Quality of Care in Health Care Settings

Essay by lauren31885College, UndergraduateA, November 2007

download word file, 5 pages 5.0

Questions Answered: What is the problems with quality care today? Why is quality of care lacking in areas? Quality of care plays an important role in assuring the standards of nursing performance. By providing specific performance requirements, standards of nursing performance can improve and provide quality of nursing care in health care settings (Scope & Standards, pg 33). Quality care is one of the most significant nursing standards of modern time. This particular standard must be implemented by nurse's everyday.

One of the main concerns in nursing practice today, is quality of care in the health care setting (iom.edu). Recent reports from the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Institute of Medicine's Quality Initiative (IMQI) brought immediate attention to the public on the collapse of quality of care. The reports focused on the need to recognize, develop, evaluate, and ensure the quality of health care in the United States (nursing world.org).

Both the ANA and IMQI represent a systematic effort to advance health care quality and patient safety concerns. Many other institutions have felt the need for further disciplinary actions to improve quality of care in healthcare settings.

Organizations such as the American Heart Association and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have also recommended that the healthcare system launch a systemic proposal to increase the quality of care. The American Heart Association has made the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group (QCOR IWG) to provide quality care to heart patients (americanheart.org). The QCOR IWG is a multidisciplinary group committed to making a significant contribution to improving patient outcomes and healthcare quality. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality developed a National Healthcare Quality Report to facilitate the needs of patients around the United States. By doing so, they are raising awareness to healthcare institutions for the...