How to move beyond quality improvement projects (27 July 2020)

Summary

In recent years we have seen a proliferation in the interest and use of quality improvement in health and healthcare. This represents a promising shift in our mental models about how to solve some of our most complex quality issues. Alongside the increasing use of the word “improvement” in our everyday language within healthcare, there are differences in understanding of what exactly we mean by the term “quality improvement.”

This article explores the difference between quality improvement and a quality management system, by defining quality improvement and describing how to best use quality improvement alongside control, assurance, and planning as part of a more holistic management system focused on quality.