Service Improvement

Profiles in improvement
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is producing an ongoing series of audio profiles of front-line improvers. This edition is by John Senders of the University of Toronto. Click here to read more about these profiles and to listen to them.

Planning for scale: a guide for designing large-scale improvement initiatives
CJ McCannon, MW Schall, RJ Perla
Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2008
This white paper is a preparation tool which is meant to guide conversation and thinking prior to the launch of a large-scale improvement effort. Click here to access the white paper – free registration is required.

The NHS Constitution
Department of Health, 2009
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Events

Event: Improving patient services in the NHS – learning the lessons and sharing the knowledge
27^th February 2009 – Leeds Town Hall
10^th March 2009 – Staff House, University of Manchester
NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH) is hosting two conferences for NHS staff to share their knowledge and learn lessons from each other to help improve patient services. To find out more about the events, click here. An online booking facility is available for these events:

• Leeds event
• Manchester event

Event: Using practical tools and methods to create an efficient office practice
Begins 12^th February 2009 – web-based learning sessions and practical assignments
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has created a new Web&ACTION to help office practices find and eliminate waste. Participants in the program will learn how to use simple tools and methods centered on Lean principles such as identifying the value stream, design for continuous flow, and removing bottlenecks and waste. The goals of this work include:

• focusing more fully on providing ideal patient-centered, evidence based care
• decreasing cycle times
• increasing efficiency, and patient and staff satisfaction

For more information on this program, click here.

Human Resources

Human resource leadership: the key to improved results in health
ML O’Neil
Human Resources for Health, 2008, 6:10
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Public Health

IDeA Knowledge Healthy Communities bulletin – May 2008
This is a monthly digest, designed to help people working in the health arena stay in formed of local government health initiatives. Click here to read the May 2008 issue.

Service Improvement

Watching your wait: evidence-informed strategies for reducing health care wait times
SA Kreindler
Quality Management in Health Care, 2008, 17(2), pp128-135
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Making a difference: running the gauntlet to improve health care
F Godlee
British Medical Journal, 2008, 336(7650), pp947
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Improvement

Year of Health Communities Calendar
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) for local government has developed the Year of Health Communities Calendar for April 2008 to March 2009. The financial year calendar contains 52 health improvement examples, one for each week of the year. The calendar starts with April 2008. At the beginning of every new month four health examples will be showcased on these pages. The calendar emphasizes where local authorities, primary care trusts (PCTs) and other services are tackling health inequalities. Click here to see the calendar.

Quality Improvement

Utilizing EHRs to inform continuous quality improvement
PJ Edwards, DT Huang, LN Metcalfe, F Sainfort
Journal of Healthcare Information Management, 2008, 22(1), pp32-38
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Managing knowledge for quality assurance: an empirical study
J Yang
International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 2008, 25(2), pp109-124
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Eating soup with a fork: keynote speech by Dr Donald M Berwick
The Institute of Healthcare Improvement is offering Dr Donald M Berwick’s National Forum December 2007 keynote speech. Dr Berwick looks at the role of evidence and the importance of context in promoting improvement. This “On Demand” presentation is freely available. Click here to enroll for this free “On Demand” presentation.

Supporting quality improvement in care homes for older people: the contribution of primary care nurses
S Davies, C Goodman
Journal of Nursing Management, 2008, 16(2), pp115-120
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Evidence Based Practice

Real-time EBM: from bed board to keyboard and back
R Stark, I Helenius, L Schimming, N Takahara, I Kronish, D Korenstein
Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2007, 22(12), pp1656-1660
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Bridging the gap between evidence and practice in venous thrombosis prophylaxis: the quality improvement process
F Michota
Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2007, 22(12), pp1762-1770
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Process

Application of statistical process control in healthcare improvement: systematic review
J Thor, J Lundberg, J Ask, J Olsson, C Carli, K Pukk Harenstam, M Brommels
Quality and Safety in Health Care, 2007, 16(1), pp387-399
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