CQI in action in the central laboratory.
Total quality management and continuous quality improvement are important tools for survival in today's turbulent economy. The George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC) has initiated institution-wide training in total quality improvement. The FOCUS-PDCA process is one specific instrument used at GWUMC to pursue the goal of total quality. The FOCUS-PDCA acronym stands for: Find a process to improve; Organize a team that knows the process; Clarify current knowledge of the process; Understand the causes of process variation; Select the process improvement; and then Plan, Do, Check, Act. The FOCUS-PDCA process was used to solve a real-world problem in the Central Laboratory of GWUMC. Dramatic improvement in the success rate of phlebotomists resulted, and the percent of "unable to draw" events decreased from more than 5% to less than 1%.
Dennington
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George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC.
Wilkinson
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D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000592:standards; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000592:standards*; D004219:District of Columbia; D006801:Humans; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D008332:Management Quality Circles / Q000458:organization & administration; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel / Q000592:standards; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*