Planning for patient care redesign: success through continuous quality improvement

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Improving patient care delivery is crucial in hospital settings.
• Staff nurse involvement in quality improvement teams is key to successful redesign.
• Redesigning care models requires structured planning and implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the planning process and strategies for patient care delivery redesign.
• To detail the implementation of a continuous quality improvement project on a medical-surgical unit.
• To outline the initial steps of a nurse-led care redesign initiative.

Main Methods:

• A team of 12 staff nurses was formed.
• Trained facilitators and a team leader guided the seven-month project.
• Methods included customer needs assessment, pilot planning, and drafting evaluation criteria.

Main Results:

• The planning phase for patient care delivery redesign was completed.
• Needs assessment informed the development of a pilot plan.
• Evaluation criteria were drafted to measure the success of the redesign.

Conclusions:

• Staff nurses are integral to redesigning patient care delivery models.
• A structured, team-based approach facilitates quality improvement initiatives.
• The described process provides a framework for other hospitals undertaking care redesign.