KEY POINTS A driver diagram demonstrates the factors underlying a particular outcome. It can offer a visual representation of the “theory of change” underpinning the improvement work. A driver diagram is useful for generating change ideas that directly link to…
Key Points Process maps provide a useful tool to help understand a system and stimulate improvement ideas. Process maps are a visual representation of a process or pathway broken down into the constituent steps and options along the pathway. Creating…
Key points Quality improvement teams need a rigorous method to learn whether the changes they make lead to improvement. Statistical process control (SPC) charts visualize data over time, signaling whether a process is stable or whether a nonrandom special cause,…
Key Points Variation exists in all that we do. Variation needs to be understood as it lays itself out over time. Static displays of data using summary and descriptive statistics will not allow you to understand variation. The Run Chart…
Key Points Without data, you are merely a person with another opinion! Living in concept-land will never produce results! The milestones in the quality measurement journey provide the roadmap for successful results. Every successful journey starts with a map and…
Key Points Improving healthcare processes and outcomes and maintaining these achievements within the healthcare system is a multifaceted journey. Different services, systems, and processes each present their own unique set of “Opportunities for Improvement” (OFI). Depending on the complexity of…
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Key Points The Model for Improvement provides a template to test, implement and study change. To drive improvement, bold, specific, time-bound, aligned, ambitious, and numeric aims must be developed. Measurement is central to a team's ability to monitor and improve…
Key Points Description of the quality improvement (QI) methodology used is essential to ensuring the process can be replicated. The most common QI methodologies are Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, Model for Improvement, Statistical Process Control, and Theory of Constraints. It…
Key points The planning of quality improvement greatly benefits from articulating a program theory: It improves clarity around what the intervention is attempting to accomplish and the mechanisms of change. A program theory can also identify stakeholders and conditions for…