Setting up a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process in a hospital implies not only applying the appropriate techniques and instruments to focus on clients, working in teams, and reviewing service delivery processes, but also that managers responsible for these efforts create the conditions necessary to institute a work dynamic that is often completely different from the existing one.
Confronted by continued failure to implement a CQI process after three tries in Hipolito Unanue Hospital in Lima, Peru, Project 2000, a joint effort of the Ministry of Health and USAID, developed a new strategy that centers on structuring cross-functional teams. These cross-functional teams have the responsibility and authority to provide planning instruments that include success indicators and expected intermediate and final results, and to set up formal progress review meetings.
As a consequence of this strategy, more staff have become involved in quality and coverage, periodic process reviews have been formalized, staff make more decisions, results are achieved more quickly, and the hospital finally meets the standards for quality set by the Ministry of Health.
This paper analyzes the strategy used, the staff’s reaction to the process, and the achieved results to better understand how to improve the management of CQI processes in large hospitals.
Learning Objectives: 1. Give at least three reasons why early attempts at implementing CQI processes were not successful. 2. Describe the strategy used to bring about the necessary changes in the way the hospital staff worked together
Keywords: Quality Improvement,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.