Quality Data Collection
Data Needed to Monitor Improvement in Performance Areas
United States health care system has faced myriad challenges in the recent past based on increased inefficiencies in the system. Although the country is among the top spenders globally in health care, the resources are spent ineffectively. For example, the premiums charged for insurance have been increasing steadily while coverage of people has been shrinking explaining the inadequacy of the system. The services being provided are not sufficient to meet the rising and changing health needs of the people. There is a need for comprehensive management of health care through policies, quality management, health services management, which require understanding of the modern trends used in monitoring of health care (Ransom, Joshi, Nash, & Ransom, 2008). The issues surrounding the quality of services provided in the health care industries have brought about the need to measure health care using data for clinical, operational and financial improvement.
The measurement of health care using data for financial, operational and clinical improvement is based on the need to inform health care professionals on adoption of databases and quality measurement tools and techniques. This can be used in the analysis of care safety and appropriateness of the services provided. Data can be essential in the development an improvement of services in the health care industry. For example, it can be used in revealing the infection rate, measurement of leadership and determine how certain diseases are changing in terms of increased or decreased infections (Dlugacz, 2006). Data can be used in addressing quality management where health professionals can use the databases and interpret the data to derive clinical and other issues in health care.
Emergency care services in health care require effectiveness and efficiency on the basis of need and urgency of the services required in the sector. In this case, the data that will be considered will be to facilitate an improvement in patient flow in the in the emergency care centers. There is a need for collection of data on patient flow at the emergency department and reduce crowding in these departments. This will be based on the need for addressing crowding in the emergency department collecting data on patient inflow and outflow (McHugh, Dyke, McClelland, & Moss, 2011). The data collected from patients and physicians should facilitate identification of the needs that can be addressed in improving care provided and speeding the process of providing care.
Types of Data Collection Tools and Data Collected by Each Tool
There are different tools used in the collection of data in the emergency care department to facilitate improvement of the flow in the emergency care department. Quality tools of data collection facilitate understanding and improvement of the processes involved in the processes, in the emergency department (Dlugacz, 2006). There are numerous tools and skills used in the health care department by health care professionals in the collection of data for patient inflow and outflow.
In addition, the study will focus on collection of data that will facilitate the improvement of clinical practices that facilitate alignment of incentives that promote efficiency in the delivery of services. This will focus on improving access and facilitate the reduction of disparities in the provision of health care services. The problems deterring the provision of health care in the US relate to the quality and accessibility of services by different people across diverse communities. To improve the quality of services provided in the emergency health departments there is a need to promote efficiency of the clinical practices in the emergency department (McHugh, Dyke, McClelland, & Moss, 2011). This will be in line with the objective of improving the flow of patient in the emergency department.
A Comparison of Different Data Collection Tools
The tools that can be considered for the collection of data are a flow chart and process maps. Process maps and flow chart will enable the organization to generate new ideas and understand the process better identifying the inputs and outputs on each stage of the process. The process maps are essential in collecting information in relation to the whole process from the initial stage when a patient is admitted to the hospital until the patient exits from the emergency department. A check sheet also presents an essential tool used to record and interpret data collected in the emergency health care departments. This can be essential in recording and interpreting data relating to clinical records in the emergency care department. Control chart provides an essential tool that collects data enabling controls that provide limits on the values created (Ransom, Joshi, Nash, & Ransom, 2008). The control chart enables collection of data that provide limits of what will be considered in controlling the operations of the whole process.
The data collected should facilitate the improvement in the quality where the factors that will be considered in the improvement of quality is the safety of the services provided. Effectiveness of the process in the emergency care department will be essential in determining the time taken by patients in the process. The services provided should be patient centered provided in an equitable manner. Clinical performance measures that will be considered in improving the efficacy of the processes in the emergency care department will be the appropriateness of the services provided, continuity and availability of different services (Ransom, Joshi, Nash, & Ransom, 2008). The clinical services should also be efficient, timely while the patients are cared and respected while in the process. This will hasten the process of the procedures in the emergency department improving the flow and reducing the time taken in the process.
There are various other methods and tools used in the collection of data in the health care sector such as quota sampling and convenience sampling. In quota sampling, the method has been designed to obtain a small number of observations, which are available readily and can be easily gathered together. However, it is limited since it produces a biased sample, which cannot be used in making general information about a population. On the other hand, quota sampling presents a comprehensive process that produces results that can be used for the whole population. The results of quota sampling can be used in making a general conclusion about a population (Dlugacz, 2006). There are various sources where data about patients can be found. For example, patient report cards and other databases in the health care institutions.
Importance of Tools in Health Care Organizations
Measurement of the quality of the services provided is essential in understanding the effectiveness of the measures adopted in improving the flow and quality of clinical services provided. The collected data will facilitate identification of the effectiveness of the measures adopted through variance analysis. Variance analysis can be conducted in measuring how outcomes vary as compared with the standards or expected results. Measurement of quality will facilitate management of quality facilitating improvement in the flow and quality of clinical services offered in the emergency department. Tools are essential as they facilitate the collection of data used in the improvement of quality of services delivered in health care organizations.
References
Dlugacz, Y. D. (2006). Measuring Health care Using Data for Operational, Financial and Clinical Improvement. In Measuring Health care (pp. 14-207). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
McHugh, M., Dyke, K. V., McClelland, M., & Moss, D. (2011, October). Improving Patient Flow and Reducing Emergency Department Crowding: A guide to Hospitals. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/final-reports/ptflow/ptflowguide.pdf
Ransom, E. R., Joshi, M. S., Nash, D. B., & Ransom, S. B. (2008). The Health Care Quality Book VISION, STRATEGY, AND TOOLS. New York: American College of Healthcare Executives.
