268834 Fostering a Culture of Continuous Quality Improvement by Improving the Delivery of Diabetes Self Management Education

Monday, October 29, 2012

Richard Ingram, DrPH , College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Angela T. Dearinger, MD MPH , Center for Public Health Systems and Services Research, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
KPHReN, the Kentucky Public Health Research Network, is a public health practice based research network. KPHReN developed a project, Community Outreach and Change for Diabetes Management (COACH 4 DM) to improve the delivery of diabetes self management education activities by 6 local health departments (LHDs)designated diabetes centers of excellence, as well as the culture of quality improvement (QI) at those departments. COACH 4 DM used change facilitation techniques to deliver QI training to personnel at each LHD in the project. Pre and post intervention data were collected on individual characteristics (knowledge and comfort with QI techniques) and organizational characteristics (organizational QI culture), as well as the delivery of DSME (frequency, volume of service delivered, location delivered etc). Participants reported improvements in certain individual and organizational characteristics related to QI after receiving QI training. For example, individual comfort using specific QI tools increased after the training. Noteworthy changes in the delivery of DSME service were also reported. For example the average number of participants increased from 28 to 32 per month. The training used during COACH 4 DM seemed to lead to improvements with regards to the delivery of services, as well as improvements in individual and organizational characteristics related to QI. LHDs seeking to implement or improve their culture of QI, or improve the delivery of services related to a specific health outcome may also wish to adapt a program similar to COACH 4 DM.

Please consider this as part of "Advancing the Science of Practice: the Public Health PBRNs"

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Administration, management, leadership
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the utlilty of specific quality improvement techniques in developing and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement in local health departments. Describe a framework for improving the delivery of specific services by local health departments.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Public Health Education and Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have played a major role in all aspects of this project, from research design to analysis and interpretation of results. I also have played key roles in conducting research on multiple public health systems research and practice based research projects.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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