Defeating defects on WIHI

Madge Kaplan writes:

The next WIHI broadcast — Reducing Risks and Defects in Real Time with Help from the Frontlines — will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 2 to 3 PM ET, and I hope you'll tune in.

Our guests will include:

• Andrea Kabcenell, RN, MPH, Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Steven J. Spear, PhD, MS, Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management, Senior Fellow, IHI
• Alexia Green, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Dean Emerita, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Roger Resar, MD, The Mayo Clinic Health System, Senior Fellow, IHI

As health care quality improvement has matured, it’s common to hear the phrase, “Quality is everyone’s responsibility.” But what does that mean more precisely, and how does the concept apply day-to-day? Also, how feasible is it for those on the frontlines of delivering care to not just detect defects in systems and processes, but also solve many of them, right then and there? It turns out this is quite doable, especially if frontline staff and providers are empowered to do far more than patch up problems AND if they can count on operational guidance and leadership from others, including middle managers.

We have some exciting work to tell you about on the April 23 WIHI: Reducing Risks and Defects in Real Time with Help from the Frontlines. The goal is first and foremost to reduce harm to patients and improve safety, but in the process it’s also about raising joy in work and frontline confidence to address problems as they emerge and create replicable solutions as part of daily work. Our guides on the benefits and particular tactics include Roger Resar and Andrea Kabcenell, who’ll be drawing on a deep dive they’ve been involved in, looking at frontline tactics that are proving effective coming from Lean Management, Situational Awareness, and something called the Frontline Dyad Model. Alexia Green will share how a group of nursing graduate students took this approach in multiple settings with good results. And Steve Spear, who developed some of the Frontline Dyad Model with Roger, Andrea, and IHI's Kathy Luther, will weigh in with insights from other health care organizations and industries. Steve will also offer guidance on what leaders can do to ensure defects are addressed at the point of care.

The April 23 WIHI promises to be as specific as you probably need it to be, while offering fresh frameworks to help you develop practices of your own. Come learn how to “See, Solve, Share, and Lead.” We look forward to your interest and participation on this next WIHI!

Please join us on April 23. You can enroll for the broadcast here.