Quality assurance is a process for planned activities based on performance review and enhancement with the aim of continually improving standards of patient care. This is engaged in traditional quality assurance managerial activities including hospital accreditation, risk management assessment, Patient satisfaction measurement, Planning for quality improvement, Incidence reporting , Enforcement of QA policy , Leading QA initiative , Staff training in quality control , Utilization data and measurement , Supervision of quality staff , Program evaluation , Health and safety reg. compliance , Infection control etc

The goals of a quality assurance program are to:

• Prevent problems from occurring
• Detect and correct issues when they occur
• Encourage higher standards of care
• Eliminate or educate poor practitioners and providers
• Improve the average level of practice
• Reward excellence

INFECTION CONTROL DEPARTMENT

Infection control refers to policies and procedures used to minimize the risk of spreading infections, especially in hospitals and human or animal health care facilities. The main focus of the Infection Control Department is the prevention, management, promotion of patient safety by reducing the risk of acquiring and transmitting infections and control of communicable diseases.

Infection control and prevention (IC) in a healthcare setting requires a comprehensive, coordinated program designed to prevent and control nosocomial or healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The goals of infection control department are to:

• Perform comprehensive surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and epidemiologically significant organisms
• Identify and investigate clusters or outbreaks of infection
• Analyze procedure and device-associated infections
• Create evidence-based interventions to prevent healthcare-associated infections
• Evaluate methods and technologies to reduce transmission of pathogens within the institution
• Create maintain and update appropriate infection control policies
• Develop and maintain educational programs regarding infection control for all hospital employees, physicians, and trainees
• Provide consultation to health care providers in the assessment and management of patients and employees with communicable diseases
• Provide input for the content and scope of occupational health and safety programs related to infection control and prevention
• Advise senior leadership on issues related to reduction of infection risks and regulatory requirements
• Administer ongoing programs and initiatives for continuous quality assessment, quality improvement, and infection risk reduction (e.g. hand hygiene promotion and monitoring)