CQI in action: benefiting our patients

During 1993, the renal department of a suburban New Jersey hospital made the transition from quality assurance (QA) to continuous quality improvement (CQI). The chronic hemodialysis unit identified a problem based on the patient status at the beginning of the year, initiated steps to correct it, assessed the change by the end of the year, and developed plans to continue and improve the change. The effort to improve patient iron levels demonstrates one CQI activity undertaken.