Mapping a Systems Approach to Existing Healthcare Design, Delivery and Improvement Methods

Abstract

Design, delivery and improvement processes in healthcare is of great challenge due to increasing pressures on healthcare systems alongside inherent complexities, resulting in limited benefits or unforeseen consequences. A recent Systems Approach framework has aimed at responding to the calls about implementing a more holistic approach. Though being an approach in its own right that can iteratively and systematically structure, guide, and/or facilitate design and improvement projects in healthcare, it can also augment existing approaches that have already place in healthcare designers' and improvement practitioners' agendas. Thus, the objective of this paper is to compare and contrast the questions, activities, and tools of the Systems Approach with processes of other major improvement approaches in healthcare to demonstrate their coverages, overlaps, and extended and new opportunities to pursue in the light of the Systems Approach.

Developing a tool to measure enactment of complex quality improvement interventions in healthcare

“…The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has championed QI work for several decades and its foundational concepts have, often with adaptation, been widely adopted. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Educational programmes, or interventions with educational components, are used to convey QI concepts and the general skills and knowledge required to conduct QI activities (eg, development of clear aim statements, trialling change ideas using plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles). 4 7 While QI knowledge comprehension of intervention participants is often assessed (eg, through participant testing at the conclusion of the intervention), few studies differentiate between what individuals learn or know versus their capacity to actually apply their learnt QI skills and knowledge in complex healthcare settings.…”

“…Quality improvement (QI) projects in healthcare settings are common and often require interdisciplinary teams to work cohesively towards a common goal. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has championed QI work for several decades and its foundational concepts have, often with adaptation, been widely adopted 1–6. Educational programmes, or interventions with educational components, are used to convey QI concepts and the general skills and knowledge required to conduct QI activities (eg, development of clear aim statements, trialling change ideas using plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycles) 4 7.…”