Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a tactics derived from total quality management strategies and utilized in quality management processes in healthcare. It is aimed at improving services through the identification of problems, the implementation of corrective action and the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the interventions (Hughes, 2008) . This paper aims at the role of a nursing executive in ensuring the success of CQI in health care.
CQI processes encourage the consistent engagement of all health care team members in the asking of two vital questions “How are we doing?” and “Can we do it better?” . These questions can only be addressed effectively by the utilization of structured clinical and administrative data. (The National Learning Consortium, 2008) Individuals performing direct services are better placed to identify and need for change in the process of delivering services. The nurses are best placed to assess the position of health care services and work towards their improvement. (Hughes, 2008)
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
As a nursing executive, my role in the implantation of CQI would be to initially set up structures which help facilitate constructive action among fellow nurses for the improvement of healthcare. The establishment of and participation in quality circles and quality improvement forums among peers in the organization is also necessary to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency.
I would also draw use of the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model of the implementation of CQI. This would involve the identification of a the nature and scope of the problem. Once in possession of this information, the next step would be to conduct a study on the problem so as to formulate a corrective action plan. The implementation of the formulated plan is usually the next step which runs concurrently with the monitoring and tracking of the results. The urgency of the monitoring and tracking operations are as a result of highly sensitive nature of the health industry.
In conclusion, CQI has been established as an industrial standard in the health care industry. Nurses play an important role in the overall improvement of quality health services. The presence of an active competent leader is key to determining the success of the entire CQI operation of a healthcare provision organization.
References
Hughes, R. G. (2008, April). Tools and Strategies for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety - Patient Safety and Quality - NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/
National Commission on Correctional Health Care. (2010). Continuous Quality Improvement. Retrieved from https://www.ncchc.org/spotlight-on-the-standards-24-1
The National Leaning Consortium. (2013, August). Continuous Quality Improvement Strategies to Optimize your Practice. Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/tools/nlc_continuousqualityimprovementprimer.pdf
