Quality Improvement
Health care systems around the world have reinvented themselves in the face of ever-increasing barriers to providing health care to populations presenting complex care issues and budget restrictions. Through concentrated efforts, systems in the US, Sweden, and England have improved patient outcomes and patient and provider satisfaction - while holding the line on or reducing spending.
Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council(HQC) and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations(SAHO) are partnering to present the second annual provincial Health Care Quality Summit. The Summit is designed for anyone interested in dramatically improving the timeliness and effectiveness of health care services through Quality Improvement (QI) methods.
What is Quality Improvement (QI)?
The Quality Improvement movement is largely based on the principles and philosophy of W.E. Deming, who transformed Japanese industry in the 1950’s and ignited a world wide “quality revolution”. Deming's practices are considered timeless and are as relevant today as they were decades ago. His principles and methods help organizations break down old barriers, reinvent themselves and integrate the voice of the customer into every aspect of an organization. While created for an industrial setting, Quality Improvement principles and practices are being adopted in a number of business settings, including health care. Quality Improvement helps identify practices that create problems in organizations and introduces solutions that are both proven and revolutionary.
What is Lean?
Lean is a Quality Improvement strategy that empowers employees; those who know work processes best. Lean encourages employees at all levels to share their ideas about identifying the need for change and generating and implementing innovative solutions. Lean is most effective when it becomes the culture of an organization, as opposed to simply a series of one-time or short-term solutions. In health care, Lean is a patient-focused approach that identifies and eliminates waste, increases efficiency and supports patient-centred care
Areas in health care that are examined with a Lean perspective include excess motion, rework due to errors or cancellations, over production, excess inventory, wasted intellect, excess processing, waiting times, and wasted transportation.
What can Quality Improvement mean for Saskatchewan families and patients?
- Getting the right medical or diagnostic test, the right drug and the right services when needed
- Getting in to see their family doctor and specialists in a timely way
- Patients move efficiently and safely through the health care system
What QI means for Saskatchewan health care providers:
- They are given the skills and knowledge to identify where processes can be improved and provide the best care possible.
- They will be supported by their leadership teams to put the patient first.
- They are spending most of their time in direct patient care.
Examples of products or processes that support Quality Improvement or Lean initiatives in health care:
- Patient booking and staff scheduling programs
- Electronic, computer systems that track and measure progress
- Time management systems that assist health care providers and administrators in increasing direct contact with patients
- Systems that eliminate waste and increase efficiency in offices, emergency rooms, operating rooms, community health care facilities, patient wards and clinics
Examples of successful Quality Improvement initiatives:
Releasing Time to Care (TM)
Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative
Saskatchewan Chronic Disease Management Collaborative
For more information on Quality Improvement and Lean:
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Health Quality Council
Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
National Health Service (UK) Institute for Innovation and Improvement