Performance improvement through quality improvement teamwork

Quality improvement teams have the ability to enhance processes that impact care delivery. Organizations must use a framework for documentation and communication of the team's work that is congruent with expectations by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and that nurse executives can apply the expectations to the activities of their departments. The author discusses one such framework, based on 1994 standards, and presents a team report form illustrating communication of the team's efforts using JCAHO terminology.