Planning a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety III)

This course provides students with a set of tools and methodologies to plan and initiate a Problem Solving or Quality Improvement project. The first module presents methods for selecting, scoping and structuring a project before it is even initiated. It also introduces the project classifications of implementation and discovery. The second module describes the A3 problem solving methodology and the tool itself. Further in that same module, the student is shown tools to identify problems in flow, defects, and waste and to discover causes, brainstorm, and prioritize interventions. Module 3 shows a methodology within the implementation class. These methods are designed to overcome emotional and organizational barriers to translating evidence-based interventions into practice. The fourth and last module looks at one more way to approach improvement projects in the discovery class. These tools are specifically for new, out-of-the-box design thinking.

• Project Selection Strategy and Tools You Can Use
• In this module, you will see the process for defining, scoping, selecting and prioritizing improvement initiatives. Further, you will learn necessary team characteristics and organizational support structures.
• A3 Thinking
• In this module, you will be introduced to the process and format of A3 problem solving. You will learn the key components of an A3 for to define and start an improvement project to maximize your chances of success. Additionally, a set of tools will be covered that are commonly used in the actual improvement project, which will identify underlying process issues and their root causes.
• Translating Research Into Practice
• This module explains the Translating Research into Practice (TRiP) model. It is a methodology to facilitate the adoption and use of evidence-based therapies. This model itself uses a collaborative knowledge translation model for wider sharing of knowledge into practice.
• Design Thinking
• In this module, we will cover a process called Design Thinking. It is a human-centered design approach that fosters out-of the-box thinking to create innovative solutions. The process builds the design iteratively in a highly collaborative team approach. The five steps of design thinking will be covered: Learn, Define, Ideate, Protype, and Test.