Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What does Quality mean to you?
Quality can mean so many things to different people. However, quality to me means having my expectations met. My expectations include the level of service I am receiving to how the service is being delivered by the other individual such as a physician, nurse, or even the person scanning my items in the store. Unfortunately, there have been moments that I did not receive quality level of service. A while back, I was very sick with the flu and had no chose but to go to the hospital. I walked in the hospital and started filling out paperwork. The issue arises the moment I finished filling out paperwork and waited for more than an hour to receive care. When I finally received care, I started to realize the rising cost for the visit due to using the hospital and getting costly random test done just for the flu. When your expectations are not being met, you somewhat feel mistreated. Quality can be measured in various ways. Some people measure quality by cost, waiting time, or the quality level of resources used to meet your standards. How do you measure quality?
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3 comments:
I would argue that basing the definition of quality on meeting an individual’s expectations is unrealistic. In order for me to provide you quality service I have to know what your expectations are. In a health care setting the provider see a wide range on individuals each day. Each of these individuals will have their own expectations as to an acceptable level of level of service. What if you walked into the hospital and were presented with a notice that stated that you would be evaluate within three hours of your arrival only if you filled out a long form? At the bottom of the form is a breakdown of the typical costs for the visit. This would set a common standard to measure against. The length of the visit and the cost are things that can be measured. In order to determine quality you need a standard and a method to measure against the standard. Check out my blog (http://peterhopman.blogspot.com/) for a more in depth view of measuring against a standard to determine quality.
Paula,
As noted above, you and Peter have differing views regarding the definition of quality. I believe that quality is defined differently by each individual and in each industry. That is why there is not one uniformed method of evaluating quality because there are just too many variables. Some people define quality merely by gaining access to medical care when it is needed. Others, like yourself, judge a quality experience by how efficiently you have your expectations met. By these terms, it is tough to measure a definition which is so subjective.
As legislators look to define healthcare quality, the industry is leaning increasingly towards outcomes measurement. The ability to measure outcomes allows organization to analyze whether their strategies, processes, and delivery are effective. This can be done with the customer service aspect of quality as well utilizing patient satisfaction surveys. These tools inform an organization of their progress and details their strengths and weaknesses in measurable terms.
I do agree you must know upfront what an individual's standards are when receiving care. However, even if these expectations are clear on both ends there is room for possible error which will not be a good thing for the patient or the healthcare provider reputation. There are so many healthcare facilities that set certain standards but do not meet them. I think the problem in healthcare is there is lack of importance in meeting standards. This leave all involved disappointed. The standards set need to be a priority in order to reduce chances of failure. It is true that a provider is only as good as their training and their experience as mentioned in your blog. This is definitely reflected in the quality of care. I would think there will be a better way of measuring if standards are met and it reflects the satisfaction of the patient.
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