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Begin Here!
Welcome to the Healthcare Improvement Skills Center website. As you are free to engage in the activities found on this site in whatever order you choose, we these possible pathways for your consideration.Option A: Begin with a QI Project
Many people find it helpful to start with a quality improvement project they have in mind or are already involved in. This path through the site tends to sustain high motivation.
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Start with a quality improvement project you have in mind or are already engaged in. This tends to sustain high motivation.
- Start at Plan & Assess My QI Project and fill out the Improvement Project Plan. This enables you to clarify your thoughts about your project and identify some important questions to pursue.
- Next, go to the Assess My QI Skills area and complete both parts of the QI Self-Assessment Inventory. This helps you identify and assess your QI knowledge and skill. Learn what you are comfortable with, what you would like help with, and what you would like to learn more about in the near future.
- After that, return to the Plan & Assess My QI Project area, review your Improvement Project Plan and begin working your plan, that is, begin working on your project.
- As you work on your project, you will identify aspects of QI you want to improve. Whenever this happens, visit the Enhance My QI Skills area and use the QI Development Plan, local colleagues and experts, and any of the HISC web-based learning activities, tools, references, and resources to bolster your QI knowledge and skills. (For this, you may find the HISC Index helpful.)
- Finally, after completing your QI project, reflect on and assess how it went, return to the Plan & Assess My QI Project area and complete the Improvement Project Assessment.
Option B: Begin with an Improvement Skills Self-Assessment
Others find it helpful to start with a self-assessment of their quality improvement knowledge and skills. If you like the idea of quickly demystifying quality improvement and taking a quick sounding of what you are comfortable with. what you would appreciate some help with and what you would like to learn more about, start here.
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If you like the idea of getting a quick read on your current QI knowledge and skills, and identifying what you are comfortable with, want some help with and would like to learn more about, start here.
- Go to the Assess Quality Improvement area and complete both pages of the HISC QI Self-Assessment Inventory. This lets you identify and rate your QI knowledge and skill.
- As needed, you can plan the enhancement of QI knowledge or skill using the QI Development Plan. To support your QI development efforts, consult with local colleagues and experts, and take advantage of as many of the HISC web-based learning activities, tools, references, and resources as you like, to bolster your QI knowledge and skills. (For this, you may find the HISC Index helpful.)
- When you are ready to start or join an improvement project in your practice setting, make a pass at filling out the Quality Improvement Project Plan found in the Plan & Assess My QI Project section of this site. Then as you meet with others involved in the project, using your draft as a springboard for conversations, you can gradually but steadily refine that plan.
- Work your Improvement Project Plan. And if you haven't already begun to plan and implement any QI Skills development activities, you can begin to do so as specific questions and needs emerge.
- When you complete your QI project, in the spirit of reflective practice, return to the Plan & Assess My QI Project area and complete the Quality Improvement Project Assessment.
Option C: Begin with the HISC Modules
If you like getting the big picture, first, when you begin working in a new area, we recommend you work through all six HISC Modules, a set of six web-based, case driven learning activities that introduce core QI concepts and methods, and
then move on to other activities available here at the Healthcare Improvement Skills Center.
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If you prefer to get the "big picture" in a new area, start by working your way through the 6 HISC web modules, a set of case driven, highly interactive learning activities that introduce core quality improvement concepts and methods. Then complete the other activities on this site.
- The HISC modules provide an engaging series of experiences and take less than an hour to complete. You can stop out and return, as needed. For purposes of gaining an overview of QI, it can be helpful to complete all six modules in one to three weeks time. They are found in the Enhance My QI Skills section of this site.
- Once you've completed the modules, you should be able to complete the QI Self-Assessment Inventory in the Assess My QI Skills area, in no time at all. The three questions in the second part will help you to identify a) What you are comfortable with, b) What you would like help with, and c) What you would like to learn more about in the near future.
- At this point you should feel ready to start working on an improvement project. This is a good time to make your first pass at filling out the Quality Improvement Project Plan found in the Plan & Assess My QI Project area of the site. You can use this initial draft as a springboard for conversations with colleagues about what you and they have in mind.
- Then, you and your colleagues can begin to work your plan. As your work, and questions and needs emerge, you can plan the enhancement of your QI knowledge and skills using the QI Development Plan. To support your QI development efforts, consult with local colleagues and experts, and take advantage of as many of the HISC web-based learning activities, tools, references, and resources as you like. (For this, you may find the HISC Index helpful.)
- When you complete your QI project, in the spirit of reflective practice, return to the Plan & Assess My QI Project area of this site to complete the Quality Improvement Project Assessment.