Talking about quality improvement

: impacts of communication and quality management on hospital management : an empirical study

Abstract

The current aging demographic challenges societies to develop structures that meet their physical and psycho-emotional needs. Nevertheless, the frequent use of medical services and or hospital units overload the system, causing a shortage of resources that may compromise the quality and safety of care for users. The study I am presenting aims to verify the contributions of a Quality Management System in the communication practices of CHO and thus contribute to improving patient safety. Twenty-nine health professionals were interviewed, distributed among different professional categories. The results showed that the means of communication used among professionals are multiple, existing information overload and or communication failure that are potentially harmful to the patient's safety. All interviewees recognize the need to improve the communication process in order to optimizeits effectiveness. The implementation of a QMS can contribute to the improvement of the CHO's communication practices. Once the QMS is implemented and internalized in an organization, the improvements in results are evident. Quality management systems are important for the continuous improvement of any organization, optimizing its resources and improving its performance.

Date of Award	3 May 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Henrique Martins (Supervisor)