Strategies for Successful QI Projects in Local, State, and Territorial Health Departments

Public health is moving towards a system of national accreditation which supports a framework of continuous quality improvement (QI). With an increased focus on quality, more and more health departments are becoming equipped with the skills needed to assess their practices and services and make changes that result in improved efficiency. This presentation will highlight three successful QI projects undertaken by a state health department and their common links that led them to completion with measureable outcomes. The discussion will focus on: 1) team characteristics, 2) QI tools selected, 3) challenges faced, 4) data collection and measurements, and 5) tangible and intangible benefits. These five areas highlight findings from a continuous effort to develop and grow organizational wide QI capacity. Initial findings suggest that the elements of successful QI projects depend upon several factors including characteristics such as team size, heterogeneity, and leadership support. It also suggests that project scope and duration as well as identifying which tools will most effectively drive the process forward play essential roles. The results also indicate that available baseline data and understanding of specific QI measurement tools to evaluate outcomes will more likely demonstrate success that leads to a sustainable drive for continuous improvement.