The word “quality” means to me is something safe, usable, has
value, grants me and the people around me personal satisfaction, and can be replicated
consistently. Quality is subjective and can be judged by the “eye of the
beholder”, however, people do agree that good quality will not cause harm onto
the users of that product and/or service. Quality should also be measurable
via other things of similar form; the information gathered from the competition
will help business grow and achieve better efficiency. Quality is a reflection
of a whole, if the quality was poor; it is safe to assume that the leadership
at that facility did not care about their company and product, which is unfortunate
and creates a caustic environment for their employees and customers. Leadership
is vital for ensuring excellent quality at any establishment and it is sometime
that I look for. I also view quality as a good indicator of one’s personal
work ethic, for me, providing exceptional quality care for my patients’ returns
personal satisfaction and fulfillment. It is impossible to reach “perfect”
quality because it is biased, however we should make every effort in order to
do so.
Applying quality to the health care industry is not a difficulty
process if the right tools are present. In order for health care providers to
understand more about what matters during a patient’s hospital visit, they
should observe their own daily interactions with other services that they use frequently
and assess what they like about that service, the dislikes, and ideas on how to make
it better. Every patient when entering a health care facility will have an initial
impression about their overall care, it is in the best interest of that health
care facility to invest and develop strategies in order to prevent a negative
impression. Some core principles that should be used are; focusing on customer
value, making sure that a positive organizational culture is a part of that company’s
goal, using benchmarks when comparing against competitors, and establishing a continual
improvement plan. Health care is no different from any other commodity;
everybody expects a decent amount of care and satisfaction when parting away
their hard earned finite resources (time and money), it is those exceptionally well
thought out businesses that will succeed in a world of choices.
