The application of continuous quality improvement tools in reducing the length of stay for hip replacement patients: a base hospital's experience.

The quality assurance (QA) initiative has been slow to show results. Quality assurance tools have been underdeveloped, and quality by inspection unacceptable to clinicians. A base hospital's experience with continuous quality improvement (CQI) as a means to more effective quality assurance is described. Discharge data grouped into diagnosis related groups (DRG) and analysed for inter-hospital comparison provided reliable statistical data with which to monitor the hospital's performance. The CQI tools were used to analyse the nature of the problem, and correct the deficiency. The new methodology would seem to indicate greater promise for successful quality assurance programmes in the future.