Flow charting for quality improvement.

Abstract

This article analyzes the merits of flow charts in their relatively new application to healthcare quality management. Specific examples are given that show how a step-by-step diagram can clarify policies and procedures. Patrice Spath explains "imagineering," a technique for problem identification that compares the steps that a process actually follows with a flow chart of what steps the process should follow. In the discrepancies between the two, problems are revealed. Warnings are given that each detail in a flow chart must pertain to its actual subject and that pictorial symbols should be simple and clear. The author lists some software packages that allow flexibility and speed in flow charting. As a tool for discovering redundancies and inefficiencies, the flow chart is a valuable method for refining quality systems.