The quality management system in the opinion of nursing staff

Abstract

Introduction. The quality management system is one of the most popular tools to improve management in health care facilities in Poland. The ISO 9001:2008 standard specifies requirements for quality management if the organization intends to demonstrate its ability to provide services that meet legal requirements and expectations of patients and staff (i.e. internal customers). In the case of service organizations staff directly involved in the implementation of benefits is particularly important. In this field the largest occupational group of nurses and midwives plays an important role.

Aim. Theresearch goal was to obtain information about the level of knowledge about quality management system among the nursing staff and the perception of the importance of this professional group in shaping the quality of medical services. Material and methods. The research tool was a questionnaire containing open-ended questions and closed ones directed to nurses employed in various health care facilities. The study was conducted in the first quarter of 2011 within the population of 109 nurses.

The results. The text presents considerations related to the role of nursing staff as an intermediate (internal) client focused on receiving and developing of effective quality management system of medical services.

Conclusion. In the quality management systems of medical services, internal client plays a very important role because it determines the dominant part of the standard. Understanding the preferences of behavior motives and the perception of the system should be at the center of interest of health care facilities, which value on improving the quality of service. The authors tried to prove the thesis of the great importance of awareness of quality management among nurses and midwives in the development of effective and standardized quality management system of medical services.