Introducing Quality Assurance at Garki Hospital

One doctor learns that perseverance and consistency makes a difference in realizing global health.

Situation

Dr. Amara Oguine Albert works at Garki Hospital, a government owned 100‐bed facility, which employs nearly 200 people in Abuja, Nigeria, and sees approximately 150 outpatients each day. According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria’s density of healthcare professionals is still too low to effectively deliver essential health services, making it a challenge for healthcare professionals like Dr. Albert to meet the needs of their patients.

Solutions

In January 2011, Dr. Albert participated in RGH’s online 7‐Day MPH program, designed to provide practical skills to healthcare staff on the frontlines in developing countries. After working with her personal RGH coach, she set the goal to improve quality of care in Garki Hospital in the specific areas of infection control and clinical services.

Dr. Albert’s new program would focus on improving the quality, efficiency, and consistency of health services, based on principles from her 7‐Day MPH program. She saw the need to shift Quality Assurance at Garki Hospital by looking at care from the point of view of the patient.

Dr. Albert sought approval from hospital management to start her Quality Assurance program. Gaining this permission was not easy but with motivation from her RGH coach, coupled with her own perseverance, she was finally granted permission. She moved on to the next challenge – convincing all staff members to participate!

Success

Dr. Albert involved both clinical and administrative hospital staff in the Quality Assurance training – drawing from the training she received in the 7‐Day program and using a scorecard she developed to monitor progress. The first phase was implemented for four weeks and was a proven success.

By the fourth week Garki Hospital saw the following benefits from Dr. Albert’s training: 150 staff members were using the scorecard to track progress compared to 50 in the first week and there were no hospital‐acquired infections.

• Patient wait times were reduced from one hour in the first week to less than 30 minutes in the fourth week.
• Patient complaints were reduced from eight in the first week to two in the fourth week.
• Staff members who were using correct aseptic techniques improved from 105 in the first week to 150 in the fourth week.

“I realized that resources are always limited that’s why I plan my action carefully. I also measure my progress to make sure [I] am doing the right thing right. The QEC principles have helped me to improve my work. Achieving your goal is possible, only focus on what you want to achieve and refuse to be discouraged.”
‐ Dr. Amara Oguine Albert

About this Series

RGH’s 7-Day online programs provide participants with dynamic capacity building solutions that empower real country-led development. This series highlights the success of participants as they strive to bring better health and well-being to their communities and countries.