The role of Quality Management in medicine

WHAT IS QUALITY MANAGEMENT?

Imagine a clinic as a large organization. Doctors, nurses, administrators – everything must work harmoniously so that the patient receives quality care. Quality management is a system of rules and checks that help avoid mistakes, reduce queues, and make every visit to the doctor worthwhile. An important part of it is internal audit, that is, the clinic checks its work itself and eliminates shortcomings. These are not only standards and documents, but also care that patients feel heard.

With the rapid development of the system of compulsory social health insurance (OSMS) in Kazakhstan, quality management is becoming the basis for creating modern medicine. For example, some polyclinics in Almaty have improved the quality of services through the introduction of internal audit. This affected the satisfaction of patients.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE?

The quality of medical care directly affects our lives. Let's show with a few examples how quality management changes healthcare.

• Reduction of errors. Regular internal audits have reduced the number of cases of misdiagnosis in one Polyclinic in Astana by 20 percent, which has increased the safety of patients.
• Increased trust. A study in Shymkent showed that patients who are satisfied with quality services better follow the doctor's recommendations, which leads to a faster recovery.
• Save time. As a result of improving the processes in polyclinics in Aktobe region, the waiting time for admission was reduced by 30%. This brought convenience to patients.

OSMS AND QUALITY: HOW ARE THEY RELATED?

The OSMS system in Kazakhstan is created to ensure that every citizen receives medical care. But without quality management, especially internal audit, even the largest investments will not work. Well-organized processes, for example, in polyclinics in Pavlodar region, allow us to effectively use OSMS funds through internal audit. This will allow patients to receive modern treatment, and doctors to provide support. The introduction of international quality standards has brought hospitals in Karaganda closer to the world level.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Quality management is not only an improvement in the work of today's clinics, but also a step towards the medicine of the future. Surveys are already being conducted in Kostanay region to find out the opinion of patients. This will help you understand what needs to be improved. Through internal audit, clinics are learning to work faster, more accurately and with more attention to people. In the future, a visit to the doctor will be as simple and pleasant as a visit to a good service center.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

The quality of health care depends not only on doctors and administrators, but also on ourselves. By leaving a review or taking part in surveys after visiting the clinic, you will help improve medicine. For example, polyclinics in Semey have improved the service through patient feedback. Every voice is important because it indicates what needs to be changed.

Quality Management in health care, especially internal audit, is the path to medicine, where the patient is always the center of attention. This is not just science, but concern for the health of every citizen of Kazakhstan.

Duman BEKENOV,

2nd year master's student of the Faculty of Medicine and healthcare