Making quality improvement data more accessible and understandable: Analyst, designer, and storyteller

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Data Science in Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Effective data utilization is crucial for quality improvement (QI) initiatives.
• Traditional methods of data training may not suffice for all improvement practitioners.
• Barriers such as data literacy, past negative experiences, and technology access can hinder team engagement with data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore diverse approaches for making data more accessible and understandable in quality improvement.
• To identify strategies that empower improvement practitioners to effectively use data for decision-making.
• To address challenges that limit team engagement with measurement and data analysis.

Main Methods:

• Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating skills from analysts, designers, and storytellers.
• Employing co-design principles to ensure data relevance, inclusive language, and manageable processes.
• Integrating intrinsic motivators into measurement strategy design.
• Applying principles of thoughtful data visualization, including simplification and amplification of key concepts.
• Utilizing storytelling techniques to engage diverse audiences with data.

Main Results:

• Co-designing data experiences makes them more meaningful, inclusive, and manageable.
• Considering intrinsic motivators enhances collective data analysis and project sustainability.
• Thoughtful data visualization, simplification, and amplification improve data comprehension.
• Storytelling techniques can effectively engage wider audiences with data, inspiring change.

Conclusions:

• Diverse skillsets beyond technical measurement are essential for effective data use in QI.
• Co-design, mindful visualization, and storytelling are key strategies to improve data accessibility and engagement.
• Addressing individual motivators and perceptual challenges leads to more sustainable and impactful data-driven improvement.