Health Quality: The Quality Of Health Care

Health Care Quality Today, we live in a world where health care is forever changing. As technology and health care improve people’s expectations regarding the quality of their health care increase as well. Quality health care is defined as “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge” (Huber, 2014, p. 293). The Institute of Medicine (IOS) defines quality of care as a set of characteristics that include patient-centered care that is safe and effective (Johnson, 2010). This also includes the unnecessary delays in health care, the efficient use of resources, as well as the need to provide care that does not vary based on personal characteristics (Johnson, 2010). Health care providers are not the only ones thinking about health care quality, but the patients are as well. …show more content…
Consumers rated the highest indicator of quality of health care as having access to care, followed by having competent and skilled providers, receiving proper treatment, having communication, proper education on new diagnosis’s, providers that demonstrate caring behavior, and being treated with respect (Oermann, 1999). On a scale from 1-10 with 1 indicating the worst possible care and 10 indicating the best possible care, most consumers rated their care in the last 6 months between 7.42 and 7.98 (Oermann, 1999). Health care quality is a standard that facilities and providers strive to improve upon everyday in order to provide the best possible care as well as to retain the loyalty of their