With the proliferation of social media sites, 24-hour news stations and niche hobby/topic websites, getting attention for a cause these days is certainly a challenge. The healthcare sphere is not immune to this. Each month there are multiple topics competing in celebration of their national awareness month. Consumer inboxes are besieged with countless email blasts…
It has been more than 50 years since the Surgeon General’s report on the adverse health impacts of smoking. However, maternal smoking during pregnancy remains a persistent problem that healthcare and public health professionals have been unable to eliminate. While there are a number of evidence-based smoking cessation interventions (e.g., quit hotlines, diaper incentives) that can…
Recruitment is open for hospitals in New York State to join the state’s Breastfeeding Quality Improvement in Hospitals (BQIH) Learning Collaborative. If the results of the predecessor cohort of hospitals is any indication, these new recruits are in for some big changes. “The amount of improvement we’ve seen from these first cohort hospitals in a…
A big part of gaining buy-in, enabling change, or effectively explaining progress depends on how we convey the data we’ve been collecting, and the story we tell about it. So while data collection and analysis can be hard, effective data presentation is even harder. As an analyst at NICHQ, I frequently need to turn data…
When it comes to sustaining change, many of the critical elements required in leading change—creating urgency, having a vision and strategy, removing obstacles, solidifying gains—are all still required. But one key element to make sure change sticks and gets anchored to a culture is to nurture a coalition of formal and informal leaders that support…
In the weeks following childbirth, mothers must adapt to plunging hormones, recover from birth and learn how to feed and care for a new infant. Amid these challenges, moms receive minimal support from the healthcare system. Postpartum visits are typically scheduled four to six weeks after birth, leaving moms to cope on their own for…
This past week I was sick. Not just the sick where you feel crummy for a couple of days and get better with some rest, but sick enough that I had to see a doctor—any doctor—because I couldn’t wait for mine to have an opening. As I was called back by the nurse, I knew…
The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is a fundamental tool in the quality improvement tool belt. PDSA cycles are used to test, implement and spread change ideas in a systematic way. Regardless of your improvement framework—collective impact, the breakthrough series, etc.—PDSAs can be used. Here are five tips for testing to optimize your next PDSA cycle. Avoid…
Changing a habit is not easy, even when you know it is “good for you.” The same goes for changing healthcare systems. The benefits of breastfeeding are well known, and supported by the World Health Organization, the Joint Commission, and many other healthcare accreditation and oversight agencies and experts. However, many hospitals struggle to create…
Safe sleep messages are often contradicted in advertising. Magazines have images of babies sleeping on their stomachs and surrounded by stuffed animals and loose blankets. Furniture sections of baby stores are filled with cribs with matching bumper sets and newborn quilts. This culture of mixed messages not only confuses parents, according to a recent study…