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May 21, 2014
The IHI Open School is an innovative learning community where you can take free online courses, earn certificates, network with peers and experts, and gain confidence and skills in quality improvement and patient safety to change health care.
Clinicians are involved in diagnosing and treating patients’ problems every day. What if these same clinical skills could be applied to another type of problem — problems within the systems of care in which they work? By examining symptoms such as miscommunication, poor coordination, and unnecessary risk, how could they improve experiences for themselves and those around them?
In a new IHI Open School video resource, MIT senior lecturer and IHI Senior Fellow Steve Spear explains why he thinks seven steps needed to care for patients are essentially the same as those needed to fix systems of care. He also shares common trouble areas and gives two examples of successful improvements in health care settings.
This summer, HarvardX will be offering a free course entitled “Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety.” Learners will gain an understanding of health care quality and how it affects population health, approaches to quality measurement, and the role of information and communication technology in quality improvement. All those who care about health and health care — providers and professionals, students, residents, and patients — are invited to take part in this course hosted by edX.
Watch the course trailer, in which Maureen Bisognano, contributing expert for the edX course and IHI CEO and President, recalls how the sudden, tragic death of her young nephew forever changed her outlook on quality improvement in health care.
According to a recent New York Times article, by the end of residency, nearly all trainees will be personally involved in a medical error; but that doesn’t mean they’ll be prepared to deal with it.
“The difficulty of disclosing medical errors is especially acute for medical trainees,” writes the author, an incoming resident. Compared to seasoned physicians, he says, trainees are less sure of their skills and more worried about evaluations and damaging their reputations. Adding to the problem is the fact that only one-third of trainees report receiving formal instruction in error disclosure (although 90 percent say they would like it!). Read the article, and learn more in the IHI Open School course PS 105: Communicating with Patients after Adverse Events.
Last week, the Baylor College of Medicine Chapter in Houston, TX hosted their annual quality and safety conference, “Defining Value in Healthcare: The Patient, Provider, and Payer Perspectives.” The conference aimed to define value in health care and explore practical means to apply that understanding of value to quality and safety initiatives in local health care systems. IHI Vice President, Katherine Luther, pictured to the right with Baylor Chapter Leaders, presented at the conference on “How to Perform Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Projects.” Congrats to Baylor for a successful conference!
The Portland State University/Oregon Health Sciences University Chapter is hosting an event on May 23 called “Where do YOU fit in Health Care Transformation?”, a discussion about the role of future health professionals in Oregon’s health care transformation. This event is free for those interested in attending and will also be web-streamed live, here.
Please join us in welcoming Carol Casallas to the team of Latin America Regional Leaders. Carol, a doctor specialized in clinical pharmacology and health economics in Colombia, will be joining Dolores Macchiavello and Vanessa Lizette Vizcarra Munguia in leading their region. Click here to learn more about Carol or find your own Regional Leader.
Last week, the Baylor College of Medicine Chapter in Houston, TX hosted their annual quality and safety conference, “Defining Value in Healthcare: The Patient, Provider, and Payer Perspectives.” The conference aimed to define value in health care and explore practical means to apply that understanding of value to quality and safety initiatives in local health care systems. IHI Vice President, Katherine Luther, pictured to the right with Baylor Chapter Leaders, presented at the conference on “How to Perform Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Projects.” Congrats to Baylor for a successful conference!
