11.Conclusion: Leading Value-Improvement Programs on the Frontlines

MODULE 10 | Section 11 of 11

Conclusion: Leading Value-Improvement Programs on the Frontlines

MODULE 10 SUMMARY

This module covered a lot of content and options for structuring and working through a quality or value improvement project. While there is no one correct way to complete an improvement project, we hope that you are now armed with some tools and concepts for approaching a project with the right mind set–one that requires constant refinement over time. Well done improvement projects are time consuming and difficult. But a structured approach and tools like process maps, stakeholder maps, and rigorous measurement on statistical process control charts can be applied to nearly any process and tell you when and how you are making a difference.

MODULE 10 SECTION SUMMARIES

SECTION 2

Often seemingly simple processes, like timing the orders and procedures for a discharge of a patient from a hospital, often have complex and system-based causes.

SECTION 3

There are many improvement methodologies used in health care. Three of the more common methodologies are Lean, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement, and SixSigma.

SECTION 4

Starting an improvement project with a problem statement, a SMART aim statement, and fully understanding the problem with tools like a Pareto chart help to set your project up for success.

SECTION 5

Completing a stakeholder analysis and using a framework like the COST (Culture, Oversight, Systems change, Training) can enable you to design an intervention to tackle multidimensional value improvement projects.

SECTION 6

Part of the process for planning an intervention is planning for the evaluation of your project. Defining the measures you will use and the data needed for those measures will aid you in quantitative analysis of impact and goal progress.

SECTION 7

Authentic application of the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycle in conjunction with tools like Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a method of evaluating and measuring the success of your improvement project.

SECTION 8

Improvement projects can range from local improvement on a floor of a hospital or across a healthcare system and the tools covered in this module are useful in both settings.

SECTION 9

Care Redesign Case: The Virginia Mason Institute uses the Lean improvement methodology for healthcare improvement including improving outcomes for surgical patients and an increase in reporting of patient safety events.

SECTION 10

Interactive: Ensuring an aim statement for your project is SMART helps to add clarity to your approach, while using an SPC chart allows you to determine the difference between normal cause and special cause variation.

Leave a Comment