66 Questions
What is the primary focus of Clinical Governance?
Safeguarding high standards of care through continuous quality improvement
What is the main difference between quality improvement and audit in healthcare?
Audit is a one-time event, while quality improvement is an ongoing process
What is the role of pharmacists in clinical audit?
To participate in the clinical audit cycle and identify areas for improvement
What is the purpose of the 'safe use of NSAIDs in elderly patients' example?
To provide an example of a quality improvement initiative
What is the primary goal of quality improvement in healthcare?
To do the right things right, to the right people at the right time
What is the relationship between quality improvement and pharmacy?
Pharmacy is a key driver of quality improvement initiatives
What is the primary objective of Quality Improvement in healthcare?
To make a difference to patients by improving safety, effectiveness, and experience of care
What is the main difference between Audit and Quality Improvement?
Audit is used to judge the quality of care, while Quality Improvement is used to improve the quality of care
What is the role of data in Quality Improvement?
To understand variation and make improvement
What is the focus of Clinical Research?
To evaluate the effectiveness of a new drug intervention
What is the purpose of using many small-scale trials and tests in Quality Improvement?
To learn and improve
What is the main goal of Quality Improvement in healthcare?
To make a difference to patients by improving safety, effectiveness, and experience of care
What is the primary difference between Research and Quality Improvement?
Research evaluates the effectiveness of a new drug intervention, while Quality Improvement aims to improve patient outcomes
What is the role of training staff in Quality Improvement?
To understand the nature of systems
What is the limitation of Audit in Quality Improvement?
Local ownership and application can make widespread uniform application difficult
What is the primary focus of an improvement project in Quality Improvement?
To test ways to implement evidence-based care and find out the best way for a service to be organized and delivered
What is the primary focus of Lean principles in process improvement?
Streamlining processes to improve customer experience
What is the primary goal of the Define phase in the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology?
To understand the needs of the customers
What is the main difference between Lean and Six Sigma?
Lean focuses on eliminating waste, while Six Sigma focuses on reducing defects
What is the purpose of the Analyse phase in the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology?
To analyse the root cause of the problem
What is the primary objective of the fifth principle of Lean?
To manage toward perfection
What is the primary focus of the Measure phase in the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology?
To collect data on the current process
What is the main objective of process control charts and variation mapping?
To monitor and control process variation
What is the primary goal of the Improve phase in the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology?
To develop and implement solutions to improve the process
What is the primary focus of the Design for Six Sigma methodology?
To design new processes to meet customer requirements
What is the primary objective of the five principles of Lean?
To improve process flow and customer experience
What is the primary focus of testing innovation in healthcare?
Exploring new ways of working and improving care
What are the three main criteria for quality in the NHS?
Safety, experience of care, and effectiveness of care
According to the Institute of Medicine, what is one of the six domains of healthcare quality?
Patient-centred care
What is the purpose of process mapping in improvement methodology?
To communicate how a process works in a concise and straightforward way
What is the goal of root cause analysis in improvement methodology?
To troubleshoot solutions to problems by analysing what is causing them
Why is understanding variation important in healthcare?
To enable systems to become more predictable and easier to manage
What is the purpose of statistical process control in improvement methodology?
To statistically interpret measures presented over time
What are the two parts of the model of improvement methodology?
The thinking part and the doing part
What is the purpose of the 'thinking part' in the model of improvement methodology?
To guide improvement work with three fundamental questions
What is the purpose of the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles?
To make rapid change and improvement
What is the primary goal of the 'I' step in the Six Sigma process?
To discover the root causes of a problem and construct a solution
What is the percentage of reduction in dispensing errors achieved through the application of Six Sigma in pharmacy settings?
30%
What type of errors were reduced by 69% through the application of Six Sigma in a homedelivery service?
Sound-alike / look-alike (SALA) errors
What is one of the triggers for quality improvement in pharmacy settings?
All of the above
What is the purpose of a Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram?
To identify the root cause of a problem
What is the principle behind Pareto Analysis?
80% of problems can be traced back to 20% of causes
What is the purpose of the 'C' step in the Six Sigma process?
To control the process and sustain the changes and improvements
What is the percentage of reduction in order entry errors achieved through the application of Six Sigma?
90%
What is the purpose of a Control Chart?
To monitor process stability and variation
What is the principle behind the '80/20 Rule'?
80% of a project's benefit comes from 20% of the work
What is the purpose of grouping problems together by common cause in a Pareto Analysis?
To prioritize problems based on their causes
What is the primary objective of carrying out a Pareto Analysis?
To improve customer satisfaction by prioritizing and solving the most important problems
What should be considered when deciding which problems to solve first in a Pareto Analysis?
The number of customer complaints related to each problem
What is the benefit of using a Pareto Analysis to prioritize problems?
It enables the allocation of resources to the most important problems
What is the relationship between the scores of each problem in a Pareto Analysis?
The highest-scoring problem is the most important
What is the purpose of adding up scores for each group of problems in a Pareto Analysis?
To prioritize problems based on their scores
What is the benefit of using a control chart in process monitoring?
It helps to identify special causes of variation
What is the primary focus of process mapping in quality improvement?
To visualize workflow for improvement
What is the purpose of carrying out a root cause analysis in a Pareto Analysis?
To identify the underlying causes of each problem
What is the benefit of using a Pareto Analysis to prioritize problems?
It enables the focus of energy and resources on the most important problems
What is the primary purpose of using a run chart in an improvement project?
To detect non-random variation
What is the minimum number of data points required to create a control chart?
15
What is the primary role of a Project Sponsor in an improvement team?
System Leader
What is the primary purpose of the 'Plan-Do-Study-Act' (PDSA) cycle?
To test changes and evaluate their effects
What type of measure is used to assess the outcome of a change?
Outcome Measure
What is the primary purpose of 'spread' in quality improvement?
To take a successful change and use it in another context
What is the primary benefit of using a team in improvement work?
To bring diverse perspectives and expertise to fuel more effective ideas for change
What is the primary purpose of 'forming the team' in the Model for Improvement?
To bring together people involved in the process or system being improved
What is the primary purpose of 'establishing measures' in the Model for Improvement?
To know if a change is an improvement
What is the primary purpose of 'selecting changes' in the Model for Improvement?
To eliminate waste and improve workflow
Study Notes
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Quality improvement is the combined effort of multidisciplinary teams to improve patient outcomes, system performance, and professional development.
- It involves the continuous redesign of work processes and systems to achieve better outcomes at lower costs.
- Key principles of quality improvement include:
- Training staff in systems thinking
- Using data to understand variation
- Encouraging staff contributions and ideas for improvement
- Conducting small-scale trials and tests to learn and improve
Difference between Quality Improvement, Audit, and Research
- Quality improvement focuses on making changes to routine care, often involving multiple changes and learning from experience.
- Audit compares current practice to recommended standards and aims to close the gap.
- Research examines whether one drug or intervention is better than another in some dimension.
Triggers for Quality Improvement
- Delays (e.g., waiting for tests)
- Reworking (e.g., performing the same task more than once)
- Overproduction (e.g., performing unnecessary tests)
- Unnecessary movement of materials or people
- Errors, including legal costs incurred
- Length of stay
- Hospital readmissions
Quality Improvement Tools
- Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagrams: used for root cause analysis
- Pareto Analysis: identifies and prioritizes problems using the 80/20 rule
- Process Mapping: visualizes workflow for improvement
- Control Charts: monitors process stability and variation
Lean and Six Sigma
- Lean is a strategic approach to change and improvement, focusing on eliminating waste and adding value to processes.
- Six Sigma is a methodology for process improvement, seeking to define variation in any inherent process.
- Both tools aim to improve process flow, eliminate waste, and exceed customer expectations.
Other Quality Improvement Methodologies
-
EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management)
-
Polarity Management
-
Demand and Capacity
-
Simple Rules/Complex Adaptive Systems
-
Accelerated Quality Improvement
-
Pursuing Perfection
-
Eliminate Waste
-
Scenario Planning/What Ifs
-
Work and Patient Flow
-
Process Mapping/Pathways
-
Rapid Learning Cycles
-
Process Control Charts/Variation Mapping
-
Care Stream Design
-
Theory of Constraints
-
Change Management Theories### Quality in the NHS
-
The NHS defines quality based on three criteria: safety (doing no harm to patients), experience of care (characterized by compassion, dignity, and respect), and effectiveness of care (preventing premature deaths, enhancing quality of life, and helping recovery).
Institute of Medicine's Six Domains of Healthcare Quality
- Safe: avoiding harm to patients
- Effective: providing evidence-based care and refraining from unbeneficial services
- Patient-centered: responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values
- Timely: reducing waiting times for care and avoiding harmful delays
- Efficient: avoiding waste
- Equitable: ensuring care quality regardless of personal characteristics
Improvement Methodology
- Process Mapping: creating a process map to communicate how a process works concisely
- Root Cause Analysis: a problem-solving approach to identify and troubleshoot problems
- Measurement: understanding variation in healthcare to improve quality and safety
- Statistical Process Control: analyzing measures over time to understand special cause and common cause variation
Basics of Improvement Methodology
- The model consists of two parts: the "thinking part" (three fundamental questions) and the "doing part" (Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles)
- Questions: What are we trying to accomplish? How will we know that a change is an improvement? What changes can we make that will result in improvement?
Improvement Methodology Tools
- Run Charts: detecting non-random variation, often used in early stages of improvement projects
- Control Charts: preferred method for detecting special causes, also known as Shewhart charts
Model for Improvement
- Forming the team: including diverse perspectives and expertise to fuel effective ideas for change
- Setting aims: establishing clear and measurable goals, including closing equity gaps
- Establishing measures: using outcome, process, and balancing measures to evaluate improvement
- Selecting changes: identifying and testing potential improvements
- Testing changes: using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to evaluate and refine changes
- Implementing and spreading changes: scaling up successful changes and adapting to local environments
Test your understanding of clinical audit, its importance, and its applications in healthcare. Learn about the clinical audit cycle, pharmacist involvement, and examples of clinical audit in practice. Evaluate your knowledge of clinical governance and patient safety.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
