Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
-
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Apr 2015
A Collaborative Learning Network Approach to Improvement: The CUSP Learning Network.
Collaborative improvement networks draw on the science of collaborative organizational learning and communities of practice to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, coaching, and local adaption. Although significant improvements in patient safety and quality have been achieved through collaborative methods, insight regarding how collaborative networks are used by members is needed. Improvement Strategy: The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) Learning Network is a multi-institutional collaborative network that is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and coaching specifically related to CUSP. Member organizations implement all or part of the CUSP methodology to improve organizational safety culture, patient safety, and care quality. Qualitative case studies developed by participating members examine the impact of network participation across three levels of analysis (unit, hospital, health system). In addition, results of a satisfaction survey designed to evaluate member experiences were collected to inform network development. ⋯ The CUSP Learning Network is an example of network-based collaborative learning in action. Although this learning network focuses on a particular improvement methodology-CUSP-there is clear potential for member-driven learning networks to grow around other methods or topic areas. Such collaborative learning networks may offer a way to develop an infrastructure for longer-term support of improvement efforts and to more quickly diffuse creative sustainment strategies.
-
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Mar 2015
Enhancing the effectiveness of team debriefings in medical simulation: more best practices.
Teamwork is a vital component of optimal patient care. In both clinical settings and medical education, a variety of approaches are used for the development of teamwork skills. Yet, for team members to receive the full educational benefit of these experiential learning opportunities, postsimulation feedback regarding the team's performance must be incorporated. Debriefings are among the most widely used form of feedback regarding team performance. A team debriefing is a facilitated or guided dialogue that takes place between team members following an action period to review and reflect on team performance. Team members discuss their perceptions of what occurred, why it occurred, and how they can enhance their performance. Simulation debriefing allows for greater control and planning than are logistically feasible for on-the-job performance. It is also unique in that facilitators of simulation-based training are generally individuals external to the team, whereas debriefing on the job is commonly led by an internal team member or conducted without a specified facilitator. Consequently, there is greater opportunity for selecting and training facilitators for team simulation events. Thirteen Best Practices: The 13 best practices, extracted from existing training and debriefing research, are organized under three general categories: (1) preparing for debriefing, (2) facilitator responsibilities during debriefing, and (3) considerations for debriefing content. For each best practice, considerations and practical implications are provided to facilitate the implementation of the recommended practices. ⋯ The 13 best practices presented in this article should help health care organizations by guiding team simulation administrators, self-directed medical teams, and debriefing facilitators in the optimization of debriefing to support learning for all team members.
-
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Mar 2015
Using Lean-Six Sigma to reduce hemolysis in the emergency care center in a collaborative quality improvement project with the hospital laboratory.
As part of a strategic quality improvement plan, laboratory management at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMHCS) focused its efforts on improving preanalytical work flow and blood collection processes-both negatively affected by hemolyzed specimens. When hemolysis is detected in a blood specimen, blood may need to be re-collected, resulting in bottlenecks and rework all along the value stream. From July through December 2009, hemolysis averaged 9.8% in the Emergency Care Center (ECC) and 3.4% housewide. The goal was set to reduce hemolysis to 2%. ⋯ Lean-Six Sigma tools helped to pinpoint hemolysis as a key inefficiency in blood collection and preanalytical work flow. Although focused on the ECC, the project team standardized blood collection practices and instituted quality devices to achieve hemolysis reductions housewide.
-
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Feb 2015
Rethinking critical care: decreasing sedation, increasing delirium monitoring, and increasing patient mobility.
Sedation management, delirium monitoring, and mobility programs have been addressed in evidence-based critical care guidelines and care bundles, yet implementation in the ICU remains variable. As critically ill patients occupy higher percentages of hospital beds in the United States and beyond, it is increasingly important to determine mechanisms to deliver better care. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Rethinking Critical Care (IHI-RCC) program was established to reduce harm of critically ill patients by decreasing sedation, increasing monitoring and management of delirium, and increasing patient mobility. Case studies of a convenience sample of five participating hospitals/health systems chosen in advance of the determination of their clinical outcomes are presented in terms of how they got started and process improvements in sedation management, delirium management, and mobility. ⋯ Changing critical care practices requires an interdisciplinary approach addressing cultural, psychological, and practical issues. The key lessons of the IHI-RCC program are as follows: the importance of testing changes on a small scale, feeding back data regularly and providing sufficient education, and building will through seeing the work in action.
-
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Feb 2015
Journey to top performance: a multipronged quality improvement approach to reducing cardiac surgery mortality.
In 2006, leadership at Long Island Jewish Medical Center (New Hyde Park, New York) noted significantly higher cardiac surgery mortality rates for isolated valve and valve/coronary artery bypass graft procedures compared to the New York State Department of Health's Cardiac Surgery Reporting System statewide average. ⋯ Cardiac surgery mortality rates can be significantly reduced and sustained below comparative norms when the organization is committed to clinical excellence and quality and is involved in continuously assessing organizational performance. The evaluation launched at Long Island Jewish Medical Center led to the redesign of the cardiac surgery program and prompted widespread improvement efforts and cultural change across the entire organization.