Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement

Dissatisfaction with traditional quality assurance has led administrators to apply other industrial models of quality management to the health care field (Thompson, et al., 2000). Two such models from industry are total quality management (TQM) and continuous quality improvement (CQI). The concepts ofTQM and CQI are often thought of as the same, but they are not. TQM has been as defined as “the management philosophy and system that promotes positive organizational change, as well as an effective cultural environment, for continuous improvement of all aspects of the organization.” CQI has been defined as “a systematic approach to the measurement, evaluation and improvement of the quality of all products and services, through the use of disciplined inquiry and teamwork” (Gift, 1992).