Overview
Introduction
Measurement: Process and Outcome Indicators
Methods of Quality Improvement
Things Quality Improvement is NOT
Summative Experience
Summary

PDSA

Another commonly used QI model is the PDSA cycle:

  1. PLAN: Plan a change or test of how something works.
  2. DO: Carry out the plan.
  3. STUDY: Look at the results. What did you find out?
  4. ACT: Decide what actions should be taken to improve.

Repeat as needed until the desired goal is achieved

Objectives

As you can see, it’s very similar to the FADE cycle.


PDSA Example
Issue: Ineffective team meetings that were causing more problems than they would resolve.

Cycle 1
PLAN – Took suggestions from group and used the suggestions to plan implementation of changes to improve the meetings effectiveness.

  • Fewer meetings
  • Follow an agenda
  • Assigning tasks prior to meeting

DO – Documented the process and passed out to group members for commentary and commitment to changes.

STUDY – Group members were worried about their assignments and agenda items to submit, today’s topic may not be the “hot” issue when the meeting was held.

ACT – Decided to proceed with the changes in spite of the concerns due to perception that the concerns were unfounded and based on fear of change.

Cycle 2
PLAN – New process initiated but only one topic submitted for agenda.

DO – He created an agenda with one topic and one regarding the lack of agenda items, assigned roles and held the meeting.

STUDY – Meeting was short for the wrong reason. People did not know what format to use when submitting agenda items. Also, concerned about how items would be used.

ACT – A form was created for submitting agenda items. Everyone was assigned to submit one item using the form for the next meeting.

Any further process issues would be addressed in the same manner.

 

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Patient safety module series used with permission from Duke University
© Duke University