Quality Issues and Insights in the 21st Century

4-5

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

Recent problems of quality management have gained a diverse character. A number of organizations at different levels actively seek for implementing various quality management systems. A part of those are based on ISO standards, whereas the rest employs other measures. Despite these variations, the actions taken must be properly performed thus avoiding situations when the issued certificate only plays a crucial role. The key objective is to ensure continuous improvement and personal competitive advantage of activities stimulated by an organization. The writing does not focus on all above introduced questions. The only point is that frequently the implementation of quality management systems is really a rather formal and superficial process, i.e. certain call of fashion, discussing the fields of social affairs, education and culture in particular. It seems to be clear that the latest concept of quality is very chaotic as there are a number of different and often contradictory definitions. The abundance of quality investigations is really surprising. Quite a few researchers deal with the quality aspects of a certain area in one or another way regardless of the type of the sector, for example, manufacturing, services, etc. It should be noticed that discussing the issues of quality have sometimes become a modern occupation.

20-28

Authors: Anu V. Kuriokose, Vanaja Kenchaappa, Sanjeev Kumar A. Hiremath, Bency Mary Varghese

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is one of the serious medical disorders and is associated with increase in poor physical and mental health leading to impaired quality of life (QOL). The Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire–Short Form (KDQOL-SFTM) is widely being used as a measure of QOL in CRF patients and very few studies have investigated the QOL in CRF patients not undergoing dialysis. The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability and validity of KDQOL-SFTM in CRF patients on haemo-dialysis (CRF-D) and not on dialysis (CRF-ND) in Bangalore, India. Data was gathered from 101 participants from the nephrology department of age >18 years having CRF. The patients who had undergone renal transplant were excluded in this study. KDQOL-SFTM 1.3 composed of 43 kidney-specific items and 36 general health items was used, excluding three questions relating to dialysis staff encouragement and patient satisfaction, sexual function as they were not relevant to our study population comprising of CRF patients on dialysis and not on dialysis. Percentage of floor, percentage of ceiling, and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient) were calculated. Complete information was collected from 101 participants with 40 CRF patients undergoing dialysis and 61 CRF patients not on dialysis with the mean age of 50.88 ±14.22 years (CRF-D) and 53.64 ± 13.03 years (CRF-ND). Comparison of KDQOL-SFTM mean score values between CRF patients on dialysis and not on dialysis group revealed that quality of social interaction, role emotional, emotional well-being had a significant difference (p < 0.05), but the overall health score was almost same. All sub-scales had a Cronbach’s α above the recommended minimum value of 0.7 to indicate good reliability (range 0.7) except quality of social interaction (CRF-D and CRF-ND) and sleep, role physical and emotional well being in CRF-D group. Comparison of mean score values revealed that participants < 40 years had a better QOL the > 40 years. Results from KDQOL-SFTM supported the validity and reliability of KDQOL as a measure of QOL in dialysis and not on dialysis patients in a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore, South Indian Population. Hence, measuring and monitoring these aspects of quality of life could lead to a more patient-centered care and improve the health and well-being among patients with CRF.

41-49

Authors: Svetlana V. Yaremtchuk

This study investigates life satisfaction as the indicator of subjective well-being of working women of Komsomolsk-on-Amure. The Personal Well-being Index and National Well-being Index were used as the methods of data acquisition. This gives the opportunity to compare the results of the research with similar researches made in the other countries. 175 women in the age of 20 – 60 working in the pre-school educational establishments composed the sample of the research. It reveals a comparatively low level of life satisfaction and well-being of Russian women, wide range of individual meanings to all the scales of the questionnaires, essential exceeding of the level of personal well-being over the level of national well-being. Correlation analysis also presents the lowering of subjective well-being due to the age in such parameters as health, safety, future security, social conditions and business in Russia.