Russ Rubin is Director of Strategic Communication at the Public Health Foundation.
As you are well aware, improving the public’s health is no small feat. Using quality improvement (QI) tools and techniques to help achieve this goal takes time, planning, organization, participation, and often conflict, to make decisions and move forward. Behind conference room doors, process improvements, flow charts, and decision trees to improve health outcomes may just seem like more activities to “get it right.” However, even small improvements to big processes using QI can create efficiencies for individuals and organizations. Increases in efficiency enable greater effectiveness for addressing the needs of the community, and often boost morale for an organization’s staff as each member realizes how the new changes are making an impact towards a healthier population.
As the benefits of QI spread and influence new ways of operating and decision making day-to-day, a QI culture is born. It is a powerful shift for any organization, but the benefits and momentum of QI can only go so far without a strategic communications approach to involve leadership and other staff members. These key stakeholders are the catalysts to transforming entire organizations and making more meaningful improvements to the public’s health. How do you get key stakeholders to notice your progress and get involved with your quality improvement initiatives?
Here are some ideas to get you started thinking strategically about your QI internal communications plan to get the attention of key stakeholders:
- Data: Make your story compelling
- Quantify the work you have done, improvements made, and impact on your target population’s health
- Frequency: Reinforce the message
- Have a standing item on your department’s staff meeting agenda to share the latest QI successes and new tools used
- Accreditation: A prime opportunity to put QI on stage
- Take advantage of your leadership’s excitement about accreditation. As continuous QI is a goal of accreditation, highlight QI activities and your written Public Health Accreditation Board QI plan (Domain 9) to reinforce your health department’s ongoing commitment to improvement.
- Formalize: Solidify your QI team
- Hold regular meetings with those who have helped to implement a QI initiative to share best practices and generate powerful momentum across your organization
- Visualize: Show your QI initiatives in action, make it memorable
Ready to take action? Before you do, it’s important to plan before you communicate. The Public Health Foundation (PHF) offers a Planning Before You Communicate tool and a Strategic Communications Planning Workshop to keep your activities focused on achieving your objectives, and utilizing your communications mechanisms to be most effective.
Join the Conversation
Have you earned the attention of your health department’s leadership for your QI initiatives? Do your health department’s key stakeholders believe in using QI tools and techniques? What did it take? PHF would like to hear about your experience and share your best practices for all to learn from. Leave a comment below to continue the conversation.