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Human Milk Reports - April
| | |  By now you should have received your Human Milk Initiative Data Reports - if you haven't received a report for your facility, if you have questions please email me. Please let me know how the current reports can be improved, or if new reports are needed, to better serve your QI goals.
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Data Entry Deadlines - May
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If possible, April data should be entered by Friday, May 13. You will have your report, including April data the next week. If you are unable to enter your data by then, please let me know when it is complete and I will run an updated report for you.
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| A critical step - 'narrating' care | | |  Quint Studer (author - Hardwiring Excellence) writes:
"Often after I do a speaking presentation, people will come up to me to ask questions and share steps they are taking to improve performance. Some of the saddest moments are when it's evident that someone is working very hard to serve patients and it appears many of the right steps are being taken-but the objective results are not there.
I've identified a common theme in these situations. Even when many of the correct steps are being implemented, one critical step often is not: explaining what you're doing and why you're doing it. Sometimes explanations have more impact than behaviors. That's why narrating care is so powerful. Here are several examples:
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Example: An Emergency physician told me the story that while he tried to make all the patients comfortable he was not explaining the actions he was taking. For example, "I want you to be as comfortable as possible-would you like a blanket?" or "I have ordered pain medication to make you more comfortable."
While he and the other physicians had always done these behaviors, they had not connected the dots for the patient. Once they started doing so, the patient perception of care (satisfaction results) improved.
Example: A hospital's HCAHPS result on noise was not good. To remedy the problem, the organization had put softer wheels on carts, eliminated paging, and even purchased quieter keyboards and put up signs asking people to keep noise levels down. Unfortunately, no improvement was experienced in the HCAHPS.
Here is what took place next. The staff explained to the patients and family members that they wanted the unit to be as quiet as possible so the patient could get rest. They even explained the steps they had taken, such as the softer wheels and the elimination of paging. They added: "While we do all we can, we are a hospital and some noise is inevitable as we're caring for patients. Still, if it's too noisy, please let the staff know and we will do all we can to keep things as quiet as possible."
Guess what? Perception of quietness went up and noise went down.
I see healthcare professionals working very hard, taking many of the right steps, and I see their disappointment when those results are not there. Often, they end up trying even more actions-which may still not make a difference.
My suggestion is this: before you make even more changes, first take the time to better explain what you're doing and why. The patient's perception of care will improve and you'll have a new appreciation for the true power of words."
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| PDSAs | | |  Putting together a PDSA packet for the narrating care article above - interested? Email me and I'll be sure you get it!
Remember, the PDSA cycle is shorthand for testing a change by developing a plan to test the change you have in mind (Plan), carrying out the test (Do), observing and learning from what happens (Study), and determining what to do next (Act). It's a important part of accomplishing change both within an institution and within a collaborative.
As it applies to our collaborative - two things to think about:
1) Don't think of it as 'tinkering': NASA doesn't tinker, Formula One Teams don't tinker, and with healthcare outcomes equally important neither should we. PDSAs are a direct application of the scientific method, used for action-oriented learning and improvement - careful attention to the PDSA process leads to measurable improvement that can be hardwired into sustained improvement.
2) Think SMALL tests of change: one or two staff members with one or two moms babies is all it takes to get started, get feedback, and continue to test, learning and improving all the while...
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| Contact |
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Keith M. Cochran
PQCNC
keith_cochran@unc.edu
919.966.8182
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