Healthcare Quality Improvement

This document discusses the importance of healthcare quality improvement and its impact on patient safety. It explores the role of accreditation standards and the National Patient Safety Goals in ensuring quality care. The document also provides tips on preparing for surveys and maintaining compliance with healthcare standards.

Running head: HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
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1HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Question 1
Accreditation implies the establishment of qualitative standards which serve as
benchmarks for ensuring deliverance of patient care services by healthcare organizations. Hence,
accreditation standards ensure patient safety since they compel hospitals to certain acceptable
standards of healthcare in terms of quality treatment, diagnosis, evidence based practice,
accessibility and affordability (Lam et al., 2018).
Question 2
The National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), set standards for healthcare organization to
ensure patient safety, prevent medication and diagnostic errors, correct medication labeling,
improve patient monitoring and medication intake, optimum functioning of medical equipment,
patient assessment, hand hygiene and surgical procedures. Such NPSGs are associated with JCI
survey since the results are indicative of factors influencing infection prevention and control,
prevention of delays and erroneous diagnosis and provision of a coordinated healthcare
environment (Joint Commission, 2019).
Question 3
If hospitals do not adhere to the standards established by the Joint Commission, they will
be denied accreditation and funding of Medicare and Medicaid from the federal government
resulting in loss of patients and higher expenditures (Lee et al., 2016).

2HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Question 4
To assess and organization’s readiness for the survey, managers and administrators can
conduct mock surveys, review all the existing patient care practices followed and compare the
same with the ‘Joint Commission Readiness’ online resources. The managers may also monitor
and interview healthcare staff to assess their knowledge and readiness (Ragusa et al., 2016).
Question 5
To prepare for the survey, healthcare staff must engage in professional behaviors, be
vigilant and observant, engage in hygienic healthcare practices, keep the organization free from
clutter, work collaboratively as a team and confident in knowledge and application of evidence
based practice (Johnson, 2019).

3HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
References
Johnson, K. (2019). Technical Tips: Surviving a Joint Commission Visit in the Neurodiagnostic
Department. The Neurodiagnostic Journal, 59(1), 1-22.
Joint Commission. (2019). Hospital National Patient Safety Goals. Retrieved from
https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/2019_HAP_NPSGs_final2.pdf.
Lam, M. B., Figueroa, J. F., Feyman, Y., Reimold, K. E., Orav, E. J., & Jha, A. K. (2018).
Association between patient outcomes and accreditation in US hospitals: observational
study. bmj, 363, k4011.
Lee, S. H., Phan, P. H., Dorman, T., Weaver, S. J., & Pronovost, P. J. (2016). Handoffs, safety
culture, and practices: evidence from the hospital survey on patient safety culture. BMC
health services research, 16(1), 254.
Ragusa, P. S., Bitterman, A., Auerbach, B., & Healy III, W. A. (2016). Effectiveness of surgical
safety checklists in improving patient safety. Orthopedics, 39(2), e307-e310.