Four East Tennessee teams
presented their
Asthma in America Quality Improvement projects in Knox County, TN on March 22, 2011. The Asthma in America Project was funded through a charitable contribution from
AstraZeneca. The project goal was to achieve improvements in the management and control of asthma through use of quality improvement tools and techniques in process improvement teams. Kathy Brown (photo at right) of the Knox County Health Department laid the background for the burden of asthma in the
Knoxville/East Tennessee area; then, each team lead discussed his or her project. The four teams, along with several subgroups, met over nine months and participated in the rapid cycle Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) problem-solving model.
Jack Moran, Senior Quality Advisor to PHF, facilitated the teams’ learning and evolution through the PDCA cycle.
The teams presenting were:
- Knox County School System in collaboration with Knox County Health Department:
Goal: Reduce the negative impact of asthma on the staff and students of the Knox County School System through protocols, education, and an informed system.
- Summit Medical Group:
-City of Knoxville
Goal: Create a set of specific markers for successful health coaching using a care management plan and the chronic disease protocols.
-Statcare Pulmonary Consultant
Goal: Create a systematic way to measure EPR-3 guideline utilization or healthcare outcomes in asthmatic patients.
-Tennessee Valley Primary Care
Goal: Create a systematic way to measure EPR-3 guideline utilization or healthcare outcomes in asthmatic patients.
Each team was enthusiastic and discussed some of their results but acknowledged work to be done. Based on feedback of a stakeholder survey, the Knox County School system created an
Asthma Reference Card to be carried by all school staff with their identification badges. The small, 3 x 2 inch reference card informs employees how to assess severity of asthma symptoms and what action to take based on the assessment. The team will pilot test the card before full implementation.
The City of Knoxville encountered some system changes and project barriers, so they changed the project focus to increased enrollment and screening. Currently, training of several newly hired staff has begun.
Both the Statcare Pulmonary Consultant and Tennessee Valley Primary Care teams focused on creating a consistent patient workflow in order to document and promote use of the nationally accepted EPR-3 best practices guidelines. They initially focused on staff education with the creation of office posters and handouts titled
Go with the Flow to promote consistent use of asthma protocols and action plans among staff to improve patient health outcomes.
More news will be posted as team results are released.