Levin D F
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Nurs Clin North Am. 1993 Sep;28(3):581-96.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's 10 step methodology for quality assessment and improvement is a powerful tool for addressing and resolving complex interdisciplinary problems and issues. This article presents the basics of each of the 10 steps to illustrate a post anesthesia care unit (PACU) monitoring and evaluation process that is rigorous, objective, systematic, and relevant. In addition, two quality improvement tools, flow charts and cause-and-effect diagrams, are discussed.
