[Quality assurance and quality management in intensive care]

Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed. 2015 Nov;110(8):584-8. doi: 10.1007/s00063-015-0097-9. Epub 2015 Oct 15.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Treatment success in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units, is directly tied to quality of structure, process, and outcomes. Technological and medical advancements lead to ever more complex treatment situations with highly specialized tasks in intensive care nursing. Quality criteria that can be used to describe and correctly measure those highly complex multiprofessional situations have only been recently developed and put into practice.In this article, it will be shown how quality in multiprofessional teams can be definded and assessed in daily clinical practice. Core aspects are the choice of a nursing theory, quality assurance measures, and quality management. One possible option of quality assurance is the use of standard operating procedures (SOPs). Quality can ultimately only be achieved if professional groups think beyond their boundaries, minimize errors, and establish and live out instructions and SOPs.

Keywords: Intensive care; Nursing theory; Organization structure; Outcome assessment; Process assement.

MeSH terms

  • Critical Care / organization & administration
  • Critical Care / standards*
  • Critical Care Nursing / standards
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Interdisciplinary Communication
  • Intersectoral Collaboration
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care / organization & administration
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care / standards*
  • Total Quality Management / organization & administration
  • Total Quality Management / standards*