Improvement Tools

WhyNotTheBest.org presents hospital performance information as determined by publicly reported process-of-care and patient satisfaction measures. There are numerous programs that measure various aspects of the performance of health care organizations, using different criteria and methodologies. Some calculate rankings, some present awards, and any are "distinctions," or lists of hospitals, health systems, home care organizations, or other health care settings that meet certain criteria. Below we list many of these programs, their sponsors, brief descriptions, and the extent to which winners are consistent from the prior year. (Source: The Commonwealth Fund)  â€” View Improvement Tool

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed free summaries of the evidence in support of eight different quality improvement strategies: bundled payments; patient-centered medical homes; addressing health disparities; medication adherence; public reporting; prevention of health care–associated infections; measuring outcomes for the disabled; and improving health care and palliative care for advanced illness. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)  â€” View Improvement Tool

With multidisciplinary rounds, disciplines come together, informed by their clinical expertise, to coordinate patient care, determine care priorities, establish daily goals, and plan for potential transfer or discharge. This How-to Guide describes: key components of reliable multidisciplinary rounds; potential impact on outcomes; examples of success; fundamentals for forming the team, setting aims, and testing changes on a small scale; and tips for getting started and for successfully implementing multidisciplinary rounds. (Source: Institute for Healthcare Improvement)  â€” View Improvement Tool

Used by hundreds of health care organizations in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Series, the Project Planning Form is a useful tool for planning an entire improvement project, including a listing of all of the changes that the team is testing, all of the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles for each change, the person responsible for each test of change, and the time frame for each test. The form allows a team to see at a glance the overall picture of the project (Source: Institute for Healthcare Improvement)  â€” View Improvement Tool

The Road Map for Quality Improvement: A Guide for Doctors presents the essentials of quality improvement in an brief and accessible format. Topics include: What is quality improvement? Why should physicians learn about quality improvement? Measurement Building an improvement team Testing changes and continuous quality improvement Transforming culture (Source: Manoj Jain, M.D., M.P.H., Infectious Disease PhysicianMemphis, Tennessee, USA)  â€” View Improvement Tool

This How-to Guide is divided into four sections: Section One provides an overview of the key components needed to sustain and spread improvements, including the IHI Framework for Spread. Section Two outlines a practical step-by-step sequence of activities to lay the foundation for spread, create a plan for spread, and implement and refine the plan for spread. Section Two also includes real-world examples from TCAB hospitals and tips about best practices for achieving spread and sustainability. Section Three includes two case studies. Section Four provides tips and tools from TCAB hospitals. (Source: Institute for Healthcare Improvement (in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation))  â€” View Improvement Tool