This online discussion explored whether and how ‘good quality health care’ is any different from ‘good health care’, and how ideas about quality can help or hinder efforts to improve health services.
Participants were invited to reflect on what matters in health care, and if those things ‘fit’ within quality schema such as the US Institute of Medicine’s ‘big six’ (safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, efficiency, equity and timeliness). They also discussed what the implications of this is in improvement work.
What scope and what need might there be to name and focus on different domains of quality, or even to look beyond ‘quality’ in thinking about good and better health care?
This was the first in a series of online discussion groups which explored questions about concepts, assumptions, values and ethics in health care quality and improvement. The idea was for participants to informally share and compare insights, perspectives and experiences.
Optional pre-reading:
Alan Cribb, Vikki Entwistle, and Polly Mitchell (2020), ‘What does ‘quality’ add? Towards an ethics of health care improvement’ Journal of Medical Ethics. 46(2):118–122.
Convenors
The Philosophy and ethics discussion Special Interest Group (SIG) events was hosted by the convenors: Alan Cribb, Vikki Entwistle and Polly Mitchell. The convenors are researchers on a Wellcome-funded project ‘But why is that better?’, an investigation of what applied philosophy and ethics can bring to quality improvement work in health care.
Project Twitter: @phil4hcq
This event is organised by the Philosophy and ethics for health care improvement Special Interest Group.