Development of a quality improvement roadmap as a tool to guide quality improvement education and methodology.

Abstract

Quality improvement in medicine is the process of changing behavior in response to experiential learning. The most referenced quality improvement methodologies include the Institute for Healthcare's Model for Improvement, Six Sigma, and Lean. The Model for Improvement is the model focused on healthcare and frontline staff. Evidence-based practice models all begin with asking a question, which is shared with quality improvement models. Successful evidence-based practice and quality improvement organizational cultures support a questioning attitude. A quality roadmap developed using both quality improvement and evidence-based practice methodology facilitates the learning process and transition to quality improvement in clinical practice. Use of the quality roadmap framework provides an opportunity to cultivate psychological safety and a questioning attitude. Use of standardized tools, like a quality improvement roadmap in quality improvement positively affects children and their families.