Quality control
a process that is used to ensure a certain level of quality in a product or service. It
might include whatever actions a business deems necessary to provide for the
control and verification of certain characteristics of a product or service. Most
often, it involves thoroughly examining and testing the quality of products or the
results of services. The basic goal of this process is to ensure that the products or
services that are provided meet specific requirements and characteristics, such as
being dependable, satisfactory.
The goal of the quality control team
is to identify products or services that do not meet a company's specified standards
of quality. If a problem is identified, the job of a quality control team or
professional might involve stopping production or service until the problem has
been corrected. Depending on the particular service or product as well as the type
of problem identified, production or services might not cease entirely.
Purpose of control
To detect deviations from desirable standards 
To take preventive and corrective actions in order to ensure that the 
organization's mission and objective are accomplished as effectively and
efficiently as possible.
To guide behavior and set in to motion plans for future 
TQM (Total Quality Management
Name given to quality control 
Features of TQM: 
Quality Circles – meetings of relevant workers •
to discuss issues relating to maintenance and improvement of quality in
the business – may also double as a form of empowerment and
motivation.
Statistical Process Control – statistical data generated to inform the •
evaluation of processes within the business.
Zero defects – systems in place to ensure that no product leaves the •
business with a defect – important in building supplier relationships,
image, reputation.
THE PRINCIPLES OF TQM
customer focus 
process focus 
prevention focus 
workforce mobilization focus 
fact-based decision making focus 
continuous feedback focus 
Basic Elements of Service Quality
Organization 
Customer 
Communication 
Front-Line People 
Leadership 
Quality of Care
The nurses believe themselves to be providing high quality of nursing
care to their patients
!
Directors of nursing and nursing management are viewed as !
responsible for developing the environment where such care can flourish
components of quality healthcare
a high level of professionalism, 
• efficient use of resources (human, financial and material), 
• the lowest possible risk for the patient, 
• patient satisfaction, and 
• a (positive) influence on his state of health 
Designing a QC Program
Establish written policies and procedures 
Corrective action procedures •
Train all staff 
Design forms 
Assure complete documentation and review 
Indicator Selection Criteria
Specificity to nursing 
Ability to be tracked 
Widely regarded as having strong link to nursing quality 
Subset of indicators identified in previous work 
Patient-Focused Outcome 
Process of Care 
Structure of Care 
Quality management 
is a method for ensuring that all the activities necessary to design, develop and
implement a product or service are effective and efficient with respect to the system
and its performance
Quality Tools You Can Use:
Brainstorming l
Interviews l
Observation l
Rewards l
Teamwork l
Questionnaires l
Charts/graphs
l
Population-based Quality Improvement
In today’s health care environment, organizations are able to track their 
aggregate performance in caring for select populations of patients against
evidence-based standards of care.
Quality compass: 
Functional status •
Clinical outcomes •
Cost and utilization •
Patient satisfaction •