The Rev. Sue Wintz on understanding the language of quality

By the Numbers

Adams Dudley, an Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California San Francisco, wrote “There is a need to change today’s approach to health care ‘from more health care’ to ‘what is right in health care.’ Thus is the foundation of the quality movement within healthcare.

Professional healthcare chaplaincy hasn’t always had to deal so directly with quality issues as we do today. Why, one asks, should we? The health care climate has been changing rapidly over the past 20 years, and it will continue to do so. Report cards, patient satisfaction survey results, and other information is quickly becoming available to the public and will be used by many consumers to choose their health care provider. This change means that these numbers will continue to become the central focus of healthcare organizations.

The profession of chaplaincy is impacted by these changes and must change itself. How we operate as chaplains: how we are trained, certified, and what we offer to the organizations in which we work has also changed dramatically over the past 20 years…and will continue to do so.

It is essential that we understand and utilize the language of today and tomorrow’s healthcare - including that around quality - and incorporate it into our clinical practice, our administration, and our visioning.

Quality health care means doing the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right person having the best possible results. The goals of the national quality movement include:

• Improving clinical outcomes


• Cost-effectiveness


• Teaching consumers how to use quality information and health information


• Guiding consumers to make best decisions for themselves and their families, leading to improved health status and outcomes over time.


• Improving the content, presentation, distribution, and evaluation of information that is presented

There are differences in views about quality. While organizations often focus on clinical and cost issues, consumers focus on service issues. Not surprisingly, it is often because of these differing perceptions that conflicts occur. Both need to be held in balance. Professional chaplains can assist in doing this. However, in order to be most effective and make the best contributions, chaplains need to know and understand the language of quality.

There are a number of quality tools being used, including report cards, performance report systems, accreditation criteria, outcome measures, and patient satisfaction surveys. While the plethora of information can appear overwhelming, there are many tools and resources available for chaplains to utilize to learn more.

One place to start in gaining understanding the importance and impact of the healthcare quality movement is the Institute of Medicine’s report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm”. It is available online at the website of the National Academies Press at www.nap.edu. The report provides a framework and common language for understanding, measuring, and evaluating the quality of medical care.

Other steps chaplains can take:

• Take the time to understand and appreciate what is important to your administrators.


• Become aware of the changes and challenges impacting healthcare. One way to do this is by browsing on a regular basis some of the national health care leadership journals, for example Modern Healthcare which is also available on the internet. Reading just one journal will be helpful.


• Learn how to benchmark and compare what you are doing in your department with what is being done in others.


• Find out how to do a cost/benefit analysis, how to develop and track quality projects, what patient satisfaction surveys mean, and how to write a business plan.


• Stay current with and utilize new resources and collaborate with your colleagues in professional chaplaincy. In particular, pay attention to the materials being developed by the APC Commission on Quality in Pastoral Services. Get involved within the profession and share what you are learning and developing.

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.