An Introduction to Quality Improvement

Drs Lisa and Sara welcome Dr Joanna Bircher back to the podcast to speak about an area which she is very passionate about - Quality Improvement. 

We talk about what quality improvement is, how it differs from audits and why it’s so important within general practice. We also learn about the processes that can be followed when approaching quality improvement, and some helpful tools and tips to think about before you start. We hope it’s accessible for all within general practice, and think it provides a great starting point for those considering quality improvement within their setting.

• Useful resources: 

  • Quality Improvement Resources by the Royal College of General Practitioners:
    https://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/our-programmes/quality-improvement/quality-improvement-guide-for-general-practice.aspx

  • RCGP QI Ready: https://qiready.rcgp.org.uk/ 

  • Domains of Healthcare Quality:
    http://www.ihi.org/education/IHIOpenSchool/resources/Pages/Activities/DefiningQualityAimingforaBetterHealthCareSystem.aspx

  • Public Health England National General Practice Profiles:
    https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/general-practice/data#page/8/gid/2000005/pat/166/par/E38000220/ati/7/are/M85736/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1 

  • GP Patient Survey data: https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/ 

  • Prescribing data: https://openprescribing.net/ 

  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement: http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/default.aspx 

  • The Health Foundation booklet: Quality Improvement made simple, written by Bryan Jones, Esther Kwong and Will Warburton:
    https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/QualityImprovementMadeSimple.pdf

  • RCGP Quality Improvement Webcast with Dr Joanna Bircher Aug 2019:
    https://youtu.be/BJSbvu3j0cE

  • The Q Community Webcast: ‘Can QI help us to match capacity and demand in General Practice with Dr Joanna Bircher’:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS-GMMZgbfw

  • Run Chart Tool: https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/A-guide-to-creating-and-interpreting-run-and-control-charts.pdf 

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This podcast has been made with the support of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, GP Excellence, Greater Manchester Training Hub and the GP Fellowship Programme, as well as Wigan Borough CCG. Given that it is recorded with Greater Manchester clinicians, the information discussed may not be applicable elsewhere and it is important to consult local guidelines before making any treatment decisions. 

The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional interviewed and might not be representative to all clinicians. It is based on their interpretation of current best practice and guidelines when the episode was recorded. Guidelines can change; To the best of our knowledge the information in this episode is up to date as of it’s release but it is the listeners responsibility to review the information and make sure it is still up to date when they listen.

Dr Lisa Adams, Dr Sara MacDermott and their interviewees are not liable for any advice, investigations, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products listeners might pursue as a result of listening to this podcast - it is the clinicians responsibility to appraise the information given and review local and national guidelines before making treatment decisions. Reliance on information provided in this podcast is solely at the listeners risk.

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