title: Development and implementation of a comprehensive quality assurance program at a community endoscopy facility.
abstract: Quality assurance (QA) is a process that includes the systematic evaluation of a service, institution of improvements and ongoing evaluation to ensure that effective changes were made. QA is a fundamental component of any organized colorectal cancer screening program. However, it should play an equally important role in opportunistic screening. Establishing the processes and procedures for a comprehensive QA program can be a daunting proposition for an endoscopy unit. The present article describes the steps taken to establish a QA program at the Forzani & MacPhail Colon Cancer Screening Centre (Calgary, Alberta) - a colorectal cancer screening centre and nonhospital endoscopy unit that is dedicated to providing colorectal cancer screening-related colonoscopies. Lessons drawn from the authors' experience may help others develop their own initiatives. The Global Rating Scale, a quality assessment and improvement tool developed for the gastrointestinal endoscopy services of the United Kingdom's National Health Service, was used as the framework to develop the QA program. QA activities include monitoring the patient experience through surveys, creating endoscopist report cards on colonoscopy performance, tracking and evaluating adverse events and monitoring wait times.
authors: Forzani & MacPhail Colon Cancer Screening Centre, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. rhilsden@ucalgary.ca
authors: Robert Jay
authors: RJ
authors: Hilsden
authors: Alaa
authors: A
authors: Rostom
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Dubé
authors: Darlene
authors: D
authors: Pontifex
authors: S Elizabeth
authors: SE
authors: McGregor
authors: Ronald J
authors: RJ
authors: Bridges
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000592:standards*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016730:Program Development; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D014850:Waiting Lists