How Can Hospitals Improve Quality of Care in 6 Easy Steps?

The always current and delicate issue, concerning the functioning of a hospital, has become especially important during the past two years of the Covid pandemic. And without a pandemic, each hospital strives to improve its work, at all possible levels. The beginning and outbreak of the pandemic, the huge number of patients kept in hospitals, intensive care, infectious, pulmonary and other clinics, revealed many weaknesses and errors in the work of many hospitals.

Overbooking, loss of control over the situation, high rates of infection and mortality, indicated the need for urgent response and reorganization. The pandemic has led to a state of emergency and difficult functioning, but even in normal conditions, it is necessary to examine what could be done to improve the work of a hospital.

It must be borne in mind that the hospital is a specific institution, where people do not come what they like, but what they have to. They are concerned about the health and lives of themselves or their loved ones, so obstacles and dysfunction in the elementary hospital structure are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

The fact is that money plays a huge role and that health funds are key in approving funds to any health facility. Also, many people pay minimum insurance, thus having limited access to health services. It is necessary to find a middle solution because human health is the most important thing.

Steps to improve the quality of care in hospitals:

Analysis of existing data

The first and basic step in the process of improving the work is the analysis of the current situation and the achieved results. This means dealing with all the good aspects, but also mistakes in the work. If problems and omissions are not identified, it is impossible to solve, fix or avoid them in the future.

Detailed analysis of electronic data and statistics regarding patients, their arrival, treatment, duration and outcome of treatment, prescribed therapy, doctors and diagnostics engaged in each case, number of hospital days… all these are crucial data that can shed light on the course and effectiveness of treatment of each from patients.

Thus, we will receive information related to the profession (percentages of cure, disability, mortality), and we will be directed to the financial side and the real possibilities of the hospital.

Prevention

It has long been known that prevention is a much better thing than cure. It concerns early diagnosis, or even prevention of many diseases, and thus treatment is more successful and the end results are better. Therefore, it is recommended that the hospital organize a sector dedicated to prevention.

There would be a laboratory, basic diagnostics (ultrasound, X-ray), general practitioners, internists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, gynecologists – who would have their specific outpatient days a week.

Such a concept of prevention and early screening would do much for the health of the population, and reduce the costs of treatment and hospitalization in advanced diseases, with an uncertain outcome.

Work with patients

Very often patients can be of great help. This is possible by constantly educating and instructing people in the symptoms that may be a hint of potential disease. Flyer distribution, educational videos in waiting rooms, billboards with easy-to-read and simplified medical information, lead to raising the knowledge and awareness of the population.

Then a larger number of people are able to recognize the early symptoms or to decide on preventive examinations and annual screening and thus prevent the possible occurrence of the disease. The point is that people exchange information with their families, friends, colleagues, neighbors … and thus form a network of educated people who respond in time, protect their health and reduce the cost of treatment for themselves and hospitals.

Define goals

After the analysis, consideration of the situation, discussion between the members of the hospital board, it is necessary to define the goals. The worst positioned segment needs to be addressed first. Is it the budget, the number of beds, the number of staff, the need for new diagnostic devices, the renovation of the building, the state of the installations?

All these are essential problems that cannot be avoided. Sometimes, if the basic needs of the hospital are met, the introduction of new facilities that will make patients’ stay easier may be considered.

Living room, reading room with a certain number of books and magazines, a conversation with a psychologist or nutritionist, a park with benches, and everything else you can see if click here. Certainly satisfied and calm patients improve the atmosphere in the hospital and make work and stress levels easier for experts.

Make a plan

Every problem requires a plan and looks simpler when broken down into parts. Therefore, the solutions are indicated and imposed by themselves. Depending on what we have defined as priorities, we will start making a detailed plan.

We will gather an expert team, analyze the budget and act in accordance with it, we will design the provisional time necessary for the realization of our plan.

If it is a question of works on the building, we will design the accommodation of the patients, so that all their needs are met and the treatment does not suffer. We will try to keep the organization and coordination of the whole work at the highest level.

Cooperation with health organizations

We should always keep in mind that someone has already passed our way and that we can seek professional advice, especially nowadays. The modern age has specialized institutions and experts, for almost everyone. So, whatever the nature of the problem in our hospital, it is advisable to hire professionals or seek advice to overcome this.

There are organizations that deal with all aspects of hospital work design. So, from the creation of the budget and its formation, through the employment of doctors, nurses, nurses, laboratory technicians, technical staff…, interior design and supply of hospital apparatus and equipment, to the architectural modernization of the building.

We can also hire economists, who will create a business plan for us and direct us to new models of raising profits and competitiveness of the hospital.

Conclusion

No hospital, regardless of the specialty it deals with, should allow itself a decline in the quality of work. It is about human lives and we must not take risks with that. It is important that the hospital management is professional and rational, that it does not hesitate to define and bring the problem to light in time.

The timely reaction is the most important and most effective. It is necessary to establish harmony and good relations between employees, no matter where they are.

Thus, the problem is detected at the start, passed on to the superior in time, and everything is easier to solve when the problem is small. Every mistake can be corrected and everything can be done so that the cure rate of patients is high and that the hospital justifies its efficiency and good reputation.