Discussion: Evaluating and Sustaining Improvement
The downfall of many quality improvement initiatives is the inability to sustain improvements. Last week, you considered the use of evidence-based practice models as a method for sustaining practice changes to improve quality. This week's Discussion builds on those concepts of sustainability. You evaluate measurement mechanisms and explore strategies that leadership and improvement teams can use to sustain improvement efforts.
To prepare:
• Review the evaluation tools presented in the Learning Resources and how the tools can be used to promote sustainability.
• Select a measurement mechanism that can be used to evaluate your quality improvement initiative. You may wish to conduct additional research on the use of measurement mechanisms to sustain outcomes of improvement initiatives.
• Consider the influence of leadership and improvement teams in sustaining improvement efforts. Ask yourself: What specific strategies can leaders and my improvement team use to sustain our improvement initiative?
Post a minimum of 550 words essay in APA format with at least 2 references from the list below. Include the levels one headings as numbered below:
Post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:
1) Evaluate the influence of leadership and improvement teams in sustaining improvement efforts.
2) Present a succinct analysis of three or more strategies leaders and teams can use in your response.
Required Readings
Richardson, A., & Storr, J. (2010). Patient safety: A literative review on the impact of nursing empowerment, leadership and collaboration [corrected] [published erratum appears in INT NURS REV 2010 Mar;57(1):158]. International Nursing Review, 57(1), 12-21. doi:10.1111/j.1466-7657.2009.00757.x
This article analyzes how nurses can improve patient safety. It identifies certain knowledge gaps that inhibit nurses' ability to improve patient safety that must be addressed before they can effectively make contributions.
Bigelow, L., Wolkowski, C., Baskin, L., & Gorko, M. (2010). Lean Six Sigma: Sustaining the gains in a hospital laboratory. Clinical Leadership & Management Review, 24(3), 1-14.
In this article, a health care organization uses Lean Six Sigma to improve performance, but it does not initially achieve the desired results. It then utilizes an Operational Performance Improvement office from within the organization to receive better training in Lean Six Sigma and it is finally able to improve performance.
Murphree, P., Vath, R. R., & Daigle, L. (2011). Sustaining Lean Six Sigma projects in health care. Physician Executive, 37(1), 44-48.
The authors of this article consider ways to keep Lean Six Sigma projects operating instead of closing them. They distinguish between closing and controlling, the latter being the last phase in Lean Six Sigma. According to the authors, many organizations close Lean Six Sigma projects when they should be controlling them.
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement: Organizational change. Baltimore: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.
This video examines factors that enhance and impede organizational change. Dr. Wooden and Dr. Freshman discuss change models that can be used to manage the change process and to assist individuals through the transition period.