Quality in the Health Care System - Essay Example

"Quality in the Health Care System" is a great example of a paper on the health system.
In the last century, what historical, social, political, and economic trends and issues have influenced today’s health-care system?

The basic sponsors of health care in the UK can be categorized into three; individuals, government and businesses. Demographics and economics change from time to time and hence the need to change the system accordingly. In the early 1900s, organization of the medical field was done by the American Medical Association. In the middle years of the century, the political systems influenced health care reform through issuing policies that would govern insurance companies’ influence on health matters, structures of the system which eventually increased the amount that was supposed to be paid by individuals in terms of medical costs (Bonin, 2012). 

What is the purpose and process of evaluating the three aspects of health care: structure, process, and outcome?

The purpose of evaluating the aspects of health care is importantly geared towards enabling quality production. This is in view of the fact that one has to consider a standard option that is considerable of the real value he deserves. The process of evaluating the aspects can take the form of:

• Comparison of health plans and provider choice
• Compare the plan coverage
• Compare the cost
• Compare the value of the services
• Choice of the best possible choice that would give the best outcome (MHBP, 2014). 

How does technology improve patient outcomes and the health-care system?

Technology has improved the accuracy of the machines in that they are able to reveal the exact symptoms and the associated diseases. In the same sense, the machines have also increased the accuracy of the results they reveal. For instance, a modern body physical scanner for broken bones reveals the exact position of the fractures and if the same information is fed into computer systems, there are increased and accurate details on how the treatment is supposed to be carried out.

How can you intervene to improve quality of care and safety within the health-care system and at the bedside?

Improvement of a system is dependent on improving quality. Intervention measures are aimed at improving the following;

• Accessibility and efficiency
• Effectiveness
• Integrated and equitable
• Patient centre especially at the bedside.
• Appropriate resourcefulness
• Focus on the health of the population.

In general, improvement in the system involves the change in the structures, tools and methodology so that successful change is fully implemented. All these can only be made possible through a favourable leadership process.

 Select one of the non-profit organization or one government agency that influences and advocates for quality improvement in the health-care system (see selected organization below). Explore the Web site for your selected organization/agency and answer the following questions:

 Selected organization: Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

 a) What does the organization/agency do that supports the hallmarks of quality?

Hallmarks of quality can be achieved through a collection of methods done by the FDA:

• Regulating and controlling the importation of foods and drugs so that efficient quality is maintained in the industry and system
• Testing and ensuring compliance with the standardised specifications approved as efficient for operations
• Compiling standardised specifications for compiling guidelines for the production of drugs.

 b) • What have been the results of their efforts for patients, facilities, the health-care delivery system, and or the nursing profession? 

The very existence of this FDA has had drastic results on all stakeholders associated with the medical field. The patients’ treatment plans have been improved over the years duelling on the political policies implemented by the government. The body has also made sure that the policies of operation have been put in order so that quality according to all their regulations is adhered to. 

 c) • How has the organization/agency affected facilities where you are practising and your own professional practice.

The organization has drastically made sure that the quality of equipment is maintained at all times in the facilities given that their impromptu checks may get the management in an odd position. Based on leadership as one of the ways of improving quality, the management has always kept in touch with what is latest in the medical field to offer effective service (FDA, 2010).

Using your library’s resources, identifying one peer-reviewed article as evidence that technology can improve health care in one of the following areas: safety, communication, knowledge sharing, decision making, or quality. Present your literature find to your class.

The article identified, ‘Information Technology in Health Care’ covers the following areas;

• Health information technology (IT)
• Quality and health IT
• Current status of health IT and
• Efforts to encourage faster diffusion