An Emerging Science of Improvement in Health Care
Journal article, 2015

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to describe the emerging science of improvement in health care and to add a perspective from the industrial quality improvement movement, the use of data from quality registers, and to give some personal reflections and suggestions. Furthermore, we want to introduce to the broader quality management community what is happening in health care with respect to quality improvement. We will discuss some of the challenges of the health care system and the current status of a science ofimprovement and give some suggestions for further improvements to the area. We discuss a possible extension of improvement knowledge and thetheoretical and practical arsenal of a science of improvement, in particular, understanding variation and implications for the use of, for, example control charts. In addition, the normative side of a science of improvement is discussed. The article ends with some brief reflections of use for future research agendas.

quality improvement

science of improvement

improvement science

health care

profound knowledge

Author

Bo Bergman

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Quality Sciences

Andreas Hellström

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Quality Sciences

Svante Lifvergren

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Quality Sciences

Susanne Gustavsson

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Quality Sciences

Quality Engineering

0898-2112 (ISSN) 1532-4222 (eISSN)

Vol. 27 1 17-34

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Innovation and entrepreneurship

Subject Categories

Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified

Other Medical and Health Sciences

Probability Theory and Statistics

Areas of Advance

Life Science Engineering (2010-2018)

DOI

10.1080/08982112.2015.968042

More information

Created

10/8/2017