Defining and Measuring Quality in Health Care Organizations Term Paper

Defining and Measuring Quality in Health Care Organizations - Term Paper Example Strengths and weaknesses related to how quality is defined, measured, and monitored within the organization are also covered in this paper. Quality in Brookwood Medical Center is defined in terms of well structured and designed care practices, ability to recruit and maintain well trained employees, realization and putting into practice sound management practices, ability of the management to build a constructive and encouraging working environment, and fiscal health that initiates the attainment of quality practices. The kind of quality related measures currently being monitored in Brookwood Medical Center include balancing and outcome measures. In terms of balancing measures, the organization is investigating whether implemented strategies aimed at reducing patients waiting times are leading to other issues such as increased medical errors. Outcome measures according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (2011) looks at "how the system impacts the values of patients, their health and wellbeing" (para. 4). For instance, Brookwood Medical Centre monitors the number of days to the next available appointment. Data collection for both balancing and outcome measures in Brookwood Medical Center is conducted through a sampling procedure. For balancing measures relating to whether reducing patients waiting times is leading to other health issues such as increased incidences of medical errors, four data collection are conducted on a monthly basis. A sample size of thirty patients per data collection is used. The number of patients re-admitted due to issues relating to medical errors is then determined. This information is communicated to the staff during weekly team meetings. One of the weaknesses relating to how quality is defined is the fact that differences in measurements may occur due to chance and risk factors (Mant, 2001). For instance, there may be underlying factors such as predisposition to specific