Quality Management and Radiation Safety - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on quality management, accreditation, QA/QC, process management, healthcare metrics, risk, and radiation safety.

Expected quality

The level of quality customers anticipate from a service or product.

Perceived quality

The quality as experienced or perceived by customers during or after service delivery.

Actual quality

The real quality of a service or product as delivered, measured by outcomes.

Accreditation

Formal recognition by an approved body that an organization meets specified standards.

The Joint Commission (TJC)

A major U.S. healthcare accreditation organization setting patient safety and quality standards.

DNV–GL

A global certification and accreditation body for quality and environmental management systems.

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing; emphasized sanitation, data collection, and quality improvement in care.

Ernest Codman

Early pioneer of outcome measurement and the end-result approach to quality.

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Father of scientific management; promoted systematic study of work for efficiency.

W. Edwards Deming

Quality management leader known for PDCA cycle and continuous improvement principles.

Joseph Juran

Quality management theorist focusing on quality planning, control, and improvement.

Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act (1968)

U.S. law governing radiation safety and control in health settings.

Consumer–Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act (1981)

Legislation aimed at protecting patients from unnecessary radiation exposure.

CARE (Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence)

A framework for quality in medical imaging and radiation therapy.

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA, 2008)

Legislation affecting Medicare policies and provider practices.

OSHA Standard Precautions

Workplace safety requirements to prevent exposure to hazards for workers and patients.

Safe Medical Devices Act (1990)

Law enhancing safety and reporting requirements for medical devices.

Mammography Quality Standards Act (1992)

Legislation establishing quality standards for mammography facilities.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; safeguards patient privacy and data.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009)

Stimulus law promoting health IT and care improvements.

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)

Legislation promoting health IT adoption and meaningful use.

Deficit Reduction Act (2005)

Law aimed at reducing federal deficits; includes healthcare provisions.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)

Comprehensive health reform expanding coverage and quality of care.

Accreditation (TJC)

Formal process by which a facility earns certification to meet standards.

Performance standards

Established benchmarks that define acceptable quality and safety performance.

Documentation

record-keeping and filing of policies, procedures, and outcomes for compliance.

Customer focus

A leadership principle prioritizing the needs and expectations of patients or customers.

Leadership

Guiding and directing an organization toward quality and safety goals.

Involvement of people

Engaging all staff in quality initiatives and decision-making.

Process approach

Managing activities as interrelated processes to achieve desired outcomes.

System approach to management

Managing the organization as a unified system of interrelated processes.

Continual improvement

Ongoing efforts to enhance quality and performance over time.

Factual approach to decision making

Using data and evidence to guide decisions rather than assumptions.

Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Collaborative relationships with suppliers that improve quality and value.

Quality Assurance (QA)

A broad program to ensure an organization provides high-quality services; emphasizes prevention and planning.

Quality Control (QC)

Activities focused on maintaining equipment performance and image quality; includes testing and acceptance procedures.

Acceptance testing

Initial tests to confirm equipment and processes meet required specifications before use.

Routine performance testing

Regular checks to ensure ongoing equipment performance.

Error correction testing

Tests aimed at identifying and correcting faults after they occur.

Three Levels of Quality Control (Levels I-III)

Level I: noninvasive simple; Level II: noninvasive complex; Level III: invasive complex QC levels.

Quality Assurance (QA) vs Quality Control (QC)

QA: organization-wide process to ensure quality; QC: specific checks to maintain equipment and outputs.

Quality Assessment

Measurement of quality at a point in time without active improvement efforts.

Quality Control Tests

Tests that monitor and verify the quality of images and equipment performance.

Process

An organized series of steps designed to achieve a desired outcome.

System

A group of related processes functioning together.

Process components (Supplier, Input, Action, Output, Customer)

Elements that describe how a process transforms inputs from a supplier into outputs for a customer.

Key Process Variables

Manpower, Machines, Materials, Environment, Policies that affect process performance.

Administrative Procedures

Rules and workflows governing thresholds, communication, patient comfort, and record-keeping.

Risk analysis

Identifying potential hazards to patients, staff, and others to prevent harm.

Investigation procedure

The process for investigating incidents not aligning with routine care.

Claims prevention

Policies and actions to prevent losses and protect the facility's finances and reputation.

Policies and Procedures

Documented rules and steps guiding operations and risk management.

Loss potential

Costs or reputational damage that could arise from adverse events.

Radiation Safety Program

Overall framework to minimize radiation exposure in diagnostic imaging.

ALARA

As Low As Reasonably Achievable; principle to minimize radiation exposure.

Gonadal shielding

Protective shielding used to reduce radiation exposure to reproductive organs.

PA projection

Posteroanterior radiographic view; recommended for certain patients (e.g., scoliosis).

Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs)

Investigational action levels guiding dose optimization across procedures.

DRLs and ADs

Reference dose levels and applicable diagnostic reference standards for imaging.

Federal regulatory agencies (FDA, NRC, OSHA)

U.S. agencies regulating radiology equipment, safety, and workplace standards.

Exposure limits (rem/mSv)

Legal limits for radiation exposure to workers and the public (e.g., 0.1 rem/year continuous, 0.5 rem/year infrequent; 5 rem whole body/year, 15 rem eye, 50 rem other).

Cardinal principles of radiation protection (Time, Distance, Shielding)

Time: minimize exposure duration; Distance: maximize distance from source; Shielding: use protective barriers.