The healthcare profession is constantly and continuously changing. One cannot deny the fact of advancements and reforms that are occurring in the field of medicine and medical sciences. Some physicians and medical practitioners feel reluctant about the impact of changes they cannot control. But if one focuses on the areas and fields he can control, change can bring positive results in the healthcare department.
By applying TQM, the performance of the physicians and facilities for the patients can be optimized. Further, a quality-focused culture, access to the latest equipment, and the latest data can enhance and optimize the performance of the organization.
TQM talks about continuous improvement, so as the health sector. TQM implementation can help the healthcare sector more than anyone can think. But sadly, management does not fully support TQM.
Officials are aware of its benefits which can lead the healthcare sector to another level of success. TQM mainly focuses on team building and working while collaborating with each other. It eliminates the errors of the process by enhancing the process capability.
TQM also focuses on the training of the employees which plays an integral part in its implementation, however, there are barriers too. It can have short term negative effects on the cost of production. A fully trained employee starts delivering the true benefits of the training.
Tools Helpful in TQM Implementation
While putting an effort towards TQM, some of the below tools will be helpful.
- Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA)
- Benchmarking
- Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle
- Process Flow Charts
- Statistical Process Control
- Control Charts
3 Benefits of TQM Practices in Healthcare Sector
Implementing TQM in healthcare can serve below-mentioned benefits:
1. Customer-Focused Approach
It focuses on providing patients with the best possible services. TQM empowers the employees to provide its customers with the best healthcare facilities.
It focuses on the continual improvement of the business operations while making its employees accountable throughout the business process. With this approach, hospitals can improve patient safety standards.
TQM works in a spiral movement (continuously evolving). TQM requires a team effort to be successful i.e. doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, management staff, and IT department.
2. Measurability is a Base for TQM
One needs to think about the data available when expecting results from TQM in the operations of the organization. TQM is all about data, so data is the core factor for quality management.
There is a chain of changes when all the useful data is available in IT systems. When all the figures including patients’ recovery information, medicine availability, management’s response towards emergency cases, patients’ safety and employees’ work-life data, etc. is available, management can work more efficiently towards quality services and operations.
Further, an organization can foresee the history of a patient by looking at the previously available trends of the same disease and the same conditions. This can help the patient and the physicians to prepare themselves before-hand.
By TQM implementation, the organization will have results that are data-driven. With the help of TQM, the Organization can focus on services provided to the patients.
Further, TQM improves employees’ experience, and new roles can also be defined for them. All in all, TQM can help improve the healthcare industry by spreading its benefits.
3. Cultural Change through Continuous Improvement
The organizations will have to define the word “Success“, with the help of the available data. After defining success, the next step towards TQM will be to address it to all the employees of the organization. Using the PDCA cycle, management can guide employees to achieve the set goals and targets.
It is the responsibility of the management to keep everyone in the organization on board. So that all the changes in processes, services, and culture can be addressed.
There are no hard and fast rules to bring Change in organizational culture. But continuous improvement and involvement of the employees at every level can be very helpful in this regard.
Change always transmits from top to bottom. It is the management’s responsibility to bring policies to implement change management. TQM provides the roadmap towards change in organizational culture.
A customer-focused and continually improving culture is the outcome of successful TQM practices. That will be helpful for patients, staff, and organizations as well.
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