Learning Huddles- an innovative teaching method

The idea of bringing front-line staff and bedside caregivers together for frequent but short briefings about key patient care safety issues has proven a highly effective method within the Quality Improvement realm. The authors share the design and development of an innovative teaching method: Learning Huddles that has proven effective in improving patient outcomes in a complex quaternary healthcare facility. This 'just in time' teaching method has been successful in helping to promote a learning environment, where the essential 'need to know' is packaged in a format that engages and keeps the front-line caregivers up to date with the knowledge and practices they need in order to provide high quality, safe, compassionate care. The key elements that comprise the design of learning huddles are shared and available for clinical educators to utilize. It is the authors hope that through sharing the success of learning huddles in one complex quaternary facility will result in the design, implementation and sharing of learning huddles across a variety of healthcare settings, ultimately benefiting patients and caregivers alike.