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 to successfully implement QI, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) has created a guide: Key Ingredients in Public Health QI. Based on peer-reviewed literature and PHF’s experience building QI capacity in health departments, this tool details factors that contribute to successful QI endeavors:

There is no one-size fits all approach to QI; to be effective this work requires thoughtful customization within specific contexts and good judgment in applying tools. That said, using the key ingredients described in this tool will improve a health department’s QI IQ, helping to demystify the process and make the journey easier.

 

• Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia and supplemental tools
• More quality improvement resources in the Public Health Improvement Resource Center
• Customized technical assistance to apply QI tools and techniques