Change is difficult for most people. It often requires moving outside of one’s comfort zone, doing something different, or acquiring new skills. Understanding the dynamics of change management is another necessary leadership skill when implementing quality and safety initiatives. Though there are many different models of change, this article will be focusing on Kurt Lewin’s …
The impact of adverse events can be devastating not only for patients and families but also for the caregivers involved. The first victim refers to the patient, and the second victim (SV) is a term used to describe the emotional impact experienced by caregivers. Second victims are healthcare providers who are involved in an unanticipated …
As part of the quality improvement process, data is needed to identify a baseline current state, determine gaps, and track progress towards a target rate. Dashboards are one way to display these components and enable a picture of current performance. Think of dashboards as performance monitoring systems, similar to an automobile dashboard that provides real-time …
If you are reading this, I’m assuming you are preparing for and planning to take the National Corporation Certification (NCC) exam for Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety at some point in the near future. If you have any angst about this, take a few minutes to read this article. This is my experience with …
The scope of quality improvement (QI) work is broad, and narrowing this down involves thoughtful consideration to selecting key quality metrics. This can be based on evaluating the importance to different stakeholders, financial implications, and prioritization to areas of opportunity identified through benchmarking of data against like size facilities/units. Let’s use, for example, a quality …
Integrating change to the bedside can be difficult for many reasons including a lack of the following resources to effectively drive change: quality support staff, data, leadership, time, adequate mentoring, knowledge of quality improvement (QI) techniques, and a culture that does not support change. The culture piece includes hanging on to old practices because of …
On Wednesday, October 30, 1935, an evaluation flight of the Boeing Model 299 was undertaken at Wright Field, northeast of Dayton, OH, USA. The Model 299 was the most technologically sophisticated aircraft of its time and was nicknamed the Flying Fortress because of the extent of its armaments. Major Ployer P. Hill was the pilot, …
Although it sounds simple, effective communication exchange is complicated and failures in this area have been a longstanding problem in healthcare. Unfortunately, the literature shows that gaps in handoff continue to contribute to errors and patient harm. Handoff is the transfer of patient care from one provider or team to the next and involves the …
Standardized Communication Tools for Effective Handoffs Read More »