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For some organizations, finding out where you fit in compared to other organizations is something they do regularly and well.
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Failure and near-misses offer a significant opportunity to change the way you do something in a way that will benefit patients. But is there a best method of doing a root-cause analysis (RCA)? According to St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, yes.
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Mention the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital system to QI professionals and you'll likely hear about any of the dozens of projects and programs developed at the VA that have percolated throughout the country and beyond with great positive impact on patients.
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Some states have highly developed quality improvement organizations (QIOs) that have for years worked with healthcare organizations to improve quality, share information, and tackle problems.
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Hip fractures are among the most debilitating and expensive diagnoses to treat, but your hospital can significantly improve outcomes and lower costs if it moves hip-fracture patients into surgery quickly, explains Anthony Balsamo, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and head of the Geriatric Fracture Care Program (GFCP) at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
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To improve breastfeeding initiation and its continued practice, administrators at the Prentice Ambulatory Care (PAC) Clinic of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago set in place a peer counseling program. Their efforts boosted the rate of women initiating breastfeeding to 84%, from 40%.
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To help children struggling with a weight problem learn how much fat is in their favorite lunch; instructors at WHAM, a wellness, health, action, and motivation class at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock; weigh out caulk on a gram scale and put it in small take-out boxes. On the top of each box is a picture and name of the food item, such as a taco salad from Taco Bell.
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Healthy 100 Kids at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando is open to children ages 6-17 who have a body mass index (BMI) of 85th percentile or above in children of the same age and sex. One parent must be willing to participate with the child.
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The need to address childhood obesity is often in the news because the numbers are staggering.
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To prevent hospital admissions, hospital staff should gather as much information as possible about the patient's discharge needs, psycho-social needs, and support systems in the community, says Cory Sevin, RN, MSN, NP, director with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. They should talk to family members and primary care providers who know the patient and can provide first-hand information, Sevin says.