Nursing & Healthcare

Quality Healthcare

Quality healthcare means doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right person—and having the best possible results. Quality of care plays an important role in describing the iron triangle of health care, which defines the intricate relationships between quality, cost, and accessibility of health care within a community. Researchers measure health care quality to identify problems caused by overuse, underuse, or misuse of health resources. There are six domains to measure and describe quality of care in health:

Safe – avoiding injuries to patients from care that is intended to help them

Effective – avoiding overuse and misuse of care

Patient-Centered – providing care that is unique to a patient's needs

Timely – reducing wait times and harmful delays for patients and providers

Efficient – avoiding waste of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy

Equitable – providing care that does not vary across intrinsic personal characteristics

Healthcare quality varies from country to country. For example, some health plans and doctors simply do a better job than others of helping you stay healthy and getting you better if you are ill. Research shows that Americans want and value quality health care.