The Monash Health Quality & Safety Unit recommends the Model for Improvement developed by Associates in Process Improvement.
Why use the Model for Improvement?
Model for Improvement
The Model for Improvement begins with three key questions:
1. Aim: What are we trying to accomplish?
2. Measures: How will we know a change is an improvement?
3. Changes: What change can we make that will result in improvement?
Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
After establishing the changes, applying the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle helps to develop, test and implement changes. The four-phase process is a way to quickly test changes as necessary, and then test again – before implementing anything on a broad scale. Instead of spending weeks or months planning out a comprehensive change, then putting it into practice, only to find that it’s fundamentally flawed, the PDSA cycle enables rapid testing and learning.
Image: Associates in Process Improvement. (n.d.). https://www.apiweb.org/
What is the model for improvement? (3 mins)
This brief clip from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement introduces the Model for Improvement and PDSA cycles.
Visit the IHI video library or YouTube channel to view more videos.
PDSA Cycles
More information about each phase of the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle can be found in the image below. Visit the Getting Started page for toolkits and templates.
The PDSA Cycle: Part 2 (3 mins 48 secs)
This video demonstrates how you would use a PDSA cycle to improve discharge planning as part of a hypothetical improvement project. From the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Open School.
PDSA cycles are often run sequentially, so that knowledge gained over time can be used to refine each subsequent cycle until the aim is achieved.
Further reading
What is co-design?
Put simply, co-design involves partnering with those who have direct experience with the problem that you are trying to solve. The principles below guide co-design in healthcare.
Image: Metro North Health. (n.d.). https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/get-involved/co-design/what-is-co-design
Monash Health frameworks
Below are links to download relevant documents directly from PROMPT. These links will only work while onsite or via Citrix while offsite. Login with your Monash Health username and password when prompted.
Co-Design 101 (1 min 25 secs)
This short video from VicHealth explains what co-design is and its benefits.
Further reading
Mitigating unintended consequences of co-design in health care (2021) by E. N. She & R. Harrison
Resources & toolkits
What is design thinking (DT)?
Design thinking methods focus on understanding users' perspectives, needs, and behaviours, and taking these into account when designing and testing creative solutions. It asks three core questions:
Image on left: B. McWeeney. (2017). https://medium.theuxblog.com/my-user-centered-design-mashup-defining-process-and-communicating-value-65df72f5648a
Image on right: S. Abookire et al. (2020). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00459/full
Design thinking for quality improvement (22 mins 10 secs)
In this webinar from the California Primary Care Association, Stephen Horan, PhD, introduces design thinking and demonstrates how it can be used to improve healthcare quality.
Further reading
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