Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Author Spotlight: Workflow for Integrating POCUS Data into EHR for Managing Heart Failure Patients
Published on: July 12, 2024
Closing the Care Gap: A Primer on Quality Improvement for Heart Failure Clinicians
Yasbanoo Moayedi1, Toni Schofield1, Edward Etchells1
1From the Department of Medicine (Y.M., T.S., E.E., S.A.S., J.K., R.M., C.B., H.J.R.), Division of Cardiology (Y.M., T.S., J.K., M.L., H.J.R.), and Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (E.E., R.M., C.B.), University of Toronto, Canada; Division of Nephrology, St-Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada (S.A.S., R.M.); Division of Nephrology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (S.A.S.); and Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, Toronto, Canada (H.J.R.).
Abstract:
Quality improvement (QI) initiatives have become an integral part of patient-centered care. In this primer, we outline 6 steps for initiating, implementing, and monitoring improvement in heart failure care. These steps include acknowledging that improvement is needed and setting a culture for improvement; forming a QI team; understanding the local problem; generating improvement strategies that will fit with the local problem; monitoring; testing; and refining improvements, analysis of data, and interpretation of run charts. This primer provides tools and resources for clinicians who want to learn how to perform QI specifically in the field of heart failure. We will illustrate the application of these steps using a hypothetical example for a congestive heart failure postdischarge clinic.
Related Concept Videos
Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions
Heart Failure IV: Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation
Heart Failure V: Medical Management
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Heart Failure III: Clinical Manifestations

