IS TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT/ CONTINOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OR QUALITY ASSURANCE APPLICABLE IN HEALTH SERVICES?

In modern society, people are likely to be consumerism. They tend to be concerned about the quality of goods or services. In the same way, health care had to pay attention as the patients seem to be familiarized with health services quality. Health care has tried to adapt TQM/Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as well as Quality Assurance (QA) which is also adapted from manufacturing. However, some characteristics in the health industry are dissimilar to manufacturing. It can be explained from two points of view: workforce aspects (definition quality, physician domination and empowering); and consumer aspects (consumer ignorance, consumer satisfaction, consumer expectation). First of all, the characteristics of the health workforce, which is different from the workforces in manufacturing because of high autonomy, high professionalism, while having more stress, domination of certain profession. Medical Professions believe that quality is using high technology medical care and working effectively as the goal to making people healthy. Manager have their own value about quality, he may perceive quality in terms of efficiently. Second is the consumers??? variable needs and wants variation which may cause variation of products. They may lack information or knowledge regarding medical process, so they may not recognize their needs and demand in terms of health services. Consequently, they are unlikely to confident to measure the quality of medical process.. Consumers think more about affordability and interpersonal processes. Therefore, health services may require special consideration in implementing quality management tools. It may adjust the principle of TQM/CQI/QA in order to conform with health services characteristicsIn modern society, people are likely to be consumerism. They tend to be concerned about the quality of goods or services. In the same way, health care had to pay attention as the patients seem to be familiarized with health services quality. Health care has tried to adapt TQM/Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as well as Quality Assurance (QA) which is also adapted from manufacturing. However, some characteristics in the health industry are dissimilar to manufacturing. It can be explained from two points of view: workforce aspects (definition quality, physician domination and empowering); and consumer aspects (consumer ignorance, consumer satisfaction, consumer expectation). First of all, the characteristics of the health workforce, which is different from the workforces in manufacturing because of high autonomy, high professionalism, while having more stress, domination of certain profession. Medical Professions believe that quality is using high technology medical care and working effectively as the goal to making people healthy. Manager have their own value about quality, he may perceive quality in terms of efficiently. Second is the consumers??? variable needs and wants variation which may cause variation of products. They may lack information or knowledge regarding medical process, so they may not recognize their needs and demand in terms of health services. Consequently, they are unlikely to confident to measure the quality of medical process.. Consumers think more about affordability and interpersonal processes. Therefore, health services may require special consideration in implementing quality management tools. It may adjust the principle of TQM/CQI/QA in order to conform with health services characteristics