Is New Zealand according too much importance to continuous quality improvement in healthcare?
In late 2003, New Zealand's Ministry of Health published a 'systems approach' to help guide and plan quality improvements in the nation's health and disability sector. This approach emphasises a need for continuous quality improvement. We argue that the Ministry should align itself less exclusively with the 'the small steps of continuous quality improvement' and 'maintaining the gains'. Instead, it should encourage the adoption of a variety and combination of quality improvement strategies that include continuous quality improvement between the discontinuities that can occasion a need to re-engineer core processes for revolutionary, quantum gains in quality and safety.
Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. s.buetow@auckland.ac.nz
Stephen
S
Buetow
Gregor
G
Coster
D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D009520:New Zealand; D017749:Total Quality Management