Question

Are healthcare patients and unlicensed personnel(e.g., nurse aides, housekeepers, orderlies) knowledgeable enough to participate on quality improvement teams?

Answer 1

A healthcare system is multisectoral approach which involves a huge faculty of staffs of various departments working together towards the attainment of same organizational goal of providing quality care to its customers. Provision of quality care is not only the responsibility of the few category of professionals like doctors, nurses but it also involves the efforts of unlicenced personnel and patients themselves. In today's modern era, the healthcare has adopted the concept of patient participation in decision making. This calls upon to their participation on quality improvement teams.

Quality improvement means a overall improvement in patient's health and services provided. This not only covers diagnosing a disease, prescribing medication or providing the basic care to the patients but it also involves the assistance by the nursing aides, housekeeping services to maintain hygiene and others. There efforts are simultaneously needed and is important. These category of staffs may not sometimes possess enough knowledge to participate on quality improvement teams. But as they are an important members of the health team who are in constant touch with the patient care, they can be effectively educated so that they can participate effectively in the quality improvement teams.