Applying the Deming method in hospitals: Part 2

The first article in this two-part series provided a brief history of W. Edwards Deming's influence on Japanese management and outlined the elements of his theories regarding continuous improvement of quality. This column more fully describes Deming's theories as set forth in his book Out of the Crisis (1986). It then gives examples of how they apply in hospitals. Readers will readily identify applications in their own management activities.