PDSA in Quality Improvement
Plan-Do-Study-Act is a structured framework for improving the quality of specific processes. Differentiating a problem into its parts through the planning stage allows you to search for solutions for the overall goal and each subtask. The next stage is implementing the planned ideas on a small scale to evaluate their effectiveness. The third stage involves comparing the results with established goals and objectives to determine whether the changes were successful.
Finally, the final decision to accept, reject, or adapt is made at the act stage (Department of Health, n.d.). This approach allows you to improve the quality of various processes by implementing continuous changes and monitoring them at each stage. Changes dictate development, especially now, after the pandemic; many have realized how important it is to invest in the medical industry.
Stakeholders Involved in Quality Improvement
A wide range of stakeholders includes the involvement of employees directly involved in the changed processes, managers who lead and control the process, experts who guide the direction of development with unique knowledge, and the end user of services – patients, whose health and well-being are always at the forefront of any goals. One of the critical determinants of change in the medical industry, in addition to interoperability, personalization, patient-centered care, and value-based cultural competence, is technology, which is rapidly advancing worldwide (Andrieiev, 2023). From general trends in machine learning and artificial intelligence to deepening into telemedicine, nanotechnology, and genomics, leading specialty institutions are demanding the implementation of these capabilities to speed up operational processes and improve output or efficiency (Now You Know, 2023).
Use of Technology to Support Organizational Change
Technologies can support both organizational aspects of staff or managers’ activities and intervene in treatment processes to better monitor health indicators and patient adaptation after illness. In the second case, however, the implementation process must be more prolonged and careful (McLaughlin & Kaluzny, 2020). However, development promises the greatest potential precisely in treating and improving the patients’ well-being. Technologies may, in the future, for example, restore people’s ability to walk or more effectively defeat cancer cells.
References
Andrieiev, S. (2023). The future of healthcare delivery: 2024 trends you can’t ignore. LinkedIn.
Department of Health. (n.d.). PDSA: Plan-do-study-act.
McLaughlin, C. P., & Kaluzny, A. D. (2020). Continuous quality improvement in health care: theory, implementation, and applications. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Now You Know. (2023). Emerging Technologies: 10 Healthcare Trends You Can’t Ignore!. YouTube.