Quality, the key to unlock success in every business and possess the treasure of goodwill should be the driving force that embosses an identity in today’s competitive business world.
Unlike other industry sectors, quality management in healthcare industry is inevitable as hospitals deal with the patients - their lives and satisfaction. Hospital quality management is of high importance in India due to the fact that innumerable devastating diseases are spreading across the nation where patients are desperately seeking treatments and care of high quality. Proposing promising hospital quality measures in every dimension - infrastructure, medical equipment, diagnosis and treatment, quality personnel especially doctors, technicians and nurses, clinical disposals, laboratories, housekeeping procedures etc., must be aim of every hospital and healthcare provider.
Such hospital quality measures not only reward patient satisfaction but are also strict guidelines to be adhered for quality and safety in healthcare. Hence, NABH has regulated certain standards for hospitals to implement NABH quality standards.
An insight into NABH standards for hospitals
- NABH has imposed standards for hospitals from two perspectives - patient and organization that varies with the size of the hospital and health care provider
- Patient centric standards include AAC (Access, Assess and Continuity of care), COP (Continuity of Care), MOM (Management of Medication), PRE (Patients Right to Education) and HIC (Hospital Infection Control).
- Organization centric standards include CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement), ROM (Responsibility of Management), FMS (Facility Management and Safety), HRM (Human Resource Management), IMS (Information Management System).
Summary on NABH quality standards - CQI, a quick glance and easy understanding
1. Every quality principle should be documented.
2. Quality principles pertain to various entities such as:
- In-patients procedures
- Out-patients procedures
- Procurement of medicines, medical equipment including surgical equipment and maintaining adequate inventory to meet ad hoc requirements
- Treatment procedures for in patient and outpatients
- Core committee framework to monitor clinical and managerial processes
- Periodic review meetings - To ensure continuous process improvement through key performance indicators.
- Quality standards have been imposed even for the waiting time for outpatients with regards to consultation and admission formalities for in-patients
- Medication and treatment procedures should be documented for all cases
- ICU procedures and surgical procedures done should be documented with pre surgery and post surgery details for all cases
- Periodic clinical audits should be conducted.
- Dedicated complaint and grievance cell should be designated to address the grievance and complaints from patients
- Committee to follow up grievance addressed and resolved should be set up.
- Safety guidelines for employees and patients should be ensured at times of accidents and emergencies by the dedicated patients’ safety committee.
- Clinical risk committee should function monitoring and correcting clinical errors. Usually administrators, doctors and nurses are the core participants.
- There are specific guidelines for even needle pricks and anaesthetic procedures. Non-compliance with medical guidelines should be strictly prohibited and penalized
- Records proving rectifications in cases of errors occurred or quality guidelines violation, should be maintained for audit
- Quality standards are incorporated for wards and rooms in terms of size, facilities, hygiene, nutritional diets, planned nursing procedures etc.,
- Proper clinical disposal procedures should be practiced to avoid infections to patients and neighbourhood promoting environmental safety as clinical waste are serious health hazards
Above all, continuous hospital process improvement are the vital aspects of hospital quality standards as per NABH. Process improvement should be an ongoing strategy to keep pace with the trends, technologies, requirements, transformations and hospital growth. Management tools and statistical tools such as PERT, CPM, Root Cause Analysis, Control charts etc., are some of the methodologies to be incorporated for continuous quality improvement.
Thus, every hospital should adhere to the NABH standards ensuring quality and safety in healthcare industry. It should be understood and realized that healthcare industry is a noble industry as it is service oriented. Hence, religious and duty conscious service should be imparted as this industry deals with patients’ lives and future.
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