Quality means the BEST of the best. In reference to
clothes, food, housing, service, reporting—quality is the best of what can be
offered.
Quality clothes are made of the finest fabrics and designed by
my favorite designer.
Quality food is prepared with the freshest ingredients, made by
my favorite chef, and served in the perfect dining setting.
Quality housing is in a clean, safe, lively neighborhood built
with the latest and greatest materials and tools by the most reliable
contractors.
Quality service is anything that meets or exceeds my
expectations for whatever the task may be.
Quality news is delivered by the journalist or network that gets
it right every time (in my opinion) and never delivers bias news or messages.
Quality is in the mind of the beholder in many cases but in
healthcare… quality standards will vary in the eyes of the patient versus the
provider. Many patients have the tendency to base their idea of
quality on their health outcomes. Because health conditions at different
ages and stages vary case by case, providers may not always have full control
of the outcome.
I think that both the patient and provider have to play equal
parts in their healthcare. It is the patients’ responsibility to
seek preventative care and make annual visits to their primary care physician.
Patients should be just as proactive and concerned with their health as
they would expect their provider to be. Once a patient is under the care
of a provider, it is then the responsibility of the provider to do all that
they can to aid their patients. Physicians can only do so much with the
cards they are handed and it should be their primary objective to exhaust
all options before giving patients a definitive outcome.
As a healthcare professional, we may want to believe that
quality is subjective but lawmakers and patients make the final call in quality
matters. Many times, f a patient feels they received less than quality
care, they will make their story heard loud and clear. Some patients or
family members will report unsatisfactory care to the facility administrator
while others will go as far as litigation.
It is up to healthcare professionals (not providers or other clinicians)
to be the middle-voice of reason between both parties. We want to protect our patients and provide
them with the best care but we also want to be confident in our healthcare
delivery team and protect them as well.
Click here to view a short video made by the Cleveland Clinic and their take on quality.
