“Quality” in health care means different things to different people.
If you ask patients and their families, they often describe quality in terms of customer service, good bedside manner, good food, the attitude of nurses, being able to talk to a doctor, and even parking or navigating the facility. We believe quality includes patient satisfaction is an important part of the healing process and we work every day to assess and improve this key area.
For doctors and medical staff and as measured by accrediting bodies and the federal government, ensuring “quality” means measuring clinical outcomes, adhering to best medical practices and ensuring patient safety. Through our quality and patient safety initiatives we are measuring and analyzing patient safety statistics and identifying opportunities to improve.
Quality care and patient safety are particularly critical for teaching hospitals like UAMS, because we care for many of our state’s sickest and most critically injured patients, who have more complex and challenging conditions. Especially with these patients, reducing the chance of complications is a top priority.
At UAMS, we are committed to providing accurate and honest information about our clinical care and our patient satisfaction.