Biomaterial Database

Total quality management and statistical quality control: practical applications to waste stream management. 1992

F R Kerley, and B E Nissly

TQM offers a completely new approach to problem solving in health care. The approach requires dedication and persistence in monitoring, understanding, and changing systems at a level that has never been reached before in the United States' health care system. Materiel management, purchasing, nursing, housekeeping, and administration now have the necessary tools to centrally study the medical waste stream flow at their facilities. The intent of this article is to display how TQM techniques can be applied to minimize a hospital's medical waste stream. The approach of studying medical waste as a defect generated during the process of delivering high-quality care enables a hospital to pinpoint causes of these defects, modify the parent system of the defect, and lessen the generation of medical waste defects. Successful implementation of these techniques as a continuous process will enable hospitals to be leaders in the preservation of their host communities' environments.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008332	Management Quality Circles	Participation of employees with management as a labor-management team, in decisions pertaining to the operational activities of the organization or industry.	Quality Circles,Circle, Management Quality,Circle, Quality,Circles, Management Quality,Circles, Quality,Management Quality Circle,Quality Circle,Quality Circle, Management,Quality Circles, Management
D008421	Materials Management, Hospital	The management of all procurement, distribution, and storage of equipment and supplies, as well as logistics management including laundry, processing of reusables, etc.	Hospital Materials Management,Storeroom,Storerooms,Management, Hospital Material,Management, Hospital Materials,Hospital Material Management,Hospital Material Managements,Managements, Hospital Material,Material Management, Hospital,Material Managements, Hospital
D008506	Medical Waste	Blood, mucus, tissue removed at surgery or autopsy, soiled surgical dressings, and other materials requiring special disposal procedures.	Pathological Waste,Waste, Medical,Waste, Pathological,Medical Wastes,Pathological Wastes,Wastes, Medical,Wastes, Pathological
D011682	Purchasing, Hospital	Hospital department responsible for the purchasing of supplies and equipment.	Hospital Purchasing,Hospital Purchasings,Purchasings, Hospital
D011785	Quality Assurance, Health Care	Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.	Quality Assessment, Health Care,Health Care Quality Assessment,Health Care Quality Assurance,Healthcare Quality Assessment,Healthcare Quality Assurance,Quality Assessment, Healthcare,Quality Assurance, Healthcare,Assessment, Healthcare Quality,Assessments, Healthcare Quality,Assurance, Healthcare Quality,Assurances, Healthcare Quality,Healthcare Quality Assessments,Healthcare Quality Assurances,Quality Assessments, Healthcare,Quality Assurances, Healthcare
D012037	Refuse Disposal	The discarding or destroying of garbage, sewage, or other waste matter or its transformation into something useful or innocuous.	Waste Disposal, Solid,Disposal, Refuse,Disposal, Solid Waste,Disposals, Refuse,Disposals, Solid Waste,Refuse Disposals,Solid Waste Disposal,Solid Waste Disposals,Waste Disposals, Solid
D003625	Data Collection	Systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources, including questionnaires, interviews, observation, existing records, and electronic devices. The process is usually preliminary to statistical analysis of the data.	Data Collection Methods,Dual Data Collection,Collection Method, Data,Collection Methods, Data,Collection, Data,Collection, Dual Data,Data Collection Method,Method, Data Collection,Methods, Data Collection
D003627	Data Interpretation, Statistical	Application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed or assumed facts from a particular study.	Data Analysis, Statistical,Data Interpretations, Statistical,Interpretation, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analysis,Statistical Data Interpretation,Analyses, Statistical Data,Analysis, Statistical Data,Data Analyses, Statistical,Interpretations, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analyses,Statistical Data Interpretations
D005568	Forms and Records Control	A management function in which standards and guidelines are developed for the development, maintenance, and handling of forms and records.	Records Control,Forms Control,Records Management,Controls, Records,Management, Records,Records Controls
D006745	Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499	The number of beds from 300 to 499 which a hospital has been designed and constructed to contain. It may also refer to the number of beds set up and staffed for use.