Illustrative tools and methods in improvement
| Domain of interest | Helpful tools and methods |
|---|---|
| Healthcare as processes within systems | Diagrams that illustrate flow, inter-relationship and cause-effect; narrative descriptions; case examples |
| Variation and measurement | Data recorded over time and analysed on run charts and control charts |
| Customer/beneficiary knowledge | Measurements of illness burden, functional status, quality of life; recipients’ assessment of the quality of their care |
| Leading, following and making changes in healthcare | Building knowledge, taking initiative or adaptive action, reviewing and reflecting; developing both leadership and follower-ship skills |
| Collaboration | Managing conflict, building teams and group learning; acquiring specific communication skills (eg, SBAR) |
| Social context and accountability | Documenting unwanted and unnecessary variation; widespread public sharing of information |
| Developing new, locally useful knowledge | Making small tests of change (PDSA cycles) |