Resources

Health and human services’ managers, practitioners and policymakers all over the world are exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This commentary piece summarises a comprehensive report, co-authored by McKinsey Co. and the European EIT Health think-tank, on the potential impact of AI in healthcare. They use the European Parliament definition of AI as ‘the capability of a computer program to perform tasks or reasoning processes that we usually associate with intelligence in a human being.’

The collection and use of patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) for the purposes of quality improvement (QI) have become part of a relatively recent move towards ‘patient-centred’ provision of care. However, there is little evidence to show that collecting patient experience data leads to sustained improvements in patient satisfaction within healthcare settings.

Where to from here with patient safety? 13 global leaders working in different roles — healthcare delivery, government, consulting — and in different countries, identify key barriers and drivers for improving safety and accelerating progress.

In this webinar, Jennifer Gale answered the following questions:

Why you should worry about risk management - surely Risk management is the organisation's job or something you might see on a Strategic Plan, so why should risk management be everyone’s business?

What you should worry about first - in a complex health and care system there is so much to worry about so where on earth should you start without feeling overwhelmed?

How you can make sure you sleep at night - as a manager, team leader or director there are many things to do and worry about. How can you understand risk management enough so it doesn’t keep you awake at night?
 

Surgical site infections remain a problem despite many decades of research and practice change to eliminate those that are preventable. 

Approximately 0.5% to 3% of surgical patients develop an infection. Compared with patients undergoing surgery who do not have a surgical site infection, these patients are hospitalized approximately 7 to 11 days longer.   As we know, longer hospital stays increase the risk for patients and reduce hospital efficiency and effectiveness. Infections are the leading cause of re-admissions following surgery and can add thousands of dollars to the cost of an admission. 
 

In response to quality challenges highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Institute for Quality Improvement (IHI) has looked at how to increase the adoption of effective quality improvement (QI) practices in nursing homes in the United States. Despite the differences in regulatory requirements between countries, the findings are relevant for all involved with aged care: providers, managers, staff, policymakers and advisers.

Care transitions, whether intrahospital or discharge to home or another care setting, are fraught with ‘Swiss cheese holes.’ As consumers move through different assessments, professions, wards, plans, and even funding structures, the danger of poor quality care, communication breakdown and consumer dissatisfaction is high. The authors argue that better incorporation of patients and carers in rounds, as done in children’s hospitals, can prevent some of these problems.

There are certain areas an improvement team needs to consider to ensure the long-term sustainability of an improvement effort. Use this worksheet to help plan for success before you achieve the improvement you want to sustain, to make sure your hard-won improvements stick.

Quality improvement involves the use of a systematic and coordinated approach to solving a problem using specific methods and tools with the aim of bringing about measurable improvement within a healthcare setting.

Guidance from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on how to present data in a quality report.