Performance measures in healthcare can cover a wide variety of areas. One of the most common measures used is patient satisfaction, which involves surveying patients on their experience in the healthcare setting and identifying key issues that might be causing dissatisfaction for patients. Satisfied patients might be more inclined to go to a doctor if they are happy with their care and experience in the healthcare setting. This can reduce healthcare costs because fewer sick days are needed to treat dissatisfied patients and physicians are less likely to be disciplined for unsatisfactory patient care.
Another important area of healthcare is patient safety. Patient safety is paramount and staff should not be placed in danger when treating patients. Procedures should be followed carefully and all equipment used should be up to the task. Failure to do so puts staff members at risk for injury or even death. An organized and clean facility is a pleasant place for patients to be treated.
Staff should be assessed regularly for levels of quality and competence. Poor staff performance should be identified and corrected promptly. Healthcare organizations spend millions of dollars each year paying contractors to measure staff competence and quality. Many states have official licensing boards for nurses and doctors. These licensing boards typically approve competence certificates and performance evaluations based on standards established by recognized healthcare industry associations such as the American Board of Nursing (ABN).
Managers should also be evaluated regularly to identify gaps in staff knowledge or practice that could be a hindrance to patient care. Management reviews should address such matters as staff turnover and work hours, absenteeism and tardiness, level of skill or efficiency in treating patients, staff relations, and communication skills. Healthcare organizations spend millions annually on performance management solutions such as surveys, assessments, interviews, and experiments.
Improvement measures can be simple ones such as ensuring a sterile environment at all times and eliminating clutter or excessive clutter in the work areas. Other quality improvement initiatives can include maintaining the same level of patient care and safety standards at all times, reducing or eliminating patient safety concerns, eliminating the risk of adverse patient reactions to prescribed medications, and ensuring the appropriate documentation is completed for required documentation. In addition, quality initiatives may include quality training for staff members on new medical treatments and devices, maintaining continuing education programs, and maintaining or creating a safe emergency department or medical setting.
Measuring staff performance can go a long way in making healthcare institutions more profitable. In addition, it provides healthcare administrators with valuable information to ensure they are meeting their mission. There are many healthcare quality improvement initiatives that can be incorporated into healthcare organization plans. In addition to measuring performance against defined performance measures, healthcare institutions should also consider measuring the success of these measures against the defined policies and procedures governing patient care.
