Quality assessment and improvement within the University of Virginia's Rehabilitation Engineering Service Program

Abstract

Quality assurance (QA) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) are hot topics in rehabilitation technology (RT) these days. While most industries have focused on QA and CQI practices for many years, the RT service industry is just beginning to address issues related to quality. The lack of QA or CQI integration into the RT services does not imply a slowness of the industry to respond to quality issues and needs. Rather it reflects the youth of the industry and, more importantly, the interdisciplinary nature of RT and assistive technology (AT) service delivery.

Recognizing the importance of quality in the delivery of services and devices, several AT /RT programs have been practicing quality assessment and improvement (QA&I) in a formal manner for years. The University of Virginia's Rehabilitation Engineering Service Program (UVA-RES) is one such example. UV A-RES has been, and continues to be, keenly interested in objectively assessing and improving the quality of the services and devices it provides. Since 1989, the program staff have worked with QA&I specialists to develop, implement, and regularly update a QA&I plan and practice that yields compliance with accreditation standards and, more importantly, looks for opportunities to improve the quality of the services and products provided by UVA-RES staff.

The UVA-RES QA&I program is not on the innovative threshold of QA&I. Rather, it is a solid program, pragmatic in design, that is based upon the guidelines established by key healthcare accrediting bodies. A survey of 35 rehabilitation engineering programs in the United States found that only 14 actually possessed a distinct QA&I plan and undertake specific quality improvement activities. Because so few engineering and technology programs practice QA&I in a formal manner, the UVA-RES program represents a basic model that can be replicated by any AT/RT practitioner who is new to the QA&I arena and who desires to develop their own program.