Using Evidence-Based Environmental Design to Enhance Safety and Quality

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

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An IHI developed Trigger tool aimed at closing the gap between safety and quality, and the physical environment in which care is provided. This white paper is geared at health care leaders and explains how as part of an integrated improvement strategy, evidence-based environmental design interventions can measurably enhance care and improve resulting perceptions of patients, families, and staff; and have a positive economic impact on their organization. Included in this toolkit are Checklist for Providing an Optimal Healing Environment, How to Utilize Evidence-Based Environmental Design: Ask an Additional Question, A Proposed Framework for Calculating Return on Investment. This toolkit is available in PDF format (requiring Adobe Reader) after a free registration to the IHI website.

Method of Performance Improvement Tool

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in combination with experts from the Associates in Process Improvement have formulated a model to accelerate the improvement of the healthcare process from beginning to end. Setting Aims, Establishing Measures, Selecting Changes, Testing Changes, Implementing Changes, and Spreading Changes are part of what the tools have to offer. The toolkit is available as group of several webpages and requires a web browser to view it.

Strategies To Improve Communication Between Pharmacy Staff and Patient

Prepared for the AHRQ, this training program introduces pharmacists to the issue of low health literacy of certain patients and identifies the implications of this issue when delivering health care. The program also explains techniques that pharmacy staff members can use to improve communication with patients who may have limited health literacy skills.The tolkit is available as a PowerPoint® Presentation.

Toolkit for Redesign in Health Care

This toolkit was prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) by Denver Health, a partner in AHRQ's Integrated Delivery System Research Network. The toolkit presents tools to redesign processes of care in a hospital. The toolkit is available as a PDF, requiring Adobe Reader.

Going Lean in Health Care

Developed by the Institute for Healthcare improvement (IHI), this tool discussed applying lean thinking to health care. Included are examples of lean thinking applied in health care. When applied throughout an organization, there is a positive impact experienced on productivity, cost, quality, and timely delivery of services. The tool is available as a PDF, requiring Adobe Reader.

Implementing a Five-Level Emergency Severity Index Triage

The team at Hahnemann University Hospital implemented a plan where they could transition the current triage process from four to five levels. This toolkit provides critical resources by identifying patient flow quality improvement through 55 strategies and 95 associated tools. The strategies are organized into five categories: Input, Throughput, Output, Communications/Information Technology (IT), and Scheduling/Staffing. The five level ESI system provides a much more accurate description of the emergency department's patient mix.

Reduce Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Health Care: Fact Sheet

Developed by the AARP, this fact sheet describes the problems and highlights some of the solutions to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in health care. The tool is available as a PDF, requiring Adobe Reader.

Patient Safety Primers

Patient Safety Primers are web-based guides for health care professionals on safety ideas to put into action in hospitals and health care settings. Each tool refers to a specific topic and provides detailed background information as well as current resources and links. The toolkit was developed by the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. A web browser is required to view this guide.

Integrating Chronic Care and Business Strategies in the Safety Net: A Toolkit for Primary Care Practices and Clinics

America’s safety net providers have led the way to improving the care for the chronically ill - one of the most pressing health needs of our time.To help more safety net organizations implement the Chronic Care Model effectively and sustainably, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) contracted with Group Health's MacColl Institute, RAND Health, and the California Health Care Safety Net Institute (SNI) to develop a toolkit.

Readiness Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes

The Readiness Assessment Tool is designed to help nursing homes assess whether they are ready to undertake organization-wide practice and culture changes for Quality Improvement (QI). The information obtained through the baseline assessment from use of the tool can form the basis of dialogue and problem-solving across all levels of staff to enhance an organization's readiness for QI activity. It can also be used as an internal QI tool to assess the organization's progress in developing a QI culture.

Achieving Better Care for Asthma: A BCAP Toolkit

This Toolkit offers a structured approach for addressing quality improvement and a collection of "lessons learned" by a diverse group of health plans serving Medicaid members. Whether your health plan intends to develop a new asthma management program or is seeking to improve an existing program, this toolkit offers practical, realistic approaches. The report is available as a PDF, requiring Adobe Reader.