Continuous Performance Improvement

Continuous Performance Improvement is also referred to as CQI (Continuous Quality Development) or TQM (Total Quality Management). Dimensions of effectiveness (ruler), continuity, and timeliness are all key elements of these.

Another common element of these quality improvement approaches are the emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork. Here are three examples of quality improvement approaches done by interdisciplinary teams below. Read the problem/team information and resons to improve columns to determine the problems that were addressed and who were members of the performance team. The center column heading is re-engineering. Re-engineering emphasizes that with some problems, the quality improvement process must include thinking about physical as well as human changes.

Performance (Part I)

Problem/Team Information Re-engineering Issues Reasons to Improve

Outgrown radiology film storage. Team leader: film librarian, radiology staff RN Number of films, no outpatient storage. Standards change to digital film. Lack of space increases workload (moving) films, slows dictation, retrieval of old files

Closing inpatient units
Team facilitator: RN team leader; ER, MD Group patients for staff competency and space efficiency, Outpatient trends, MD expectations, unit floor plans need review, and subacute unit needed

New employees not oriented to food service.
Team leader: Dietician. 1 employee from each unit Patient complaints late food, food gets cold, finished trays not returned, spoilage, RN food service responsibilities, unclear complaints from RN exit interviews of work overload; where are food service employees.

Performance (Part I)
Problem/Team Information	Re-engineering Issues	Reasons to Improve
Outgrown radiology film storage. Team leader: film librarian, radiology staff RN	Number of films, no outpatient storage. Standards change to digital film.	Lack of space increases workload (moving) films, slows dictation, retrieval of old files
Closing inpatient units Team facilitator: RN team leader; ER, MD	Group patients for staff competency and space efficiency,	Outpatient trends, MD expectations, unit floor plans need review, and subacute unit needed
New employees not oriented to food service. Team leader: Dietician. 1 employee from each unit	Patient complaints late food, food gets cold, finished trays not returned, spoilage, RN food service responsibilities, unclear	complaints from RN exit interviews of work overload; where are food service employees.

To type in this text box, remember that you need to move the pointer arrow into the box space (white area) and then click the left mouse button to get the flashing text cursor. Don't worry about typing too long of a sentence. Eventually, the text will wrap in the box automatically. You may just hit the enter key, if you like, to keep all the text visible in the box- hitting the enter key translates to a space in the printed version.

After reading the whole chart think about other aspects of these problems and the reasons to improve. Type in this box other aspects of the problem that the team should consider. Comment on the appropriate communication skills and cooperative group approaches the team facilitator will need for guiding the team's group process and decision-making.

Then click the "Ready to Print" button at the bottom, which will generate a document so that you can print out your responses.