A new RN staff member asks you about the difference between QA and QI.

QUESTION

A new RN staff member asks you about the difference between QA and QI. You explain the difference by giving an example of QI.

a. “Last year, the management team established new outcomes that addressed issues such as medication errors.”
b. “At a staff meeting last year, two of our staff commented on the number of recent falls and asked, ‘What can we do about it?'”
c. “A process audit was done recently to determine how much time was being spent on patient documentation.”
d. “Errors are reported on our new computerized forms, and I follow up with staff to make sure that they understand the seriousness of their error.”

ANSWER:

ANS: B
In QI, followers invest in the process by continually asking “What makes this indicator important to measure?” “What has been done to improve it?” “What can I do to improve it?”