Quality Improvement

 

Quality Improvement (QI) completes the audit cycle and can be described as the “combined and unceasing efforts of everyone – to make changes that will lead to better patient outcome (health), better system performance (care) and better professional development (learning)”.

 

We are excited to engage with staff to promote QI within Critical Care and improve the experience and outcomes of patients, relatives and staff.

 

The Critical Care Quality Improvement Group is here to encourage, support and co-ordinate QI within critical care. The QI group is composed of Dr James Williams (consultant in intensive care medicine with an interest in risk management) and Ruth Stenning (senior nurse with an interest in QI).

The group sites within the Quality and Safety framework for the critical care directorate which meets the first Tuesday of each month.

 

Improving Your QI Knowledge

We believe that QI should be structured around QI science and promote learning based on the best available evidence.  Online 'Bronze' level training is available in Wales. As part of QI we would encourage all staff to complete the online Bronze training via myESR or via IQT (Improving Quality Together) from Improvement Academy Wales:

 

If using myESR: Search learning section for 000 IQT Bronze level Quality Improvement

 

If using IQT use the link: http://IQT.wales.nhs.uk

 

Here is an introductory video about Quality Improvement from the Improvement Academy Cymru.

 

Click here too see a selection of QI projects undertaken in Cardiff Critical Care.

 

Register Your QI Project

We would like to encourage all QI projects to notify the Critical Care Q&S group using the Health Board registration form. This will allow co-ordination between projects as well as input from the wider critical care team, which will help increase the chance of successful improvement and engagement.

You can present a brief overview of your project to the Q&S group on the first Tuesday of every month, or Ruth and James can present it for you. The feedback will be passed back to you to help with your project. If you would like ongoing support with your project we are available to assist you.  In addition we will ask if you can provide the outcomes of your project to be placed on the critical care website to promote learning.

Audits, Service Evaluations and QI projects are now registered via the Audit Management Tool AMAT...

Register your Quality Improvement Project

 

Planning Your QI Project

When thinking about your QI project, consider using the acronym SMART to think through the goals of your project.  SMART refers to criteria for setting goals and objectives and is recommended by The Guidance for Provision of Intensive Care Services (GPICS). These are goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The idea is that every project goal must adhere to the SMART criteria to be effective. By completing the criteria below it should help you and the Q&S group better plan and support your project.

 

Specific: The goal should target a specific area of improvement or answer a specific need

 

Measurable: The goal must be quantifiable, or at least allow for measurable progress

 

Attainable: The goal should be realistic, based on available resources and existing constraints

 

Relevant: The goal should align with other critical care or Health Board objectives to be considered worthwhile

 

Time-bound: The goal must have a deadline or defined end

 

In addition, consider what tools you might use, such as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycling.

 

Improvement NHS has produced further information about PDSA cycles here:

https://improvement.nhs.uk/documents/2142/plan-do-study-act.pdf

 

After your project is completed we would be grateful if you submitted you outcomes, learning with any reports or presentations. You can also present these to the Q&S group, and we can help identify other forums such as conferences where you may wish to consider submitting your work.  Here is a list of upcoming meetings.

Meetings	Deadline	Date	Venue
Bristol patient safety conference http://www.bristolpatientsafety.com/poster-competition.html	9th April	16thJune 2021	Online
Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group
International forum Quality and Safety in Healthcare	Closed	21st-23rdApril 2021	Online
Intensive Care Society SOA
ESICM Lives https://www.esicm.org/congresses-events/	13th April	2-6 Oct 2021	Copenhagen
SCCM Annual Congress		31 Jan – 12th Feb 21	Virtual
Welsh Intensive Care Summer Meeting https://www.welshics.org/meetings		24/25 June 2021
Welsh Intensivists in Training
BACCN Conference	Open	13/14 Sep 2021	Online
FICM ACCP Conference		4th June 2021
RCOA Anaesthesia	25th April	18-20 May 2021	Online
AAGBI Winter Scientific Meeting
AAGBI Trainee Conference	27th Jan	7-9 July 21	Newcastle
AAGBI Annual Conference		22-24 Sep	Liverpool