Quality assurance tracking or "finding the needle in a haystack".
This paper will present a picture of the steps required from conception, through development, and leading to implementation of an automated Quality Assurance Incident Tracking System within in a multihospital system utilizing general purpose software (WordPerfect and Lotus Agenda). This automated tracking system provides the manager with an effective and efficient method to control multiple staff assignments, tasks, and manage multiple objectives over the resolution cycle associated with hospital incident reporting in the Quality Assurance arena. It also provides the QA managers and hospital executives with an individualized record of the Incident's progress and helps identify useful and dysfunctional patterns in the resolution of the Incident. The identification of these patterns can assist hospital management in revising and developing protocols and procedures that minimize hospital exposure to state sanctions and provide a mechanism to improve the quality of care in the institution: QA Tracking, Quality Assurance, Incident, Automated Tracking.