Successfully implementing total quality management tools within healthcare: what are the key actions?

Abstract

This article recognises that many total quality management initiatives fail and that the failures are often due to a lack of knowledge, skills and expertise, particularly in relation to the organisation’s leaders/managers. In contrast however, success is more likely if the implementation approach is well planned, executed, assessed and reviewed. There are five key steps that need to be contained within the implementation plan some of which include setting up a steering committee, agreeing the norms, values and behaviours for the organisation and determining indicators associated with success. Furthermore, a number of actions need to be effected within those five key steps. In essence it was concluded that without careful planning the programme for implementing total quality management was likely to fail resulting in an opposite effect on the quality of healthcare delivery to the one that was intended.