What social and economic factors contributed to the quality of health care outcomes in communities during the COVID-19 outbreak? Discuss how CQI principles were applied, improving public health.
Hello everyone,
“Social and economic factors include factors such as income, education, employment, community safety and social support” (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2023). During the pandemic, these factors were affected as many people lost their jobs, medical insurance, and struggled to pay for their basic needs like food or housing; which in turn affected people’s health and well-being (Drake & Rudowitz, 2022). CQI initiatives, such as
ongoing PDSAs, were interrupted during the pandemic and organizations had to quickly apply
CQI principles to allow quality teams to strategize about pre-existing and new quality work (Foster & Stack, 2020).
Drake, P., & Rudowitz, R. (2022, April 21). Tracking Social Determinants of Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. KFF.
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/tracking-
social-determinants-of-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/#:~:text=Over%20the
%20course%20of%20the,people%27s%20health%20and%20well%2Dbeing.
Foster, A. A., & Stack, A. M. (2020). Quality Improvement in a Pandemic. Pediatric quality & safety, 5(4), e321.
https://doi.org/10.1097/pq9.0000000000000321
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2023). Social & Economic Factors. County
Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-
rankings/county-health-rankings-model/health-factors/social-economic-
factors#:~:text=Social%20and%20economic%20factors%20include,housing%20and
%20to%20manage%20stress.
