Quality plan in health services: a comprehensive vision

Abstract

Objective: To design a Quality Plan for nursing services at the Centro Médico Docente La Trinidad (CMDLT) in order to optimize care management and align clinical practice with the institution's strategic standards. Methods: A non-experimental, cross-sectional field study using a quantitative approach and a feasible project framework. The population consisted of 40 nurses from the Inpatient Unit, with a purposive sample of 30 professionals. A 32-item Likert-scale questionnaire was administered; it was validated by expert judgment and demonstrated a reliability of 0.91 via test-retest analysis. Results: Significant misalignment was evident between nursing staff and the institutional philosophy; 63% of respondents stated they "never" apply the guiding principles (mission/vision) in their daily work. Although attitudinal skills represent a strength (48% consistent compliance), there is variability in technical care: 41% meet efficiency and effectiveness standards only "sometimes," and weaknesses predominate in cognitive and procedural competencies. Conclusions: There is an imperative need to implement the designed Quality Plan, based on ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 10005:2019 standards and hospital management models. This tool will enable process standardization, comprehensively strengthen professional competencies, and bridge the gap between strategic management and clinical practice to ensure patient safety.