Resilient Ambassadors of Change » assessment

Assessing quality

Christa Chaffinch — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:35:30 +0000

This article by Dr. Danielle Ofri gets at the core of my work, and the kinds of questions that we ask every day.

Nobody really knows how to assess the measures that Dr. Ofri is hinting at here: listening skills, communication ability, empathy, critical thinking skills; and have them add up to a meaningful whole. But believe me, a lot of people are thinking about it and working on ways to improve the system. Everyone agrees that medical knowledge cannot be the sole metric of what makes a "good" doctor. In fact, it is just an initial hurdle - one that gets at minimal competence. But then there are other things (reasoning skills, compassion, cultural sensitivity) that need to be measured and added into patient outcomes in order to get the true sense of a physician's quality.

Can usability heuristics be used to evaluate patient experience?

Jillian Ketterer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:03:30 +0000

I don't remember when I first learned about the concept of "usability", but I haven't been able to let go of it ever since. Usability is basically the ease with which something can be used to serve the intended purpose. For example, a usable website is one that gets you the information you want in an efficient, simple manner. A door knob is usable if it turns easily and opens the door. Systems and processes can also be examined with a usability lens - did the customer have to wait long at the register? Did the automated phone system eventually lead you to a person to address your question?

Am I smarter than a fifth grader?

Kathleen Rose — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:04:39 +0000

I didn't expect any red marks!

Nope. But hey, since I don't do the game show circuit for a living, the ability to respond to questions about obscure or not so obscure facts is not a top priority. But having the skills to ensure patient safety (especially when I am the patient or recipient of services) by preventing medical errors (more especially when you are the healthcare professional or provider of services), now that's a priority I can wrap my brain around. Health literacy, especially as it relates to patient safety, is a pretty hot topic. And whose literacy is always in question? Why, it's the patient's, of course. How refreshing to follow a tweet and find that in the UK, folks at the National Health Service (NHS) North West Strategic Health Authority think it's important to assess literacy/numeracy skills of aspiring healthcare professionals.