Quality Management of Emirates Hospital - Essay Example

Name: Tutor: Title: Quality Management: Emirates Hospital Institution: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Quality management frameworks in the success of Emirates Hospital 3 Analysis of how quality management frameworks are applied by the Emirates Hospital 5 The correct culture 6 The correct people 7 The correct processes 9 The correct tools 11 Six sigma quality management 13 Benefits of six sigma 13 Problems that a business is likely to experience due to Six Sigma applications 14 Conclusion 15 Bibliography 16 Introduction Due to the competition of client satisfaction among organizations, businesses are now implementing techniques that can keep them fit in the competitive market. Total quality management is one of the techniques. Quality management is a method that seeks to enhance performance and quality which will satisfy or exceed the expectations of clients (Summers, 2005). This can be accomplished by incorporated every functions and processes that are related to quality, throughout the organization. Quality management considers every quality practice taken at every level of the organization. Implementing good quality management in an organization can be a good source for the organization’s success (George & Weimerskirch, 1994). Hospitals are not exempted from the provision of quality management. The chief elements that enhance quality management are devising the correct culture for quality to grow, attracting and maintaining the correct people to support quality, developing and updating the correct internal processes for quality management, and providing the staff with the correct tools to perform the task. Quality management frameworks in the success of Emirates Hospital In reaction to customer demand for health care that is enhanced, quicker and friendlier, surgical hospitals have presently become very famous in the United States, and Emirates Hospitals have established these types of hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (Sawaf, 2012). The hospitals are planned for day surgery situations with the flexibility of containing a number of patients for 1-4 days. There is broad application of endoscopes for keyhole surgical procedure and skilled anesthesia and nursing panel which makes the stay in the hospital short, safe and pleasant. Visiting a hospital can be frightening or traumatic. Emirates Hospital has been planned to provide a warm, pleasant and homey environment to reduce anxiety. The hospital has been equipped with the most modern apparatus for analysis and treatment. However, most significantly is the availability of excellent medical and nursing personnel that is dedicated to deliver the paramount care possible. The management team has implemented various procedures and policies in the hospital that are pursued at the Boston University Medical School and has adapted the finest practices pursued in the US with the intention that they are suitable for the international community and the local population of the United Arabs Emirates together with their agreement with the Joint Commission International’s standards, the top documentation of quality which was rewarded to the Emirates Hospitals by the inspectors who are Chicago based in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai (Sawaf, 2012). The hospital has recruited internationally competent medical and support personnel. The organization is very proud of its members of staff who work hard to deliver high quality health care, in addition to a warm and friendly attitude and constantly providing good customer service. For the success of Emirates Hospital, the organization provides a clean environment, matches with the safety guidelines and legislation, fosters professionalism, and provides a continuous training program of quality improvement that empowers the workforce, patients and their kin. The hospital also involves outpatients and their kin in decision making regarding their treatment so as to attain care that is satisfactory to the hospital’s culture, with lowest cost possible, without compromising the value of provided service (Sawaf, 2012). For its success, the hospital exercises a mechanism of sharing responsibilities and knowledge with the key plan of constantly improving the organization’s system and procedures based on assessable objectives. The basis of a quality management method is that it can advance the performance of an institute by allowing more effectual and efficient procedures and by enhancing the association between health care experts (Graban, 2009). Hence, a system of quality management can be illustrated as the organizational arrangement, responsibilities, procedures, processes, and resources executed to control, guarantee and advance the quality and safety of care (Pfannerstill, 2005). Analysis of how quality management frameworks are applied by the Emirates Hospital Across the globe, hospitals are seeking for ways to advance health care quality and promote effective strategies of quality management (Graban, 2009). To support greater use of policies and practices that promote quality and quality management in hospitals, there are key factors that have contributed to the success of Emirates Hospital. Certain forces outside the institution, like local market rivalry and values and resources devised by external organizations like Institute for Health Improvement, also have a role to play in successful quality and quality management. The following are some factors that are applied in the Emirates Hospital. The correct culture The correct organization culture is fundamental to obtaining a successful mechanism that generates good outcomes of the hospital and effective quality management. The culture of the whole organization needs to mirror correct motivation and dedication to quality across the organization (Davis & Goetsch, 2011). Although the word culture is a bit amorphous, there are solid actions that appear to both encourage and promote a culture of value (Pfannerstill, 2005). These features include; 1. Creating a clear mission which is quality related, and measurement of performance and targets steady with the mission. 2. Powerful leadership from Board and chief executive officer. Particularly, this involves; Frequent reporting of quality performance indicators to leading management and Board of Trustees; Setting goals for improvement and evaluate through monitoring growth; Heading by example and personal participation; Making quality improvement part of daily functions of the employees, instead of an extra load on top of daily responsibilities; and Holding leading personnel accountable for meeting quality targets and making proper improvements. 3. Leadership and quality improvement buy-in amongst section chiefs, with hopes that they will operate with physicians in their sections to modify practice samples where required and make sure that particular practice are followed (Graban, 2009). 4. Encouraging organizational arrangements like standing committees that are quality-related. 5. Comprehensible communication and regulations that support nurses, physicians, and technicians to report mistakes. This involves making sure that the people who report mistakes may remain unidentified and not be punished. Heading by personal participation was demonstrated by the chief executive officer at Emirates Hospital conversing the significance of quality improvement at every orientation for fresh employees. The leadership at Emirates Hospital demonstrates a method which merges creating a clear mission, and then supporting it with deeds, practices, and in some cases, financial expenses, that encourage top quality care. The correct people Emirates Hospital puts great weight on recruiting and maintaining superb physicians and nurses. This goes along with an attempt to support these professionals to create operational teams, comprising of case managers, social workers, pharmacists, and others, to support quality. The following particular elements of successful policies are found in leading hospitals: 1. Careful hiring, credentialing, and maintenance of nurses and physicians, even in shortage eras. This entails supervising doctors on staff and making sure that they should continue to meet particular performance and practice principles to maintain credentials (Graban, 2009). 2. Capacity to attract and hire a sufficient number of superb nurses via specific methods to human resource management like: Generous levels of staffing that guarantee a realistic caseload; this entails putting up minimum ratio of staffing and following them (for example, closing down sections if there is insufficient staffing of nurses). However, hospitals which are leading in performance do put a great weight on keeping the levels of staffing high and low rates of vacancy; Salaries which are competitive; Deserved status of respect for and nurses empowerment; for instance, at Emirates Hospital, respect for nurses is anticipated and imposed; physicians who are non-complying are given cautions and if the warnings are overlooked, they lose staff advantages; Residency curriculums and affiliations with schools of nursing to ensure a continuous provision of trainee and graduate nurses; and Opportunities for ongoing education and development, and also opportunities to be right allies with physicians in patient care. 3. Instituting multi-disciplinary groups to control and direct patient care and to carry out analysis of quality improvement and projects with the support of information technology (Meyer, et al., 2004). Nurses are regularly given a key responsibility in the process of quality improvement as team heads with authority and liability. Ever staff member is anticipated to be team player. Emirates Hospital is establishing the right people by implementing a quality improvement residency voluntary to initiate medical residents to the values and practices of quality improvement. Various residents who have taken part in the curriculum illustrated it as their primary exposure to quality improvement, and affirmed an enhanced understanding of quality in medical care and an improved understanding of quality improvement at Emirate Hospital. Several have gone on to instruct their peers what they discovered. Emirates Hospital is now working to expand the program into a more inclusive quality improvement and patient safety curriculum. The correct processes The quality improvement procedure The leading hospitals like Emirates Hospital engage in a process of quality improvement marked by steady measuring, evaluating, and solving problems; a mixture of customization and consistency; and a dedication to holding people responsible for improvement. Measurement of performance is a vital element of the quality improvement process (Brassard, 2002). One of the keys in doing the right process is selecting a sensible number of assessable quality indicators. The moment opportunities of performance improvement are recognized, techniques of problem solving are employed. Key elements of this process that make success entail: 1. Growing multi-disciplinary groups that entail representatives of every clinical or administration sections that have a responsibility in the issue being examined. 2. Developing and executing an action plan. 3. Constant monitoring to make sure the involvement was doing well, and sustaining proper department chiefs of workforce responsible for executing the plan and enhancing outcomes (Meyer, et al., 2004). 4. Integrating successful interventions into procedures and strategies, like: Practices and important paths, derived from internal experience and expertise as well as superb practices; Strategies that promote efficiency like enhanced patient flow; Standardization in medical equipments, processes, and supplies, which decreases mistakes, saves space, and decrease expenses; Communication regarding thriving intervention across sections to extend the force past the original initiative of quality improvement. Group care management Another procedure that encourages high-quality care entails the use of case supervisors and multi-disciplinary groups to direct care of the patient (Meyer, et al., 2004). Depending on the circumstance of the patient, the group may entail a physician, nurse, pharmacist, and social worker. The Emirates Hospital generally delegates a nurse case supervisor to organize care and serve as the group leader. This person is responsible for guaranteeing communication among clinicians and members of the family, and for making sure that patients get proper care in an appropriate fashion. The correct tools The Emirates Hospital seem to give its nurses, physicians, and other personnel the apparatus and support they require to practice superb medicine every day, and to recognize and examine quality issues when they surface. This incorporates investments in departments of Information and Technology and in quality improvement with competent staffs that summarize medical records, evaluate data, and facilitate the process of quality improvement. A good hospital entails access to principles and protocols, and provides support to physicians in raising consent around their own proof-based exercises so that they have apparatus they are essentially willing to use (Meyer, et al., 2004). Other tools are external coaching, peer networking, and seminars that offer help and feedback. In order for nurses, physicians, case supervisors, and other hospital workforce to make their strategies and processes work efficiently, they need an up to date information system generating immediate data regarding the status of the patient’s health, results of the test, and other essential factors (Meyer, et al., 2004). The chief ingredients of an immediate system entail its appropriateness. Emirates Hospital wants to build up a system that facilitates every caregiver to get access to appropriate information immediately it is available. An effective hospital should implement applications that execute the following: 1. Decrease time intervals in getting results of lab and imaging. This can decrease duration of stay and might decrease iatrogenic disease; 2. Convey information on result tests, history, status of health, to the bedside while caregivers are treating patients so as decisions of treatment can be made based on the current information; and 3. Make guidelines and recommendations which are user-friendly, readily accessible to physicians, based on the current medical studies on particular circumstances, processes, and medications (Meyer, et al., 2004). Emirates Hospital puts much emphasis on obtaining the correct information to the correct people at the appropriate time, resulting in comprehensible quality improvements. Emirates Hospital has successfully achieved its success through implementation of various frameworks of quality management as discussed above. Six sigma quality management Six sigma is a corporate improvement method that seeks to get and reduce causes of errors or defects in business procedures by concentrating on process productivity that are of vital significance to clients (Stamatis, 2004). It is also a useful philosophy of management and methodology of problem-solving although it is not an inclusive system of management. Six sigma program is planned to modify the organization’s culture by means of breakthrough development in every part of the business (Larson, 2003). It is also a curriculum that integrates the most effective methods that are both statistical and non-statistical to make general business. There are some advantages and disadvantages of six sigma. Benefits of six sigma Six sigma is impelled by the client and hence targets to achieve maximum satisfaction of the customer and reducing the defects. It targets the client delight and fresh innovative ways to surpass the expectations of the customer. Execution of six sigma methodology results to increase of profitability and decrease in costs. Hence improvements acquired are directly connected to financial outcomes. Six sigma is effectively implemented in nearly every category of business including sales return, investment return, growth of employment and stock value (Stamatis, 2004). Six sigma aims at disparity in the processes and concentrates on the improvement of process instead of final outcome. Six sigma is potential tactic as compared to other programs of quality as it concentrates on defect prevention instead of fixing it (Stamatis, 2004). It is helpful to the whole business procedures and training is essential to the system of management where the approach of top down makes sure that every good item is exploited and every unconstructive item is removed quickly (Larson, 2003). When workers are taught the Six Sigma practice, the corporation will have an increased output, shorter cycle time, improved satisfaction of the customer, and minor occurrence of defects. Because Six Sigma is useful for big companies, it will be easier for a corporation like Emirates Hospital to implement the plan. Problems that a business is likely to experience due to Six Sigma applications Although six sigma is seen as the potential step in the evolution of quality management, there are a number of disadvantages that an organization may go through with its future application. A number of businesses like Apple computers have achieved success with six sigma implementation while others have not been very lucky yet. For starters, six sigma gives weight on the inflexibility of the development which fundamentally opposes the originality and kills the creativeness (Stamatis, 2004). The innovative method involves variations in production, the joblessness, the atypical solutions, unsatisfactory study which are contradictory to principles of six sigma. People disagree that six sigma is a gimmicky and basically a rebranding of the constant improvement systems and tools as practiced by Toyota. It therefore encourages outsourcing of development projects with lack of liability. Implementation of six sigma constantly calls for experienced man force. Therefore control and worker dedication are hard to achieve if it is not executed frequently. In the process of converting the theoretical ideas into practical applications there are various real time hindrances which are supposed to be resolved (Stamatis, 2004). Above all, the training process and the implementation of six sigma is quite costly and only big companies may benefit from this process. Conclusion As discussed above, quality management is very important for the success of an organization. When the various frameworks of quality management are implemented, the organization is able to detect any progress the company is experiencing. It is evident that Emirates Hospital has successfully implemented the processes of quality management for its success. The main objective of quality management especially at the Emirates Hospital is delivery of quality health care to its clients. Six sigma is also important in businesses. Despite the numerous advantages that it imposes the limitations are also many thus its implementation may be a bit tricky to some organizations. For a positive development, organizations should evaluate their status first before implementing practices like six sigma. Bibliography Brassard, M., 2002, The Memory Jogger Plus: Featuring the Seven Management and Planning Tools, GOAL/QPC Methuen, MA. Davis, S., & Goetsch, D. L. 2010, Quality management for organizational excellence: introduction to total quality. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall. George, S., & Weimerskirch, A. 1994, Total quality management: strategies and techniques proven at today's most successful companies. New York, John Wiley & Sons. Graban, M. 2009, Lean hospitals: improving quality, patient safety, and employee satisfaction. Boca Raton, CRC Press. Hinkle, S. M. 2006, Take a quality ride: the realities of implementing a quality management system. New York, iUniverse. Larson, A. 2003, Demystifying six sigma a company-wide approach to continuous improvement. New York, AMACOM. Meyer, J et al. 2004, Hospital Quality: Ingredients for Success-Overview and Lessons Learned, Retrieved on March 11, 2012, from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/programs/quality/761_Meyer_hospital_quality_overview.pdf Pfannerstill, R. 2005, The progressive audit: a toolkit for improving your organizational quality culture. Milwaukee, Wis, ASQ Quality Press. Sawaf, M. 2012, Welcome to Emirates Hospital, Retreived on March 11, 2012, from http://www.emirateshospital.ae/ Stamatis, D. H. 2004, Six Sigma fundamentals: a complete guide to the system, methods and tools. New York, N.Y., Productivity Press. Summers, D. C. S. 2005, Quality management: creating and sustaining organizational effectiveness. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Prentice Hall. Read More