Developing a quality improvement system is no easy task. It takes patience, creativity, vision, and a keen eye for detail (oh, and did I mention lots and lots of coffee?). Getting started can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be so scary. Every major project comes with challenges, some of which you didn't imagine coming, and that's part of what ultimately makes it so rewarding.
However, there are some common obstacles that prevent organizations from further developing (or significantly revising) their quality improvement system. The ultimate goal is to develop a quality improvement system that provides a framework for using data to support decision-making and improve practices. The culmination of all this hard work is an organization capable of transforming data into knowledge and strengthening its practices to better meet the needs of its stakeholders. Remember that improving practices doesn't mean they used to be inadequate.
It's about using a platform to evaluate organizational performance in a carefully planned manner. Michael De Cicco is the Vice President of External Relations and Communications at the Accreditation Council, where he oversees the Business Development, Marketing, Communications, Awards and Alliances, Training and Quality Improvement, and Business Intelligence groups. A true citizen of the world, he speaks seven languages and is an avid traveler in his spare time. If a quality improvement intervention is successful in one microsystem, it can be extended to other microsystems or to the organization in general.
Evaluate the experiences of implementing palliative care improvement projects initiated at the local level at seven different sites and understand the barriers and factors that facilitate the use of IQ to improve palliative care in India. Obstacles to using IQ methods to improve PC services included “resources”, lack of designated staff, “high volume of patients”, patient population, geographical restrictions, general knowledge and acceptance of PC, and cultural context (for example, when IQ projects succeeded in increasing referrals to PC), some faced the challenge of having the patient continually return to the oncology department for further treatment. The qualities of a good mentor include being experienced in IQ, efficient, involved in an ongoing relationship over time, engaged and proactive. To the extent that the improvement initiative has been successful, the team must also think of ways to maintain and disseminate improvements over time.
Obstacles that prevented the use of quality control methods to improve palliative care services included the lack of designated staff, the high volume of patients, resources, geographical limitations of the patient population, general knowledge and acceptance of palliative care and culture. Among the obstacles to using IQ to improve CP are the expectations of the patient and their family about their care and treatment. Despite the severity of some of these barriers, few are big enough to stop a project.
