Building capacity and capability for quality improvement: insights from a nascent regional health system

Quality improvement (QI) is critical in facilitating advancements in patient outcomes, system efficiency and professional growth. This paper aimed to elucidate the underlying rationale and framework guiding JurongHealth Campus (JHC), a nascent Regional Health System, in developing its QI capacity and capability at all levels of the organisation.

An exhaustive analysis of high-performance management systems and effective improvement frameworks was conducted, and the principles were customised to suit the local context.A three-phased approach was applied: (1) developing the JHC QI framework; (2) building capacity through a dosing approach and (3) building capability through QI projects and initiatives using the model for improvement (MFI). Three components of the RE-AIM implementation strategy were assessed: (1) Reach-overall percentage of staff trained; (2) Effectiveness-outcomes from organisation-wide improvement projects and (3) Adoption-number of QI projects collated and presented.

The percentage of staff trained in QI increased from 11.3% to 22.0% between January 2020 and March 2024, with over 350 projects documented in the central repository. The effectiveness of the MFI was demonstrated by improving inpatient discharges before 12pm performance from 21.52% to 25.84% and reducing the 30-day inpatient readmission rate from 13.92% to 12.96%.

Four critical factors for an effective QI framework were identified: (1) establishing a common language for improvement; (2) defining distinct roles and skills for improvement at different levels of the organisation; (3) adopting a dosing approach to QI training according to the defined roles and skills and (4) building a critical mass of committed staff trained in QI practice. The pragmatic approach to developing QI capability is both scalable and applicable to emerging healthcare institutions.