Dimensions of Quality in Healthcare
Presented by: Connie Kirkpatrick, PhD, MS, RN Franciscan Health System Tacoma, Washington

Quality Basics Series
Taught by quality experts for staff in Quality Improvement Organizations, Quality Basics focuses on the fundamentals of quality in areas such as the history of quality improvement, methods and models, performance measurement and other key topics.

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Quality Basics
Dimensions of Quality in Healthcare
Connie Kirkpatrick, PhD, MS, RN Director, Quality & Clinical Support Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Washington

Question from a seminar participant: “I can see that it must work in practice. But does it work in theory?”

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Dimensions of Quality
Learning Objectives
Define Quality Define Quality Improvement Describe six key “Dimensions of Quality” Describe seven key “Pillars of Quality”

Quality
Institute of Medicine: “Quality of Care” is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge. Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Quality is turning into outcomes management, and involves minimizing unnecessary variation so that outcomes become more predictable and certain.

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Quality
Basic Principles: All work is a process The process is the main source of quality defects (versus human error) Understanding variability in processes is the key to improving quality

Quality Improvement
A planned, systematic approach to monitoring, analysis and improvement of performance to achieve optimal patient outcomes and patient experience.

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Quality Improvement

1. Change for Best 1. Change for Best Achievement Achievement 2. Establish Reliability 2. Establish Reliability

Differentiating innovation and quality:
Innovative improvements are essentially disruptive events