Using National Public Health Accreditation to Explore Quality Improvement and Performance Management in Small Local...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Administration
• Quality Management

Background:

• Focus on 4 small local health departments (LHDs) pursuing Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) reaccreditation or Pathways Recognition.
• Utilized PHAB Standards & Measures Version 2022 for the accreditation process.

Purpose of the Study:

• Explore the experiences of small LHDs with Quality Improvement (QI) and Performance Management (PM).
• Understand how QI/PM were integrated during the pursuit of PHAB reaccreditation or Pathways Recognition.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 22 qualitative interviews with health department leaders and staff.
• Employed an embedded case study design within a larger investigation.
• Interviews were conducted remotely with LHDs in the West and Midwest.

Main Results:

• Tracking systems were identified as helpful for managing QI/PM processes.
• Staff buy-in for QI/PM was enhanced through ownership and linking processes to outcomes.
• Leadership modeling and clear communication facilitated QI/PM integration into daily work.

Conclusions:

• QI/PM are vital for health department effectiveness and improving community health outcomes.
• Small LHDs successfully integrated QI/PM into their public health practices.
• Key advice includes adopting user-friendly QI systems and recognizing QI/PM's role in performance improvement.