Philosophy of Quality Management

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author argues that one quality management philosophy is not better than the other but rather each one can complement another. Several of the current popular methods of quality management are presented and evaluated. The paper includes a list of quality standards as published by the International Organization of Standardization. The author concludes by stating that despite the effectiveness of quality management philosophies, especially in health care, the culture where the quality management process is implemented determines its success.

From the Paper:

"Applying these three basic rules to primary health care management in terms of health promotion, illness prevention, sick care, advocacy and community development, we can see that the "processes of care are usefully distinguished from organizational processes, rather than being combined with them, because there are many important organisational processes worthy of identification and monitoring that do not involve direct patient care. (Sibthorpe, 2004)" This is related to the Customer Focus approach of Six Sigma (iSixSigma LLC, 2006). "The separation also allows a primary health care provider to identify and monitor care processes linked to particular priority health issues and conditions. Such processes of care - e.g. monitoring HbA1c levels in the management of diabetes - would however, need to be underpinned by organisational processes, such as the establishment and use of evidence-based protocols for the management of chronic diseases. (Sibthorpe, 2004)" This is related to the Data Driven approach of Six Sigma (iSixSigma LLC, 2006). "Separating out the processes of care involved in primary health care makes explicit the advocacy and community development roles that characterize care within this model. In this setting these activities are ultimately about improving the health of patients, families and communities. (Sibthorpe, 2004)" This is related to the Robust Methodology approach of Six Sigma (iSixSigma LLC, 2006)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Arverson, Paul. (1998). What is Balanced Scorecard? Retrieved 25 August 2006 from the Website: http://www.balancedscorecard.org/basics/bsc1.html
• Donabedian A. The Quality of Care: How can it be assessed? Journal of the American Medical Association 1988; 260: 743-1748.
• Fairbairn, B. (1997, 10 February). ISO 9000 and organizational culture. Retrieved 25 August 2006 from the Website: http://www.helsdale.demon.co.uk/cult.htm
• iSixSigma LLC. (2006). Six Sigma - What is Six Sigma? Retrieved 25 August 2006 from the Website: http://www.isixsigma.com/sixsigma/six_sigma.asp.
• Sibthorpe, Beverly. (2004). A proposed conceptual framework for performance assessment in primary health care: a tool for policy and practice. Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute. Retrieved 25 August 2006 from the Website: http://www.anu.edu.au/aphcri/Publications/conceptual_framework.pdf

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