Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Expedition: Execution - Securing the Link from Aims to Results

OVERVIEW

This program is one way that IHI is helping hospitals implement a key component of the IHI Improvement Map.

The Climb

Hospitals are increasingly launching into new improvement projects with goals to improve outcomes, efficiency, quality, costs, and safety. Organizations devote time, resources, and human capital to increase the safety and efficiency of patient care. However, according to a recent study by Aiken and colleagues, up to 70 percent of all change fails. [Aiken C, Keller S, Rennie M. The Performance Culture Imperative. McKinsey & Co.] Why does this happen when well-intentioned people set out to improve what they do? It is largely because many institutions have expertise in the important clinical elements that need improving, but lack skills in the operational processes that act as the engine needed to drive improvement. For a portfolio of improvement projects to truly achieve success at the system level, a proficient operational skill set is required.

The Goal

To help organizations operationalize improvement across their systems, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is offering its latest Expedition titled, Successful Execution: Securing the Link from Aims to Results. This five-part, web-based program will help you to achieve breakthrough levels of performance by demonstrating how to implement a framework of execution rooted in the elements of Will, Ideas, and Execution, an IHI model for improvement.

This framework involves:

Setting appropriate goals
Developing a portfolio of projects
Deploying resources appropriately
Establishing an oversight and learning system to increase the likelihood of producing intended results from improvement initiatives

Expert faculty will explain all the components of the framework using real-world examples. They will then work with participants on how to apply the framework to take their organization’s improvement efforts to the next level — a level where change is identified, and spread and sustainability are designed into the system to create a cycle of continuous learning.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this Expedition, participants will be able to:

Set a breakthrough aim for their organization
Design a portfolio of projects with appropriate staffing and resources
Formulate a plan to build or ensure improvement capability
Convene a cross-functional team for an oversight meeting
Execute a plan that can be applied over time, in other years, with other departments or programs in the organization

Who Should Participate

Senior Leaders
Chief Nursing Officers
Chief Medical Officers
Nurse Managers
Clinical Managers
Directors
Quality Managers
Physicians
Nurses

WHAT IS AN EXPEDITION?

WHAT'S INVOLVED?

ex•pe•di•tion (noun)

1. an excursion, journey, or voyage made for some specific purpose

2. the group of persons engaged in such an activity

3. promptness or speed in accomplishing something

An Expedition is a topic-specific, action-focused program, lasting three to five months, designed to help front-line teams make rapid improvements in a key components of the Improvement Map. Think of it as an intensive virtual support system, designed to enable widespread uptake of an important hospital improvement.

This Expedition is for hospitals that would like some help along the way from expert faculty serving as your guides and through the support of other organizations who are taking on the same challenge at the same time.

Successful Expedition

“The CA-UTI Expedition . . . was a wonderful experience. Participating in an IHI-sponsored national project helped our credibility and increased our ability to overcome challenges that might have been insurmountable a few months ago. We have made progress by taking part in the Expedition and we will continue to build on what we have learned thus far. We would definitely recommend that any hospital participate in an Expedition if they are interested in making changes . . . that lead to better patient outcomes.”

Pam Webb, RN, CIC
Infection Control Officer
Benefis Hospital
Great Falls, Montana

The Program

This program will include:

Send-Off Call to orient all teams, review the route, and provide guidance for specific steps
Check-In Calls every two weeks for faculty to provide advice and mid-course adjustments
Ongoing opportunities to share with and learn from other participating organizations
Opportunities for periodic check-ins with faculty
Concluding Call to reflect on the achievement and plot the next climb

Success Factors

Teams will need the following to be successful in this Expedition:

Strong team-based improvement capacity
Designated team, ideally to include a nurse working on the testing unit or able to lead the work, an internal quality/performance improvement expert, and a physician champion
Sponsorship and support from hospital leadership
Clear commitment to the goal and the process