| Quality improvement is relatively new to the healthcare industry. While individual hospitals have undertaken projects to improve the level of patient care, never has the industry seen such wide-spread emphasis on quality. This study sought to describe and discuss the most significant quality improvement tools used by hospitals and healthcare systems. The study was composed of structured interviews conducted at three healthcare systems in Michigan. The study participants included an academic medical center, a large teaching hospital, and a small community hospital. A total of twenty-two interviews were conducted over a two month period. The tools researched were Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Total Quality Management (TQM), Lean, also referred to as the Toyota Production System (TPS), Six Sigma, the Balanced Scorecard, and Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA).;Using qualitative data analysis methods, the results indicated that these programs have a wide-spread effect throughout the healthcare organization. The results also showed that external factors such as the business environment and regulatory accreditation impact the type and scope of quality improvement programs offered.;Study outcomes also showed that these healthcare organizations were very similar in the way quality was perceived throughout the organization, as well as the way healthcare quality improvement programs are implemented within the organization. Growing concerns among hospital leaders included patient and customer satisfaction, regulatory agency compliance, and patient safety. Study participants similarly indicated that the hospital's Board of Trustees has a responsibility to lead and monitor quality at the strategic level. The literature documents that healthcare does not yet reliably transfer best-known science into action.;The field of healthcare quality improvement is growing, and there are many opportunities for quality professionals to document and demonstrate best-practice related to healthcare quality improvement. |
