Nghe An Oncology Hospital: Quality affirms the brand

Dedicated and steadfast in the journey of quality and patient safety

On July 31, 2017, the Department of Hospital Quality Management and Social Work (Department of Hospital Quality Management & Social Work) of Nghe An Oncology Hospital was established. With many efforts in building, perfecting and clarifying functions and tasks, the department has achieved remarkable results; at the same time, the two departments always maintain close coordination and support. However, in order to improve and enhance the quality of medical examination and treatment and better meet the health care needs of the people, and at the same time implement the directives of the Ministry of Health , on February 28, 2022, the Director of Nghe An Oncology Hospital signed a Decision to establish the Department of Hospital Quality Management (on the basis of the previous Department of Hospital Quality Management & Social Work).

Panorama of Nghe An Oncology Hospital. Photo: Thanh Duy

Looking back on the journey of implementing the standards and criteria for quality management at Nghe An Oncology Hospital, Master, Doctor Tran Ba Kien - Head of Quality Management Department shared that it was a journey with many challenges, especially in the beginning when the hospital was a new medical facility, facing many difficulties in human resources, facilities and the increasing demands of cancer patients - a group of people who were already under a lot of pressure on their health and spirit.

According to Dr. Kien, the biggest difficulty at the beginning is not building processes and document systems, but working with people and changing habits. “Doing quality management is changing thinking, which is never easy,” Dr. Kien said. In the early days, many officers and employees thought that quality management was simply checking or monitoring, without realizing the core value of this work: Ensuring patient safety, standardizing processes and contributing to enhancing the reputation of the hospital.

Staff of the Hospital Quality Management Department are working with the Department of Breast and Gynecology. Photo: BVCC

Faced with that challenge, with the attention and direction of the Party Committee and the Hospital Board of Directors, the Quality Management Department has determined that quality does not come from slogans, but starts with specific changes in the eyes, words, gestures, actions... of staff. Each medical staff learns to listen, understand, and "take the patient as the center". The introduction of the AIDET model into communication standards, organizing in-depth training programs on emotional management skills, behavioral culture and conducting monthly satisfaction surveys have created a clear transformation. Those quiet but persistent changes have brought the inpatient satisfaction rate from 93.1% in 2019 to near absolute level, 99.5% in 2025.

Along with the innovation of service attitude is the seriousness in building a safe working environment. The seemingly simple 5S model has become an important foundation in hospital management. From the "5S Competition" to the annual 5S model training, or the regular quarterly assessment, the hospital space has become more tidy and scientific. Patient Nguyen Van Hop (Internal Medicine Department I) said: " I have been hospitalized for more than 3 months . I have been treated and seen the hospital space is green, clean, beautiful, the hospital room is spacious and clean, so I feel less stuffy and more secure ...".

Clearly identifying improving quality culture as the main foundation in the "quality journey", the Quality Management Department constantly promotes and diversifies internal communications, issues the Hospital Quality Handbook, continuously opens 5S training courses, patient safety, incident management, etc. Processes are standardized, coordination between departments and rooms is closer, and the spirit of "for the patient" has spread into a common value. "For the nursing team, we always coordinate closely to ensure effective patient care. In particular, we focus on inspection, supervision and support of departments and rooms in improving the quality of care, thereby contributing to improving the overall quality and bringing satisfaction to patients" , shared head nurse Chu Thi Dung - Internal Medicine Department 3.

The Board of Directors of Nghe An Oncology Hospital with all staff and employees at the Award Ceremony and Summary of the 4th "Quality Improvement Initiative Products" Contest in 2025. Photo: BVCC

On that basis, the Quality Management Department also organized the "Quality Improvement Initiative" Contest - an important piece to create a new look for the hospital. In 4 seasons of the contest, 145 innovative products were born, in which many models continued to be replicated such as "Smart Patient", "Smart Medicine Cabinet", "Improving Conversations on Serious Illness", "Online Information Board for Patients"... significantly contributing to shortening waiting times, reforming procedures and improving patient satisfaction.

In 2023, the development and application of the Quality Criteria Set version 2.0, including 18 sets of quality criteria for departments, offices, and centers, has become a big push. The average assessment score has increased steadily over the years: 4.27 - 2023; 4.29 - 2024. Also in 2023, surpassing more than 500 Quality Improvement Projects nationwide, the hospital won 2 Second Prizes at the National Poster Competition "5th Hospital Quality Improvement Project". At the same time, it was honored as the hospital with the best report out of a total of 156 reports and presented directly at the National Forum on Hospital Quality Management.

In 2025, the hospital continued to affirm its reputation when it was one of three hospitals sent by the Nghe An Department of Health to participate in the Conference to review 10 years of implementing the "National Action Program to improve the capacity of managing the quality of medical examination and treatment for the period up to 2025" organized by the Ministry of Health. Here, the hospital was honored to be selected by the Ministry of Health to display standees and videos at the exhibition, to introduce the outstanding achievements in the unit's quality improvement journey.

bna_3(1).jpg — Representatives of the Oncology Hospital leadership in the Conference Program to review 10 years of implementing the "National Action Program to improve the capacity of managing the quality of medical examination and treatment until 2025" organized by the Ministry of Health. Photo: BVCC

Modernizing the quality system according to international standards - New thinking in the journey of patient health care

Not only stopping at expertise, Nghe An Oncology Hospital continues to transform strongly in infrastructure and technology with the inauguration of the phase II hospital with a scale of more than 1,000 international standard beds, a synchronous equipment system, electronic medical records, online appointment booking, cashless payment, QR code for information lookup... The hospital is gradually entering the smart hospital model, where technology serves the safety, efficiency and convenience of patients.

Quality management at Nghe An Oncology Hospital always receives attention and coordination from departments, centers as well as the hospital staff. Photo: BVCC

Discussing the work of improving quality management, Dr. Nguyen Viet Binh - Deputy Director of the hospital affirmed: " Hospital quality management is the core solution to improve the effectiveness of medical examination and treatment and patient satisfaction. With the motto of taking the patient as the center, professional activities and patient care at Nghe An Oncology Hospital are increasingly standardized with the trend of international integration . Applying precision medicine, artificial intelligence and big data in improving the quality of examination and treatment for patients . Every change, every initiative originates from the desire to make the patient experience at the hospital more and more gentle, safe and effective" .

In the coming time, Hospital Nghe An Oncology continues to improve the quality of the hospital towards international standards through standardizing the quality management system according to advanced models such as JCI, ACHS; building and operating a data-based quality measurement index system. Along with that, increasing the application of information technology in monitoring, reporting and improvement. In departments, rooms and centers, continue to promote training on patient safety and quality improvement; develop a quality culture throughout the hospital. Strengthen cooperation and learn from experiences of units that meet international standards; at the same time, constantly improve the experience and satisfaction of patients.

With positive contributions to improvement work over the past time, the quality of medical examination and treatment at Nghe An Oncology Hospital has been constantly improved; the style and service attitude of medical staff are increasingly professional, friendly, and thoughtful, becoming a trusted address for cancer patients in and outside the North Central region./.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/benh-vien-ung-buou-nghe-an-chat-luong-khang-dinh-thuong-hieu-10313533.html