Improving Knowledge of Active Safety and QI Projects Amongst Practitioners in a Pediatric ICU

The success of quality improvement (QI) projects depends on many factors, with communication and knowledge of project-specific practice change being fundamental. This project aimed to improve the knowledge of active safety and QI projects.

Two interventions were trialed to improve knowledge: paired email and meeting announcements followed by a daily huddle to review ongoing projects. Knowledge, measured as the ability to recall a project and its practice change, was the primary outcome. The frequency and duration of the Huddle were process and balancing measures, respectively.

Seven days after a meeting/email announcement, 3 of 13 (23%) faculty and fellows recalled the announced practice change. Investigators then tested the effects of the Huddle by assessing practitioners' knowledge of safety and QI project-related practice changes on the first and last day of a service week. The average percentage of items recalled increased from the beginning to end of a service week by 33% [46% to 79%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 12-53] for faculty and 27% (51% to 77%, 95% CI 13-40) for fellows. The Huddle occurred in four of seven (interquartile range 2-5) days/wk with a mean duration of 4.5 (SD 2) minutes. Follow-up assessment 2 years after Huddle implementation demonstrate sustained increase in item recall [faculty +36% (95% CI +13% to 40%); fellows +35% (95% CI +23% to 47%)].

A daily huddle to discuss safety and QI project-related practice change is an effective and time-efficient communication method to increase knowledge of active projects.