Cardiac Catheterization ; standards ; Humans ; Quality Assurance, Health Care ; standards

Mental disorders are both common and costly. The mental health system in Singapore lacks co-ordination as well as being underdeveloped in certain areas. To address these gaps as well to face emerging challenges like an ageing population, and other socioeconomic changes, the Ministry of Health of Singapore has commissioned a Committee to formulate a 5-year Mental Health Policy and Blueprint. A task group has been formed to implement this blueprint and evaluation of these various initiatives with performance measures are inevitable. The choice of these measures, however, can be a daunting task with the various and diverse interests of multiple stakeholders. This paper describes the process of choosing the relevant measures with the appropriate attributes, and suggests a framework, which can serve as a guide for selecting mental health performance measures.
Humans ; Mental Health Services ; standards ; Quality Assurance, Health Care ; methods ; standards ; Quality Indicators, Health Care ; standards ; Singapore

PURPOSE: This study aimed at developing integrated clinical performance indicators(CPIs) through the analysis of quality improvement(QI) activities of a hospital and literature review about performance measures. METHOD: The CPIs were developed through the following three stages; 1)Identifying preliminary CPIs 2)A staff validity test in preliminary CPIs 3)Developing final CPIs. RESULT: One hundred twenty-three preliminary CPIs were developed through QI activities of the target hospital for 8 years and literature review. The results of the validity test for the preliminary CPIs supported ninety-one items. Sixty-two CPIs were selected through integration, reclassification and renaming. Then, eighteen items were deleted on account of an imprecise calculation method. Finally, forty-four CPIs were confirmed. They consisted of twenty-six items at the hospital level and eighteen items at the department level. CONCLUSION: CPIs can be used as criteria to evaluate the performance of healthcare organizations, and to decide the quality of healthcare for customers. This study may contribute to establishing an integrated system between QI activities and performance measurement of healthcare organizations.
*Quality Indicators, Health Care ; *Quality Assurance, Health Care ; Middle Aged ; Korea ; Humans ; Hospitals/*standards ; Adult

For many years, the clinical laboratory's focus on analytical quality has resulted in an error rate of 4-5 sigma, which surpasses most other areas in healthcare. However, greater appreciation of the prevalence of errors in the pre- and post-analytical phases and their potential for patient harm has led to increasing requirements for laboratories to take greater responsibility for activities outside their immediate control. Accreditation bodies such as the Joint Commission International (JCI) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) now require clear and effective procedures for patient/sample identification and communication of critical results. There are a variety of free on-line resources available to aid in managing the extra-analytical phase and the recent publication of quality indicators and proposed performance levels by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) working group on laboratory errors and patient safety provides particularly useful benchmarking data. Managing the extra-laboratory phase of the total testing cycle is the next challenge for laboratory medicine. By building on its existing quality management expertise, quantitative scientific background and familiarity with information technology, the clinical laboratory is well suited to play a greater role in reducing errors and improving patient safety outside the confines of the laboratory.
Clinical Laboratory Techniques/standards ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Laboratories/*standards ; Quality Assurance, Health Care/standards ; Specimen Handling

This study introduces the Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) appraisal system by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS). Quality management policies for CPGs vary among different countries, which have their own cultures and health care systems. However, supporting developers in guideline development and appraisals using standardized tools are common practices. KAMS, an organization representing the various medical societies of Korea, has been striving to establish a quality management system for CPGs, and has established a CPGs quality management system that reflects the characteristics of the Korean healthcare environment and the needs of its users. KAMS created a foundation for the development of CPGs, set up an independent appraisal organization, enacted regulations related to the appraisals, and trained appraisers. These efforts could enhance the ability of each individual medical society to develop CPGs, to increase the quality of the CPGs, and to ultimately improve the quality of the information available to decision-makers.
Guideline Adherence/*standards ; *Models, Organizational ; Practice Guidelines as Topic/*standards ; Quality Assurance, Health Care/*standards ; Republic of Korea

This paper discusses and proposes a ventilator's QC project in a hospital, and 21 ventilators' QC estimation and analysis are made in combination with the clinical practice.
Equipment and Supplies, Hospital ; standards ; Quality Assurance, Health Care ; Quality Control ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; standards

Cardiac Catheterization ; standards ; Humans ; Quality Assurance, Health Care

Cardiac Catheterization ; standards ; Humans ; Quality Assurance, Health Care

In order to improve the management of the supplier chain, it is necessary to setup a assessment system on suppliers. The assessment includes lot's of criteria such as quality, cost, service and delivery capabilities. The different criteria should have different weighting. The AHP method is chosen here in the paper to analyse the weighting of individual criteria.
Equipment and Supplies ; economics ; standards ; Quality Assurance, Health Care ; methods

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop performance measure indicators for hospital nursing units based on a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). METHOD: This study was a methodological study. The development process consisted of 3 stages. The first stage was setting up strategies for nursing units from a nursing department's mission and vision. The second stage was developing performance measure indicators after a validity check. The third stage was modifying developed performance measure indicators and classifying them. RESULTS: 7 strategies were set up according to 4 perspectives of a BSC. 15 performance measure indicators for hospital nursing units were developed, and the indicators were divided into 8 independent indicators and 7 shared indicators according to the degree of performance responsibility. In addition, they were classified into two groups, 7 leading indicators and lagging indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study suggests that performance measure indicators for hospital nursing units provide a framework and method for nursing organizations' performance management. Also, the developed indicators are expected to provide valuable information for successful organization management.
*Quality Indicators, Health Care ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*standards ; Nursing Care/*standards ; Humans