RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Quality assurance in the endoscopy unit: the view of endoscopy personnel
JF Frontline Gastroenterology
JO Frontline Gastroenterol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 115
OP 120
DO 10.1136/flgastro-2011-100046
VO 3
IS 2
A1 V de Jonge
A1 Ernst J Kuipers
A1 Monique E van Leerdam
YR 2012
UL http://fg.bmj.com/content/3/2/115.abstract
AB Introduction Quality of health services depend on the entire medical team. A supportive team culture and effective leadership is required for successful quality assurance (QA). The opinion of endoscopy personnel towards QA is unknown, while they have to collaborate in many quality projects. Methods A survey was sent to all endoscopy nurses, assistants and managers. It focused on the implementation of a QA programme. Further, a team assessment was included, focusing on leadership and team functioning, using scores on 5-point Likert scales, with 1 being a very positive opinion, and 5 being a very negative opinion towards the item. Results 294 persons completed the questionnaire (44%). 87% expressed a positive attitude towards a QA programme, and 54% thought that the implementation of a nationwide QA programme for endoscopy would be feasible. Positive effects of QA were expected on publicity (62%) and overall quality (70%). Most important QA aspects were aftercare (97%) and patient experiences (96%). Concerns were raised about the time investment (18%) and disclosure of results towards media (24%). Team assessment showed good scores on `team working' with a mean score of 1.97. Lower scores were given to the `wider organization' (3.00) and `team process' (2.42). Conclusion Endoscopy personnel have a positive attitude towards a QA programme. Besides, the team culture and its leadership are ready for the implementation of a QA programme. Efforts should be made to improve team processes and the relation with the wider organisation to ensure an optimal team culture, aimed at quality improvement.