When to Apply QI Tools to Support Measurement Activities
March 27, 2013
The Public Health Foundation (PHF) and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) have worked collaboratively to develop a tool to help public health organizations identify and apply quality improvement (QI) tools to support measurement activities. The tool is designed to be used alongside...
Continue Reading...
Excuses for Not Practicing Quality Improvement
January 4, 2013
This article, published by the Process Excellence Network, uses the "Five Whys" quality improvement tool to discover why people provide excuses for not practicing quality improvement. The Five Whys is one of 75 quality improvement tools in PHF's Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia.
Additional...
Continue Reading...
Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship Driver Diagram
November 6, 2012
The Public Health Foundation (PHF) has developed a Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship Driver Diagram and subsequent Antibiotic Stewardship Program to help promote optimal use of antibiotics. This effort grew out of a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the...
Continue Reading...
Starting and Sustaining a Complete Quality System
August 15, 2012
Organizations must continuously improve or become obsolete. This effort requires constant monitoring of the environment, market place, customers, stakeholders, and employees to detect any shift in priorities. The organization must anticipate these shifts to keep their stakeholders satisfied. When changes...
Continue Reading...
Strategic Practice Selection Exercise
June 29, 2012
The Strategic Practice Selection Exercise is a data driven decision making exercise to show how health departments can use a strategic practice selection process to assess the availability, affordability, accessibility, and utility of potential interventions. The priority areas selected for this exercise...
Continue Reading...
National Public Health Improvement Initiative Quality Improvement Stories
June 29, 2012
The National Public Health Improvement Initiative, funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act, has provided the opportunity for state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments to receive technical assistance from the Public Health Foundation and other national...
Continue Reading...
Improving STD Clinic Efficiency Video
June 8, 2012
South Carolina residents had high rates of Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD), long wait-times in the clinic, and a lack of nursing staff to meet the demand for services. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control staff decided that there had to be a better way to improve access...
Continue Reading...
Creating a Culture of Quality Improvement Video
June 8, 2012
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control staff implemented a quality improvement (QI) project to decrease wait-times in Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) clinics. This resulted in more available appointments and improved staff morale. The successes experienced in this project have...
Continue Reading...
Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia
June 5, 2012
Quality improvement (QI) in public health is the use of a deliberate and defined improvement process, such as Plan-Do-Check-Act, which is focused on activities that are responsive to community needs and improving population health. It is essential for health departments to use QI tools to fulfill their...
Continue Reading...
Key Ingredients in Public Health Quality Improvement
May 29, 2012
The emphasis on quality improvement (QI) continues to intensify for public health departments. The growing focus on accreditation, along with realistic concerns about optimizing efficiency while positively impacting the public’s health, are fueling this interest. To support the efforts of health departments...
Continue Reading...