Quality Improvement Projects in Health Care

PART ONE: BASIC CONCEPTS AND MANUAL Basic Concepts Does the Problem Really Exist? Finding and Verifying Causes Finding Solutions Implementing Solutions and Making Them Operational PART TWO: CASES Getting Nursing Home Residents into Physical Therapy in a Timely Fashion Patients Waiting for Radiation during Scheduled Visits Late Notification of Critical Values by a Hospital Laboratory Time Spent in Rehabilitation by Amputation Patients in a Municipal Hospital Incomplete Laboratory Referrals in an HMO Center HMO Patients' Problems with Crutches and Canes Dealing with Hemolyzed Blood Samples in a Hospital Laboratory Errors in Filling Prescriptions in a Hospital Pharmacy A Labor-Management Health and Safety Committee Nurse Attendance at Mandated Classes in an Outpatient Department Compliance with Discussions and Documentation of Advance Directives in a Home Care Agency Use of a Reminder Letter To Encourage Follow-Up Visits Use of an Internal Audit in an Intermediate Care Facility Use of Data on Unusual Occurrences in an Emergency Medical Service