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Abstract: 

By whatever name, Quality Improvement (“QI”) remains a mysterious activity, widely practiced but poorly understood and contributing little to care outcomes. QI can be an effective tool for improving patient care by reviewing current practices, identifying problem areas and then targeting specific areas for improvement by creating remedial plans to address those problems. Although QI has great potential for improving the operation of any organization, it is often derailed by common mistakes and practices. QI is often assigned to nurses. A nurse, usually a supervisor, is singled out to be the chairperson of a Quality Assurance Committee (“Committee”) and asked to manage QI activities. Here, areas for review are identified, and measuring processes are defined.

Keywords: QI Cycle, Identify, desired outcomes, measure outcome, compare findings, develop plan, implement, review

Affiliations:  1: Indiana Department of Correction.