

Translation tools: these are applications that help bridge language problems by translating the language to the one preferred by the patient, this also covers smart medical tools that can speak to the patients.

Education videos: these are videos designed to help patients with fear towards certain areas of medication adapt and accept them through the video illustration. Social media: the availability of social pages such as Facebook are very helpful to patients because there are groups in which patients can share information with each other.

The discussed information technology applications will greatly help in health literacy promotion. Computer software programs help patients monitor their health issue, therefore, accepting their situation and embracing the solution without necessarily being followed by a doctor. Mobile technology greatly contributes to health literacy where the patients can access broad information about their well-being. Additionally, they can share apps that have helped them improve their health conditions to others on the social media. Moreover, patients can ask questions and get answers on the pressing issues using their mobile phones; they can also access demonstrations through videos, pictures and cartoons to help them know more about health issues. Availability of translation tools help the patients interact without the language barrier, therefore allow free flow of health information. Hence, the patients become experts in various fields and help their friends.

Benchmarks

For a good health literacy system, one needs to have good benchmarks that improve the quality of measuring the system. The importance of measuring quality improvement is using the belief that good performance reveals good practice and comparing the performance of various providers and organizations, therefore, resulting in a better performance. We can use the public reporting of a good performance to find out the areas that need improvement of the information that deals with the health of individuals. The healthcare systems are complex and hence making the delivery of health services acquire unpredictable nature. There are agencies that advocate and endorse the measure, and use of basic healthcare information crucial to attaining good health care service, the Agency for Health Research and Quality is an example. This organization advocates the determination of how best or how the risk adjustment required and tested the measure itself. We can use the external benchmarks, where this is the continual disciple of comparing and measuring the work processes that allows a good spread of the information leading to good health literacy.

Performance and Quality Measures

Every organization has goals and strategies of attaining the vision. Health care information is complex and hard to be understood by the parties involved; this includes the patients and caregivers. Consequently, there is a need for good health information and how to convey it with visual handouts, low literacy PowerPoints, and discussion (Grover, 2010). Heath care literacy thus allows the organization to focus on the goals and strategies, to allow seamless services and communication among the parties involved to recruit more “customers” to the facility (Carnevale, 2012). Measures are aligned to the mission and vision of the organizations since their main aim is to attain those specific goals, which is the case of the Wesley Nurse program. It is a faith-based, holistic program committed to serving the least served through collaboration, health promotion, and education.

Reference

Carnevale, A. P., & Georgetown University. (2012). Healthcare. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center on Education and the Workforce.

Devkota, B., & Buerck, J. (2012). Electronic health records and products recall management for patient safety in health care. Health Renaissance.

Grover, J. (2010). Healthcare. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

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Hamilton, B. (2009). Electronic health records. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education.

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Hristidis, V. (2010). Information discovery on electronic health records. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis.

Jensen, J., King, A., Davis, L., & Guntzviller, L. (2010). Utilization of internet technology by low-income adults: The role of health literacy, health numeracy, and computer assistance. Journal of Aging and Health, 22, 804–826. Kandula, N. R., Nsiah-Kumi, P. A., Makoul,

Ming-Chang L. & Chang T. (2012). Combination of theory of constraints, root cause analysis and Six Sigma for quality improvement framework. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management (IJPQM), Vol. 10, No. 4,

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Rovner, J. (2003). Health care policy and politics A to Z (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.

Strome, T. (2013). Healthcare Analytics for Quality and Performance Improvement. Hoboken: Wiley.

Content	Points Available	Points Earned	Comments
· Describes pros and cons of each methodology researched. One methodology applied and justified. · Describes how information technology might be used to help improve performance. · Describes use of benchmarks and milestones. · Identifies three potential benchmarks and milestones. · Describes how performance and quality measures are aligned to an organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.	9	7	Tammy, A good basic review of methods. Paper lacked depth: Draw specific concepts from scholarly sources, explore in some depth, and illustrate application. Paper would have been stronger if you described the application and limitations of benchmarking in more detail.
Organization / Development
· Paper is 1,400 to 1,750 words in length · Introduction provides sufficient background · Conclusion is logical, flows, reviews major points · At least four relevant references are cited	3	3	Use of reference materials was too general/broad. Be selective with sources – avoid over-using textbooks; avoid using popular press and web-based materials altogether – be sure to make use of 3-5 recent articles published in top-tier research journals.
Mechanics
· Paper, title page, reference page, tables, or appendixes, consistent with APA guidelines · Paper is laid out with effective use of headings, font styles, and white space. · Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed; spelling is correct.	3	3
TOTAL	15	13	I look forward to reading your next paper!

�Be specific

�Delete citation – you are not really referencing Strome’s work in this paragraph

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�Explore via a formal paragraph narrative rather than numbered/bulleted/outline format.

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�Draw specific concepts from scholarly sources, explore in some depth, and illustrate application.

�Cite source

Limit paragraph to 5 sentences.

�Which specific benchmark databases can you use for your project?

�Be selective with sources –use 3-5 recent articles (no more than 5-6 years old) published in top-tier research journals, rather than books, popular press, and web-based materials.

�Review APA manual for proper format.