Literature: Controlling Variation in Health Care

Keywords / Description:

This is an excellent resource for those new to QI and interested in acquiring background information before implementing a QI project. This 16-page report addresses variation in health care, which can erode quality and reliability, as well as add unnecessary costs. The article speaks of quality management efforts that can successfully reduce each of these forms of variation, and what professionals need to embrace to better serve their patients and themselves. Topics covered include:

The Lines of Cause and the Illusion of Control;
Total Quality Management and a Typology of Cause;
Causes of Variation and the Value of "Statistical Control";
Understanding Variation in Clinical Data; and
Unintended Variation and the Role of Research.

Toolkit:

Quality Improvement Toolkit

Keyword Area:

Performance Indicators, Quality Improvement

Jurisdiction:

Institutional Author:

Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP

Submitted:

07/06/2007

Modified:

07/02/2010

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