Quality Improvement Guide

Quality Improvement Guide

Quality

The Health Quality Improvement Partnership in the UK has published a freely available guide obringing together twelve quality improvement (QI) methods, providing an overview of each and practical advice on how and when to implement them, with illustrative case examples.
QI methods covered include clinical audit; Plan, Do, Study, Act; model for improvement; LEAN/Six Sigma; performance benchmarking, process mapping and statistical process control. It is aimed at all professionals with an interest in QI.

Quality Improvement Methods Guide (if you have difficulty opening the document once you are on the HQIP website, right click and save it first)

Patient Experiences in Australia: Statistics

Patient Experiences in Australia: Statistics

Client relationships Communication Patient Care Public Health Quality

This publication from the Australian Bureau of Statistics presents information from the 2013-14 Patient Experience Survey. The ABS Patient Experience Survey is conducted annually and collects data on access and barriers to a range of health care services, including general practitioners (GPs), medical specialists, dental professionals, imaging and pathology tests, hospital admissions and emergency department visits. It includes data from people that accessed health services in the previous 12 months, as well as from those who did not, and enables analysis of health service information in relation to particular population groups. Data are also collected on aspects of communication between patients and health professionals.

4839.0.55.002 - Patient Experiences in Australia: States and Territories, 2013-14 

Better Care- always room for improvement.

Better Care- always room for improvement.

Patient Care Quality

It has been noted that better care tends to be found in services that “acknowledge there is always room for improvement – they are proactive, seeking feedback on their services and learning from concerns and complaints".

This report from the English Care Quality Commission (CQC) examines what underpins high quality care. It includes short case studies illustrating some of the qualities shown by care providers that have been rated good or outstanding overall. It also shares the views of some people responsible for care quality and what they have done to drive improvement.

The CQC note that three themes have emerged as drivers of better quality of care:

• Care is person-centred, designed around the individual and includes their involvement.
• The importance of the line-of-sight from senior leadership to the frontline staff and services.
• Good care includes the provider checking on how well they are doing.

Celebrating good care, championing outstanding care.  

The Third Healthcare Revolution - Sir Muir Gray

The Third Healthcare Revolution - Sir Muir Gray

Health policy Quality Safety

Sir Muir Gray recently presented a public lecture in Sydney focusing on health reform and medical practice variation.  He believes we are in the midst of a Third Healthcare Revolution driven by citizens, knowledge and the Internet.  Sir Muir argues that despite the significant clinical advances of the last 50 years, health services are faced with the same persistent problems: patient harm, waste, unwarranted variation, inequity, and failure to prevent the preventable. Health services are also faced with the new challenges of rising demand and resource constraints.

Visit the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care site to download the video of the presentation, view the PowerPoint slides, and link to more detailed workshop presentations.

Vital signs 2013: the state of safety and quality in Australian health care

Vital signs 2013: the state of safety and quality in Australian health care

Australia Health outcomes Hospitals Quality Safety

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has released VitalSigns 2013: The State of Safety and Quality in Australian Health Care.This report provides an overview of a series of key topics in relation to the safety and quality of Australia’s health care system.

Professor Debora Picone, Chief Executive of the Commission noted “Vital Signs 2013 focuses on three important questions that members of the public may ask about their health care. Will my care be safe? Will I get the right care? Will I be a partner in my care?”

Quality Improvement Made Simple

Quality Improvement Made Simple

Quality

The Health Foundation (UK) Has released a second edition of its guide "Quality improvement made simple: What everyone should know about healthcare quality improvement". Free to download here.here.