8. Communicate project goals and progress
Dr. Harry Cho
Progress and changes need to be communicated effectively and repeatedly – do not assume that team members are aware. Celebrate the achievement of intermediate goals and small successes to ensure engagement and commitment of the team. Feedback and reminders help develop the momentum that is crucial for any long-term project.
9. Manage resistance to change
“People responsible for planning and implementing change often forget that while the first task of change management is to understand the destination and how to get there, the first task of transition management is to convince people to leave home.” – William Bridges
Inertia is powerful. We may consider our continuous performance improvement initiative as “the next big thing” but others may not share this enthusiasm. We therefore need to build a compelling reason for others to become engaged and accept major changes to work flow. Different strategies may be needed depending on your audience. Though for some, data and a rational analysis will be persuasive, for others the emotional argument will be the most motivating. Share personal anecdotes and use patient stories. In addition, let providers know “what’s in it for them.” Some may have a personal interest in your project or may need QI experience for career advancement; others might be motivated by the possibilities for scholarship arising from this work.
10. Make the work count twice
Consider QI as a scholarly initiative from the start to bring rigor to the project at all phases. Describe the project in an abstract or manuscript once improvements have been made. Publication is a great way to boost team morale and help make a business case for future improvement work. The Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE) guidelines provide an excellent framework for designing and writing up an improvement project.4 The guidelines focus on why the project was started, what was done, what was found, and what the findings mean.
Driving change is challenging, and it is tempting to jump ahead to “fixing the problem.” But implementing a successful QI project requires intelligent direction, strategic planning, and skillful execution. It is our hope that following the above tips will help you develop the best possible ideas and approach implementation in a systematic way, ultimately leading to meaningful change.
Dr. Reyna is assistant professor in the division of hospital medicine and unit medical director at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. She is a Certified Clinical Microsystems Coach. Dr. Burger is associate professor and associate program director, internal medicine residency, at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He is on the faculty for the SGIM Annual Meeting Precourse on QI and is head of the high value care committee at the department of medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Dr. Cho is assistant professor and director of quality and safety in the division of hospital medicine at Mount Sinai. He is a senior fellow at the Lown Institute.
References
1. MacLeod L. Making SMART goals smarter. Physician Exec. 2012 Mar-Apr;38(2):68-70, 72.
2. Langley GL, Moen R, Nolan KM, Nolan TW, Norman CL, Provost LP. The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance (2nd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 2009.
3. Nelson EC, Batalden PB, Godfrey MM. Quality By Design: A Clinical Microsystems Approach. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass; 2007.
4. Ogrinc G, Davies L, Goodman D et.al. SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence): revised publication guidelines from a detailed consensus process. BMJ Qual Saf. 2015 Sep 14.