Oral health care quality as viewed by leading dentists and their superiors – a qualitative study

Figures & data

Table 1. Quality dimensions and their definitions by the Institute of Medicine [5].

Quality dimensions	Definition
Safe	Avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them.
Effective	Providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit (avoiding underuse and overuse).
Patient-centered	Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.
Timely	Reducing waits, and sometimes harmful, delays for both those who receive and those who give care.
Efficient	Avoiding waste, in particular waste of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy.
Equitable	Providing care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location and socioeconomic status.

Table 2. Focus questions per theme.

Theme	Question 1	Question 2	Question 3
Safety	What does safety mean in your opinion in oral health care?	How safety is visible in your own organization?	How safety is measured in your organization?
Effectiveness	What does effectiveness mean in in your opinion oral health care?	Is effectiveness measured in your organization?	How effectiveness is measured in your organization?
Patient-centeredness	What does patient-centeredness mean in your opinion in oral health care?	How patient-centeredness is realized in your organization?	How patient-centeredness is followed in your organization?
Timeliness	What does timeliness mean in your opinion in oral health care?	How timeliness is realized in your organization?	How timeliness is estimated in your organization?
Efficiency	What does efficiency mean in your opinion in oral health care?	Is efficiency measured in your organization?	How efficiency is measured in your organization?
Equity	What does equity mean in your opinion in oral health care?	How equity is realized in your organization?	How realization of equity is followed in your organization?

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001.

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