Category: Q

Surface-active disinfectants consisting of cationic detergents, used principally in the cleansing of food and dairy equipment. Action is bactericidal to some Gram-positive organisms, but tubercle bacilli, some staphylococci and many Gram-negative organisms are little affected.  

A law which requires records to be maintained in written, rather than electronic, form.  

A method of representing the results of quality improvement efforts. Joseph M. Juran in the industrial setting has represented quality improvement as an ever-rising spiral, an inclined plane. The processes involved in making the product or providing the service are constantly monitored and, as opportunities for improvement are identified, changes are made which result in…

A method designed to measure the quality of life of an individual, based upon one or more aspects of life and health. More than 50 such measurement methods have been developed. Some investigators have developed weighting methods by which to consolidate the data from a number of scale measurements into a single score for an…

The degree of conformity with accepted principles and practices (standards), the degree of fitness for the patient’s needs, and the degree of attainment of achievable outcomes (results), consonant with the appropriate allocation or use of resources. The phrase “quality of care” carries the concept that quality is not equivalent to “more” or “higher technology” or…

Efforts to determine the quality of care, to develop and maintain programs to keep it at an acceptable level (quality control), to institute improvements when the opportunity arises or the care does not meet standards (quality improvement), and to provide, to all concerned, the evidence required to establish confidence that quality is being managed and…

One activity in the process of continuous quality improvement (CQI). Each project involves a process which has been identified as deserving improvement, and which has been given priority (prioritizing of effort is critical in CQI). For each project, a team is assigned consisting of representatives from all departments involved in the process targeted for improvement,…

The sum of all the activities which create desired change in quality. In the health care setting, quality improvement requires a feedback loop which involves the identification of patterns of the care of patients (or of the performance of other systems involved in care), the analysis of those patterns in order to identify opportunities for…

The sum of all the activities, wherever performed, through which the hospital achieves the quality of care it provides. This usage is comparable to speaking of the “fiscal function,” which is the sum of the activities, wherever performed, through which the hospital achieves fiscal soundness. The term “quality function” is replacing “quality assurance function.”  

A part of the Professional Activity Study (PAS) of the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities (CPHA). The care of patients, as reflected in their computerized discharge abstracts, is compared with standards established by clinical specialty societies, and the findings are displayed for use in hospital quality management.