Diagramming Work Flow
When an improvement team first convenes to begin brainstorming about the kinds of changes they might like to make, it helps to have a picture, literally as well as figuratively, of how the care team is currently delivering care. A good way to do this is to brainstorm the steps (from the patient’s point of view) of a typical clinical encounter. Avoid going into too much detail with any one part of the process. Once the team agrees that all steps and their order have been identified, one or two team members should generate a baseline work flow diagram and circulate it for feedback. Read More ...
"While all changes do not lead to improvement, all improvement requires change. The ability to develop, test, and implement changes is essential for any individual, group, or organization that wants to improve."
- T. Nolan, API
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Assigning Functions and Roles
Using this new flow diagram as a guide, the next task the team faces is to begin to identify who might do what. Initially, it is fine to put two or three possible names up next to a given step, process or function. Read More ...
Staff Training
Most groups that participated in one of the three New Health Partnerships pilot projects emphasized repeatedly how important it is to adequately prepare staff to perform the new duties which have been assigned to them. For an in depth discussion of training and learning support strategies, examples, and resources, see "Training for Staff”
Redesigning For Improvement
Redesigning for improvement requires change. Sometimes the changes we make are simple. They may involve taking just a few steps. And sometimes everyone involved may conclude such changes have added little if any value to a process. Most of the time, however, making substantial improvement in a complex process requires substantial changes: from old habits and behaviors to better ones, or even from a given set of core values, beliefs and rituals to a new culture, in which each of these central components has been modified in important and useful ways. To learn more about improvement methods and how to use them to redesign your practice, visit the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The "Topics" section of the IHI site contains a wealth of tools and resources that can aid you in this work. Read More ...
Resources