Quality improvement is a continuous process for a healthcare facility because issues can occur in various departments and work aspects. Furthermore, addressing the challenges requires different approaches, and the responsible team must select and execute the most efficient one. Models, such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA), A3, Lean, and Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), have been developed to help healthcare providers achieve diverse goals of quality improvement (Nash et al., 2019). For instance, the latter framework is beneficial for identifying comprehensive problems and developing a long-term enhancement plan (Vordenberg et al., 2018). This paper aims to explore the PDSA model and discuss how its implementation can assist a quality improvement team in addressing the issues in an acute care facility.
PDSA quality improvement model is beneficial for resolving prolonged and complicated issues where a set of operations is necessary rather than a single action. Plan-Do-Study-Act components address the key activities to perform as an adjustable and repeatable cycle. The planning stage is when the team identifies the problem and develops an action scene to execute during the next part. The study section requires analyzing the outcomes of activities, measuring their effectiveness, and gathering feedback. Examining the results can be enhanced through chart implementation and identification of specific trends and side effects of interventions (Knudsen et al., 2018). Lastly, the active stage includes the initial plan’s revision and creating a new workable approach to address the selected issue. The framework is based on continuous learning through the testing of changes and can be integrated into a healthcare facility’s daily functioning (Knudsen et al., 2018). Once a PDSA cycle is implemented, a quality improvement team must record and analyze its outcomes to plan further development.
The PDSA model is beneficial for healthcare facilities where the communication between the clients and employees is frequent, as it requires the feedback gathering option to be available. Furthermore, “key methodological features include the use of continuous data collection, small-scale testing and use of a theoretical rationale” (Knudsen et al. 2018, 4). These components must be considered by the quality improvement team at each stage and addressed by the day-to-day leaders responsible for the execution.
An acute care facility is an example of a healthcare organization where the PDSA model is exceptionally efficient for quality improvement. For instance, the Kindred Hospital of San Francisco Bay Area includes the departments of diabetes, pulmonary, wound, intensive, palliative, and rehabilitation departments, and each requires high-quality patient service (Kindred Hospital. n.d.). The responsible team can begin the improvement from the nursing practitioners’ communication strategies. A quality improvement plan would include changing the interaction protocol with the clients during the first visit (Nash et al., 2019). Then, the changes must be implemented into the daily practice and tracked by the responsible administrator during a set period. At the study stage, results must be analyzed by gathering feedback from patients and nurses. Lastly, the initial plan must be revised by excluding what could not work and adding new communicational practices to test (Vordenberg et al. 2018). The effectiveness of the PDSA model is beneficial for quality improvement for overall operations such as nursing practitioners’ work because it allows to check and adjust the selected strategies.
Quality improvement models have been developed to help healthcare facilities in achieving significant results more effectively. Indeed, such frameworks as PDSA allow responsible teams to adjust a hospital’s daily operations in a measurable manner and timely address the issues. Acute care organizations can benefit from executing the model to improve nursing and patient service quality and adjust tracking and feedback gathering strategies. Although PDSA requires various activities to perform and people to be involved, it results in effective workflow optimization and quality enhancement.
References
Kindred Hospital. n.d. “Explore Our Hospital.” Kindred Hospital. 2021. Web.
Knudsen, Søren Valgreen, Henrik Vitus Bering Laursen, Søren Paaske Johnsen, Paul Daniel Bartels, Lars Holger Ehlers, and Jan Mainz. 2019. “Can Quality Improvement Improve The Quality of Care? A Systematic Review of Reported Effects and Methodological Rigor in Plan-Do-Study-Act Projects.” BMC Health Services Research 19 (1): 1-10.
Nash, David B., Maulik Joshi, Elizabeth R. Ransom, and Scott B. Ransom. 2019. The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools. 4th ed. Chicago: Health Administration Press.
Vordenberg, Sarah E., Michael A. Smith, Heidi L. Diez, Tami L. Remington, and Jolene R. Bostwick. 2018. “Using The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Model for Continuous Quality Improvement of An Established Simulated Patient Program.” Innovations In Pharmacy 9 (2): 1-6.