As political climate change occurs, feelings of instability and uncertainty can threaten work in performance improvement. This uncertainty can incite crisis mode, where poor planning and quick responses lead to increased stress when solutions do not address the root causes of problems. However, these winds of change can be seen instead as an opportunity to activate quality improvement (QI) tools in your organization. By activating QI, public health organizations can build an organizational culture that sees instability and uncertainty not as cause for panic, but instead as a chance to improve.
In 2012, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) published the Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia, a practical guide to using 75 tools for QI practitioners in public health organizations. These tools proved useful for health departments as they navigated serious economic challenges. These QI tools have also supported Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation preparation, and have led public health agencies to make marked improvements to processes and systems.
We are always interested to hear how you have used these tools in your organization. This
PHF Pulse blog post from Kathie Dyer shares how the
A3 Problem Solving Report was adapted for use by the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.
Ready to Put These Tools to Work for Your Organization?The tools listed above, along with the original 75 in the
Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia, are regularly used by PHF experts in the field to provide customized technical assistance and training services to public health, healthcare, and community organizations of all types to improve health outcomes. Ready to get started using these tools to improve health in your community? Contact Margie Beaudry at
mbeaudry@phf.org, (202)218-4415, or
submit your information online.