QRB. Quality review bulletin
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In 1990, Schumpert Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana--a 625-bed acute care hospital--established an acute pain service (APS) department and implemented the ten-step monitoring and evaluation process as recommended by the Joint Commission to facilitate the quality assurance program for pain management therapy. The program, which entails the cooperative effort of anesthesiologists and registered nurses, is intended to provide individualized pain management therapy to qualified APS patients on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis. Through continuous, systematic monitoring and evaluation of six aspects of care and their indicators and thresholds, the quality of APS patient care can be determined and improved.
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To determine the characteristics and effects of quality assurance programs in emergency medical service (EMS) systems in Michigan, medical directors of all EMS medical control authorities in Michigan were mailed a survey consisting of 14 closed-ended and open-ended questions including 2 using a subjective continuum scale; the study included phone follow-up of nonrespondents. Twenty-nine (56%) of 52 authorities surveyed responded; 28 reported that they conducted quality assurance activities. ⋯ Although 26 (92%) respondents reported that their quality assurance program made a difference in the quality of care delivered, lack of standards and resources were most frequently listed as program weaknesses. Survey findings prompted the EMS Division of the Department of Public Health, State of Michigan, to address quality assurance in statewide seminars and to develop guidelines for statewide implementation.