Healthcare Quality Week is observed on the third week of October each year and this year, it will be held from October 20 to 26. It celebrates healthcare quality professionals for their unique sacrifices towards ensuring quality service delivery and to appreciate the improvements recorded in healthcare facilities over the years due to their efforts. It is also a week to spread awareness of the importance of quality healthcare services and make policies that will facilitate and guarantee the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals. By estimates, over 45% of deaths at healthcare facilities are due to a lack of quality service delivery — a fact that makes healthcare quality delivery urgent!
History of Healthcare Quality Week
The National Association of Healthcare Quality (N.A.H.Q.), founded in 1976, is responsible for the start of National Healthcare Quality Week. Frank Demuth, the institute’s first executive director, was the one who came up with the idea of forming a professional organization for healthcare personnel. This was in response to the 1972 Bennet Amendment to the Social Security Act, which compelled healthcare groups to account for federal expenditures. Demuth also saw organizations and professionals working together to ensure the greatest possible medical care at all times. Within a few years, N.A.H.Q. had spawned a slew of subsidiary organizations to carry out its mission.
The National Healthcare Quality Week was established by the National Association of Healthcare Quality in 1985, among other things, to recognize and celebrate the contribution of healthcare quality experts in their various organizations. Every year, N.A.H.Q. holds a week-long celebration in collaboration with groups dedicated to improving healthcare quality. In the United States, healthcare quality is a top priority, due to the country’s high healthcare costs. As a result, experts are required to investigate and address these issues. N.A.H.Q. awarded certain persons Certified Professionals in Excellent Assurance (C.P.Q.A.) certificates in 1983, and in 1989, it founded the Healthcare Quality Education Foundation to further its understanding of quality healthcare delivery.
Healthcare quality professionals work to ensure patients receive the best quality healthcare possible and that they are treated with the best equipment available, as well as managed properly to prevent them from frequently coming back to the hospital for the same problem. Because of the critical role that healthcare quality experts play, their relevance has been emphasized every third week in October for more than three decades.
Healthcare Quality Week timeline
The National Association of Unitization Review Coordinators, which later became the National Association of Healthcare Quality, is established.
Individuals are designated with certificates of Certified Professionals in Quality Assurance.
The first National Healthcare Quality Week is hosted by N.A.H.Q.
N.A.H.Q. establishes the Healthcare Quality Education Foundation.
Healthcare Quality Week FAQs
What does quality mean in healthcare?
It means the degree to which the desired outcomes are achieved for patients in healthcare facilities. It implies not only facilities used but effective management of patients post-treatment or diagnosis.
Which country has free healthcare?
The majority of European countries provide universal healthcare coverage to their residents. Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, and Greece are just a few of the countries that come to mind.
Which country has the most expensive healthcare?
The United States of America ranks as the number one country with expensive healthcare. This is reflected in the annual spending of its citizens on healthcare — an amount that runs into billions of dollars.
How to Observe Healthcare Quality Week
Appreciate healthcare professionals
For their brave and untiring sacrifices, send words of appreciation to any healthcare quality professional you know. Let them know you value their patriotic efforts.
Host seminars or presentations
Organize seminars and roundtable discussions with healthcare quality experts to educate the public about the necessity of receiving high-quality care. They will benefit and become more conscious as a result of this information.
Render support
Donate all you can to ensure that great healthcare is available in hospitals. It could be in the form of equipment, infrastructure, or financial assistance.
5 Facts About Healthcare In The U.S. That Will Surprise You
Spendings skyrocketed in the 21st century
Healthcare spending leaped from $1,082 per person in 1960 to over $8,000 in 2010.
Immense healthcare spending compared to corporations' profits
Healthcare spending is equal to half of all corporate earnings in the United States.
Healthcare spendings are unevenly shared
Half of the healthcare spending goes to only 5% of the healthcare spenders.
Causes bankruptcy
The high cost of healthcare is one of the major causes of bankruptcies.
Americans discard prescriptions
One-fourth of Americans abandon their prescriptions because they can't afford to get them.
Why Healthcare Quality Week is Important
It improves quality healthcare delivery
Quality healthcare delivery significantly increases during the week's celebration. Patients and health personnel strive to achieve good healthcare delivery.
It boosts professionals' spirit
Appreciating and honoring healthcare professionals pushes them to work harder and better. Boosting employee spirit is good for engagement, motivation, performance, and retention.
It fosters understanding between patients and workers
Doctors, nurses, and other health personnel feel more empathetic and sympathetic towards patients seeking healthcare delivery during the week. Empathy helps nurses build a trusting connection with those in their care by focusing on the patient's point of view. This strengthens communication because nurses can gain an understanding of how patients are coping and what they are experiencing.
Healthcare Quality Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | October 16 | Sunday |
| 2023 | October 15 | Sunday |
| 2024 | October 20 | Sunday |
| 2025 | October 19 | Sunday |
| 2026 | October 18 | Sunday |
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