Friday, January 23, 2009

Quality control and quality assurance

there is a difference between these two. Quality Control is an after event phenomenon (just like a post mortem exercise). It consists of a set of checks and inspections to be carried out after the mistake has occurred. For example, a patient visits the ophthalmic OPD for alleged refractive error problem. The doctor prescribes the suitable glasses. Patient wears the glasses but there is no improvement. Patient comes back and registers his grievances about the poor service by the hospital. Now, reasons need to be found out. So, hospital starts finding out the fault (note this is happening after the mistake has occurred). The likely reasons may be as hereunder:
1. Patient has not been checked up by the qualified ophthalmic assistant/ doctor.
2. There is no standard check list which may serve as guidelines for a thorough check-up.
3. If there is a checklist, the doctor/ophthalmic assistant has escaped one or more checks and the problem was not correctly diagnosed.
4. Doctor instead of carrying the complete check up, believed (what patient told) and concluded it to be refractive error problem but the root of the problem lies somewhere else.
5. If everything (as stated above) is in order, may be, the diagnostic equipment is not properly calibrated and it gives error and hence the wrong eye glass number.

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