Methods & Tools
The QA Model
The QA Project approach to improving health services and individual performance incorporates three core quality assurance activities:
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© QA Project, 2000
The Quality Assurance Triangle effectively illustrates the synergy between these three core QA functions or activities. Although the QA Triangle highlights the three core quality assurance activities in its vertices, there is actually a range of sub-activities related to each core QA activity. The greatest impact on quality of care can be achieved only when all three activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion.
The triangle shape appropriately suggests that there is no "correct" or even optimal sequence to initiate QA activities. The order will depend on the capacity of the healthcare system or facility and the interest of the providers. In practice, QA is a cyclical, iterative process that must be applied flexibly to meet the needs of a specific program. The process may begin with a comprehensive effort to define standards or it may start with a small-scale quality improvement activity. Alternatively, the process may begin with monitoring. Some teams may even choose to simultaneously begin in two places. The time and effort required for each step will depend on the details of the project and whether any QA activities have taken place in the past.
To learn more about the core activities of quality assurance in healthcare, link to:
