ABSTRACT
Every department needs a quality management program. If there is a quality assurance coordinator, he or she is the resource person in terms of setting up specific programs for the entire facility. A tenstep approach is widely recognized as the acceptable method to organize and monitor your professional standards. Actual outcome in terms of better resident satisfaction is the ultimate goal. The ten steps are:
Assignment of responsibility
Delineation of the scope of care or service
Identification of important aspects of care or service
Identificaiton of indicators or measurable variables
Establishment of thresholds for evaluation
Collection and organization of data
Evaluation of the data
Action to resolve identified problems
Assessment of actions and documentation of improvement
Communication of relevant information to the QA Coordinator.1
