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. Receive our newsletter from a friend? Click here to sign up.
Clinicians can feel overwhelmed when treating patients with complex medical and social needs. "Not because the people themselves are difficult," says IHI's Dr. Trissa Torres, "but because we feel like we can't meet their needs." Simply providing referrals isn't the answer, but what is? In a new video, Dr. Torres provides practical suggestions to help the patient, the provider, and the community. For example, pick one community partner and invest the time to develop a relationship. Ask, "How can we be the solution to each other's problems?"
Divergent thinking is essential to creative problem solving, as IHI’s Bob Lloyd explains in his whiteboard video, but it’s not the norm in health care. Health care organizations tend to value convergent thinking over divergent thinking — and it can be a real barrier to innovation. How do we break down this barrier? A new downloadable road map and idea book offers a jumping off point for nurse leaders and other health professionals to foster innovation.
This spring, learners are building skills through the 10-week Open School course Leadership and Organizing for Change. By applying their knowledge in real-world projects, pharmacy students in Oklahoma are launching an Open School Chapter, medical students in Ohio are combatting the opioid epidemic, and clinical quality fellows in the United Kingdom are collaborating to reduce post-partum hemorrhage. Course faculty Kate Hilton draws on the experiences of more than 300course participants to share seven principles for leading change on the Open School blog.
Divergent thinking is essential to creative problem solving, as IHI’s Bob Lloyd explains in his 
This spring, learners are building skills through the 10-week Open School course Leadership and Organizing for Change. By applying their knowledge in real-world projects, pharmacy students in Oklahoma are launching an Open School Chapter, medical students in Ohio are combatting the opioid epidemic, and clinical quality fellows in the United Kingdom are collaborating to reduce post-partum hemorrhage. Course faculty Kate Hilton draws on the experiences of more than 300 course participants to share 
