Enhancing provider engagement in practice improvement: a conceptual framework

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Clinical Practice Improvement

Background:

• Engaging clinical team members in practice improvement initiatives presents a significant challenge.
• Evidence suggests that fostering a work environment with mutual respect and interdependence enhances practitioner engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a collaborative strategy for enhancing clinical team engagement in practice improvement.
• To introduce and define "practice talk" as a method for facilitating team conversations.

Main Methods:

• Summarizing evidence on work environment factors influencing engagement.
• Proposing a phased, collaborative process centered on facilitated "practice talk" among clinical team members.
• Highlighting the role of dialogic techniques and encouraging open expression of ideas and dissent.

Main Results:

• Practice talk, through planned, facilitated conversations, enables teams to share expertise and identify improvements.
• Iterative sense-making conversations can generate a shared vision for practice enhancement.
• Viewing dissent as an opportunity can foster collaborative learning and engagement.

Conclusions:

• Innovative strategies are needed to engage frontline providers in practice improvement.
• Developing collaborative learning skills within clinical teams is crucial for achieving practice improvement goals.
• Facilitated "practice talk" offers a promising approach to enhance team engagement and drive meaningful change.