OBSTACLES TO QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS
This research examines factors that may become obstacles in the implementation of quality improvement programs in health care organizations. Factors considered in this research are system change as an obstacle, xenophobia as an obstacle, organizational structure as an obstacle, defining and measuring quality as obstacles, organizational dissension as an obstacle, the process of quality improvement as an obstacle, and managed care as an obstacle.
The changes in the health care environment in the United States result from a combination of factorsùincreasing costs of health care, changing societal values, advances in treatment therapies, technological innovation, changing demographics, and many others. Cost is a major factor involved in changes in the delivery of health care delivery and support services. It is, therefore, imperative for health care delivery and support organizations to develop procedures that will lead to more effective and more efficient operations. The improvement of quality in all aspects of a health care institution's activities has been linked to this goal (Cleverly & Harvey, 1992).
Improving the quality of the care provided is widely suggested in the 1990s as the solution to the problems being faced by health care institutions. Many theorists and observers both inside and outside the medical establishment suggest that a quality improvement program can lead to improved quality in health care (Banham, 1993).
When health care delivery and support organizations implement changes designed to lead to more effective and more efficient operations, however, the human resource complement in the health care field is inevitably affected. When governments change regulations affecting the functioning of health care delivery and support organizations, again the human resource complement in the health care field is inevitably affected. Regardless o...