Can you explain what a quality assurance program entails? I read that the goal is to improve patient care, but are there steps that one must take to ensure the program is effective? Thanks.

A medical-based quality assurance program is a program for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to ensure that standards of quality are being met. [1]

Indeed, the overall goal of quality assurance is to improve patient care. Improving patient care has become a priority for all health care providers with the overall objective of achieving a high degree of patient satisfaction. Greater awareness among the public, increasing demand for better care, keener competition, more health care regulation, the rise in medical malpractice litigation, and concern about poor outcomes are factors that contribute to this change.

The quality of patient care is essentially determined by the quality of infrastructure, quality of training, competence of personnel and efficiency of operational systems. The fundamental requirement is the adoption of a system that is ‘patient orientated’. Existing problems in health care relate to both medical and non-medical factors and a comprehensive system that improves both aspects must be implemented for the program to be effective.

Non-medical factors include: Improved accessibility and availability of both the hospital and the health professional (in this case, the physical therapist). Reduced waiting times. Access to both medical and administrative information. Improved administration (i.e. check-in and check-out procedures should be ‘patient friendly’). Improved communication with the patient and the patient’s family and provision of ancillary services such as accessible rest-rooms and cafeterias etc.

Medical factors include: The use of trained/qualified personnel. The application of safe and effective intervention techniques and procedures. The use of properly maintained equipment. In addition, all necessary equipment to be used for a particular treatment session should be in place from the beginning of the treatment session. The use of newer technologies and current best practices as well as the application of evidence-based practices etc.

Reference 1, Reference 2