INTRODUCTION
Time and again, hospitals are often called upon to improve the quality of its various health care activities in order to better serve patients and immediate communities. A quality improvement plan thus helps in the selection of high priority areas and the utilization of evidence-based practices in conducting the improvement (Berenguer et al., 2010). In view of the healthcare improvement needs of Sunlight Hospital, this paper seeks to classify and justify five measurements of quality of care in a hospital, specify the four main features in a health care organization that can be used in the design of a quality improvement plan, and suggest the salient reasons quality of care would add value and create a competitive advantage
This is because patients are very interested in knowing whether a given hospital will provide effective care and treatment.
4. Process measures
This are used to establish the extent to which hospitals provide patients with specific services that are recommended for their particular conditions or disease. These measurements are often linked to treatment procedures that have been established to improve health status, as well as to minimize or prevent complications. Patients will be interested in knowing whether a hospital adequately conforms to recommended quality guidelines before they check-in for treatment (Berenguer et al., 2010).
5. Quality of care measures
These quality measures are expected to go beyond the current treatment needs thus seeks to establish whether a hospital or care provider meets the operational standards. For instance, a patient may receive smoking cessation advice in addition to the primary care he or she is receiving for their illness. Care quality appears to be or reflects a key concern for patients suffering from life threatening illness and will almost always be a determining factor in choosing a hospital (Jha &Epstein, 2010).
Four main features that can be used to design quality improvement plan in health care organizations
Numerous complaints from patients at the Sunlight Hospital concerning the quality of care received from hospital employees have been documented. In particular, these complaints have been in regard to the