The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department - Research Paper Example

The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department Introduction A few centuries ago, it can be noted that the equipment used in diagnosing different diseases was not as sophisticated as it is today. it can be seen that healthcare institutions as well as staff have also changed considerably during the current period. However, the need for quality improvement in the healthcare system remains a very important aspect in as far as delivery of quality healthcare to the patients is important. Epidemiology remains a topical issue in the healthcare situation in different places and it can be noted that the aspect of radiology has significantly improved the delivery of health services in many incidences. Various hospitals today use X-rays to diagnose different diseases among the patients. However, there is still need for improvement in this area in order to ensure that quality of health is improved. As such, this project paper seeks to assess the quality improvement program that can be implemented in the X-ray department in Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The paper starts by defining the project and this is followed by an outline of the data collection methods that can be implemented in order to outline the organizational aspect of the program as well as its implementation details with regards to performance measures used, frequency of data collection, data analysis and reporting mechanisms Project definition Basically, epidemiology is a sector in the medical field that specifically deals with diagnosing as well as controlling of diseases (Eshuis & Manshot, 3). Of notable concern is the fact that the term disease can be said to have a wide connotation to the healthcare practitioners such as the nurses and doctors compared to ordinary people who often think that it only refers to an infection on the body. Most patients have little knowledge about the nature of their illnesses as well as their cure or control. On the other hand, it can be noted that the quality of healthcare services offered can only be enhanced through the use of sophisticated equipment such as x-rays. Colmer (3) posits to the effect that without a high order of technical competence and anatomical knowledge in surgeon and nurse alike, no operation could be a success. Usually, many people from different disciplines are involved in the delivery of health care and treatment of patients. However, before a treatment is administered to a patient, it can the noted that a diagnosis of the disease has to be carried out. In some instances, some illnesses cannot be diagnosed by a naked eye and this is where x-rays are seen as more appropriate. Thus, Colmer (9) states that “accurate diagnosis is the corner-stone of treatment.” Given such a scenario, it can be observed that there certain measures that need to be constantly implemented in order to improve the operations of the radiology department which deals with x-rays in order to ensure that the quality of healthcare offered by Rashid Hospital is improved. In some instances, it is challenging and often difficult to diagnose certain illnesses with a naked eye and this is the reason why x-rays are very important in the health care delivery system. In order to establish the measures that can be implemented, an interview technique as going to be explained in detail below has been implemented to gather different views from different people involved in this health care sector. Company profile Rashid Hospital was established in 1971 and it is one of the fastest growing health care institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) region. The hospital offers medical facilities in areas involving critical care, emergency as well as trauma cases and ambulance services. The hospital offers training as well as education to people in various sections of the health care professional. The hospital is accredited under the Dubai Health Authority which is an internationally recognised health body that is primarily concerned with ensuring that all healthcare institutions are in compliance with the internationally recognised standards. According to information obtained from the official website of Dubai Health Authority, http://www.dha.gov.ae/EN/Pages/default.aspx ( Accessed, 07 June 2012),the hospital is authorised to perform the following services: anesthetic, nero surgery, cardiology, ophthalmology, dental, pediatric, dermatology, physiotherapy, plastic surgery, ENT, psychiatry, gastroenterology, radiology among others. However, focus on this paper is on radiology and the measures that b ncan be implemented in order to ensure that the healthcare services offered in this particular section of the institution are improved. Data collection methods The project has been designed in a qualitative structure and data collection methods mainly relied on primary sources through the interview technique in order to provide reliable results. In this case, qualitative research was used in order to generate data that is based on the participants’ own view with regards to meaning of concepts involved and it is useful for studying a small population in a realistic setting (Oppenheim, 92). The interview technique used in this study involved face to face interaction with the participants and the questions were kept at a simple level that is easy to understand and these are shown in Appendix 1. A set of five open ended questions were administered to ten respondents working in the radiography department at Rashid Hospital and these were randomly chosen. The questions were designed in an open ended structure in order to gain views from the respondents about their perceptions about measures that can be implemented in order to improve the healthcare delivery service in the x-rays department at Rashid Hospital. The main advantage of this technique is that first hand information about a person’s views towards a particular situation is obtained and this is likely to be reliable. Findings and data analysis The analysis of the findings from qualitative data obtained using the interview technique will be done using subjective analysis of the information collected. This involves the use of key terms such as improvement of quality healthcare in the x-ray department at Rashid Hospital. Out of the five questions that were administered to ten different respondents drawn from the radiology department, there were two themes that mainly emerged from the findings of data gathered. Seven participants suggested that the major challenge they faced in the dispensation of their duties is that they often lack the necessary knowledge to effectively perform their work. They attributed these challenges to aspects such as poor coordination among the employees involved due to lack of effective communication. There is a general feeling that the hospital has a good program in place that is meant to ensure that this particular department remains viable in the operations of the institution. Eight of the respondents suggested that the tasks performed in this department require special skills in order to ensure that the employees involved are competent in their tasks. Whilst there is a general feeling that the hospital has adequate measures in place meant to ensure that the workers are well trained, more still needs to be done in order to improve their effectiveness as well as their skills. The respondents stated that state-of-the-art equipment was constantly being introduced at their workplace. The majority of the respondents revealed that technological development was not static hence the need for constant review of the performance of the people involved in this department in order to ensure that it is in compliance with these changes taking place. There can be no substitute for knowledge gained through studies as well as practical experiences. This has been revealed by the responses from the majority of the participants interviewed. Eight out of ten participants indicated that constant training of the radiographers as well other healthcare professionals working in the x-ray department is vital in order to ensure that the quality of healthcare delivery service is improved. They said that the challenges they face in their operations were due to lack of knowledge in the operational of equipment which often resulted in them getting wrong diagnosis of the illnesses. This compromises the quality of the health care services offered by the hospital to various people. In order to counter this problem, the respondents have suggested that there is need for people working in this department to undergo constant training in order to improve their skills. Whilst conventional X-rays have been in existence for nearly 90 years, it can be noted that today there are a large range of imaging modalities available and some are even computerised (Colmer,11). Therefore, it can be noted that during the current period, knowledge does not remain static hence the need to develop it constantly. This can be done through refresher courses such that the quality of the healthcare services offered is significantly improved. Another important measure that can be taken is to ensure that the leaders in this particular department communicate effectively. The results from the findings of the data gathered showed that lack of coordination among the people involved in the radiology department was a cause for concern. This can be attributed to lack of effective communication especially among the leaders involved in various aspects of radiology. Therefore, it is important to improve the quality of communication in this particular department in a bid to improve the quality of healthcare services offered. It is generally believed that there is no organisation that can effectively function without proper communication in place. The other problem of lack effective communication can be attributed to language deficiency among the expatriate staff working in this department. This is because of the fact that the UAE has open policies for skilled immigrants seeking employment in this region. Against this background, the respondents have suggested that a universal language should be used in this vital department in order to cater for the interests of the majority of the employees in a bid to improve the quality of the healthcare services offered. Recommendations A critical analysis of the data gathered from the interviews conducted shows that there is need to put certain measures in place in order to ensure that the quality of the healthcare is improved. It is therefore recommended that: There is need to constantly train and develop the employees in the radiology department. This is meant to ensure that their skills and competences are also improved so that they can keep pace with the changes that may take place in the healthcare delivery system. This emanates from the notion that knowledge is not static since it constantly changes. A universal language like English should also be adopted especially in the radiology department at Rashid Hospital. This is meant to cater for the interests of various expatriate workers who come from different countries other than the UAE region. Without proper communication in place, it may be difficult to achieve the goals of providing quality health care to the targeted people. Therefore, workers involved in this department should learn to communicate effectively in order for them to be effective in carrying out their respective tasks. Implementation details The medical superintendent in the radiology department at Rashid Hospital has a role to ensure that the suggestions recommended above are implemented in order to achieve an improvement in the quality of the health care delivered by this vital department. Through the efforts of the other employees within the department, the responsible leader should be in a position to encourage teamwork as well as coordination of efforts among all people involved in the operations of this department. Whilst the medical superintendent has a great role to ensure that this program is fully implemented, other members of staff should complement by ensuring that their efforts are driven towards the attainment of the set goals. There will be need to form groups of five people and these would be trained as a team in order to ensure that their skills are improved. Team work is also effective in that it promotes members to share their ideas and other related views (Robbins, 164). These ideas are then transformed into new knowledge which is vital for the improvement of the performance of the group. Therefore, it can be noted that in as far as implementation of training and development skills as well as communication programs is concerned, the senior medical professional in the department should take a leading role in implementing it. However, each person within the department has a special role to play in this program given that it involves all members. The effectiveness of a team strongly depends on the involvement of the members in the project hence there is need for concerted efforts from all sectors concerned in this program at Rashid Hospital. If the efforts of the people are coordinated, there are likely chances that the desired vision and goals are likely to be achieved. Performance evaluation In order to check the effectiveness of this program, it is imperative for the responsible authorities to monitor the performance of the members involved. Through performance monitoring, one is in a position to establish if there has been any change in the operations of the department. In as far as implementation of quality health in the radiology department at Rashid Hospital is concerned, two methods namely observation as well as surveys can be utilised. Through direct observation, the responsible authorities are in a position to establish if there has been a positive improvement in the overall performance of the department as a whole. An observation can be carried out during work period where the responsible person would observe the performance of the employees without being noticed that he or she is carrying out some observations. Observation of the performance results of the whole department can also be carried out in order to establish the extent to which the program is achieving the set goals. Surveys can also be used to measure the performance of the employees in view of the programme being implemented. These surveys can be drawn from two broad categories namely the employees as well as the patients served. The employees are asked to give their feedback with regards to their progress as well as the challenges they will be encountering in their operations. This enables the responsible authorities to make necessary changes that can improve the performance of the department as a whole. Surveys can also be drawn from the patients who have received assistance from the department. Usually, feedback from the patients is reliable and it is an effective mechanism to improve the performance of the organisation as a whole. The responsible authorities are in a better position to come to terms with the needs and interests of the targeted people. This helps to improve the performance of the department and the hospital as a whole. Frequency of data collection and analysis Given that healthcare delivery is an ongoing process, it is imperative to perform data analysis about the measures that can be implemented in order to improve the quality of the health care services offered on a quarterly period. This allows the employees to stay abreast with the changes that may take place within the radiology sector in this respective hospital. It also enables the employees and the responsible authorities to share the same vision as well as goals of the hospital if they frequently interact to discuss the problems as well as challenges they encounter in their operations. This also promotes knowledge to be constantly created and share among the stakeholders involved in this particular programme. Training programs of the employees in the radiology department at Rashid Hospital can be carried out after every six months. This enables the employees to be in a position to sharpen their skills in as far as radiological work is concerned. Reporting mechanisms In order for such kind of programme to be effective, there is need for a hierarchical structure to be put in place where there are clearly defined channels of authority. This special program cannot be done in a haphazard manner as it is likely to produce negative results which are not desired. Whilst there is need for open communication channels in order to fully implement this program, there is also need for levels of authorisation of communication strategies in order for the program to retain its importance as well as essence. The medical superintendent is the highest authority and is responsible for information pertaining to the program that is disseminated internally as well as externally. On the other hand, junior officials are also expected to follow a hierarchy of communication if they want to give their feedback to the responsible authorities. This allows proper coordination of the activities that are designed to achieve a positive improvement in the quality of the healthcare offered in the X-rays department at Rashid Hospital. Effective communication is also essential given that it allows the members of the group to share the same vision, goals as well as understanding of what is expected of them. This can lead to an improvement in the health care delivery to the targeted people. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that provision of healthcare is a basic need to all citizens in a given country. From the discussion above, it has been observed that epidemiology is one aspect that is very important in the branch of medicine. This aspect is comprised of various sectors but this project focused on the issue of X-rays at Rashid Hospital in the UAE region. The research conducted showed that quality of the health care services by this department can be improved if constant training and development initiatives are implemented within the department so that the members involved can keep pace with the changes that may take place in the given sector. It has also been observed that communication has to be improved in order to improve the quality of the health care services offered. Such a program has to be implemented by a medical superintendent in the radiology department at the mentioned hospital in order for it to be credible. Works cited Colemer, Malcom. Moroney’s surgery for nurses. 7th Edition. Edinburgh: Longman Group Ltd, 1986. Print. Dubai Health Authority (Last updated 5 June 2012), Health news, , Accessed, 07 June 2012. Eshuis, Jan & Manshot, Peter. Communicable diseases. Nairobi: African and Medical Research foundation, 1984. Print. Oppenheim, Nieman. Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement. New Edition. New York: Pinter Publishers, 1992. Robbins, Stephen. Organisational behaviour: Concepts, controversies and applications.6th Edition. NJ: Prentice Hall. Struwig, Wilson & Stead, Beattie. Planning, Designing and Reporting Research. Cape Town: Pearson Education, 2004. Ten yellow pages, 2012, Rashid Hospital , Accessed 07 June, 2012. Appendix 1 Interview questions 1. What are the challenges and problems you face in this department? 2. What do you think are the causes of these problems? 3. Is there special knowledge required to undertake this particular task? 4. Do you think enough is being done to improve the performance of people in the x-rays department? 5. Is there anything that you feel could be done in order to improve the skills and competencies of workers in this particular department? Read More