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The University of Michigan Health System used lean management and the plan-do-check-act cycle to improve the quality of interpretation services across all languages.
The University of Maryland College Park, School of Public Health and its Center for Health Literacy developed a cultural and health literacy competency primer. The primer is intended to serve as a resource guide on cultural competency and health literacy for educators of health professional…
Disparities in care were noted for diabetes, cardio vascular disease and cancer screeening for Hmong patients at a local family clinic. However, the perception of their care was that they had received excellent care. The case study looks at some of the reasons why they perceived the care was…
The treatment of asthma requires cultural and linguistic sensitivity. Ideal treatment options require patient education and self-management; yet, patients with limited-English proficiency and low health literacy may present a challenge to health care providers. Through an Environmental Protection…
Effective care transitions programs can do more than improve patient care: patients learn to manage their own health and can avoid a hospital readmission. Thomasville (NC) Medical Center, a 146-bed hospital, implemented its TMC to Home program in July 2011 to target at-risk patients with acute MI,…
An opportunity was identified to improve the care of the ventilated patient through education and adoption of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's evidence-based care bundle for the mechanically ventilated patient. A Six Sigma statistical process control chart analysis for VAPs identified a…
Good Samaritan Regional Health Center's medical unit required four hours, 18 minutes to discharge an inpatient once the discharge order had been written. A CQI+ team was sanctioned to reduce that time. The team used Lean/Six Sigma process improvement strategies to decrease both the hospital's…
A team was created to ensure that all patients regardless of race, ethnicity, language, disability and sexual orientation received the same level of care. A gap analysis identified additional translation resources were needed for sign language as well as infrequently used languages, race and…
In late January 2012, pharmacists began reviewing potential pneumonia patients using a screening tool developed by the quality management team. A list of patients with diagnosis codes that had previously been identified as possible pneumonia patients prints twice daily. Pharmacists review each…
The medical center's mission was to reduce the C. difficile rate from 26.7 cases per 10,000 patient days to a rate below 12.1. A multidisciplinary team was formed that utilized the PDSA cycle to evaluate and implement a plan of action.