QUEST’s study by ISRO, AHPI and SEMI delves deep into entire healthcare delivery system
The study conducted over two years, involved ten hospitals from across the country, concluded in January 2023
The QUEST study jointly conducted by ISRO, AHPI and SEMI spanning over two years, involving ten hospitals from across the country, concluded in January 2023.
Tracing the history of this epoch-making study, which probably is the first of its kind in the globe, dates back to the year 2016, when Dr Alexander Thomas of AHPI and Dr Kasturirangan, Former Chairman, ISRO, during a casual discussion deliberated on the incidence of human errors in the emergency department of hospitals.
Appalled by the high incidence of human errors, a suggested comparison was drawn with that of the ISRO best practices which are zero error complaints. Taking this suggestion forward, resulted in intense deliberations between scientists from ISRO and medical experts from AHPI and SEMI, numbering around 100 and extending for one year.
This resulted in the publication of the document, QUEST’s; Quality Upgradation Enabled through Space Technology, for facilitating the adoption of ISRO best practices in the emergency department of hospitals.
It is noteworthy that stalwarts of the medical fraternity such as Dr Devi Shetty and others from across the country participated in the discussion and provided valuable inputs towards this document.
To document and quantify the outcome of adopting ISRO best practices a pilot project was conducted at two of the AHPI hospitals which showed encouraging results. Following this year full-fledged implementation project involving 10 hospitals from across
the country was carried out over one and a half years, with the experts reviewing the progress of the study weekly.
The study which has been completed on January 23 involved 16 quality parameters which were assessed for each of the participating hospitals, for which data has been collected on a real-time basis, using a digital platform to understand areas of improvement and set up focused and specific interventions to improve process parameters.
An analysis of the results of the project has demonstrated that the adoption of the ISRO best practices into the emergency care set-up has had significant beneficial effects in improving the quality of care involving many parameters.
At the meeting being held at the ISRO Headquarters in Bangalore on 16 February 2023, where the results of the QUEST’s study would be presented, and the keynote address is being delivered by Somnath, Chairman, ISRO and the others in participation would be Dr Devi
Shetty Chairman Narayana Health, Dr Alexander Thomas, Founder and Patron of AHPI, Dr Saravanakumar, President of SEMI and other senior experts and office bearers of AHPI and SEMI. CEOs and site champions from each of the Hospitals from all over the country are also attending.
Therefore, the QUEST’s study results are bound to have far-reaching effects on the entire healthcare delivery system of our country, as ISRO best practices are being planned to be adopted in the emergency department of the hospitals which would ultimately benefit
millions of patients.
