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Seven Competencies for Quality Leadership

by Dr. Joshua Tepper

Improving the quality of health care involves many factors.

Probably the most commonly discussed enabler of quality is data and the associated issues about quantity, type, accuracy, etc.  The role of standards and guidelines are also often referenced. And let’s not forget patient and public partnering as a critical element in quality improvement.

One element that has not had as much attention is the role of leadership. From local quality improvement (QI) efforts to broad system efforts, leadership is a key element needed to enable and sustain quality improvement.  To this end QI training programs like IDEAS includes leadership as a component of the curriculum and in the United States, the Institute of Health Care Improvement has a CEO leadership alliance focused on health care.

 

 

Making Patient Engagement Meaningful and Measurable

(Join Health Quality Ontario CEO Dr. Joshua Tepper and patient advisors Emily Nicholas and Claude Lurette for a tweet chat to discuss this topic on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)).

Involving patients in the planning, delivery and assessment of health care is core to supporting high quality care. Involving patients helps us achieve patient-centredness which is one of the defining dimensions of a quality health system.

Last year, Health Quality Ontario released the province’s first Patient Engagement Framework to define a common approach for engagement across the province and guide people in planning for implementing and evaluating patient engagement activities across the health system from personal care to system-wide governance. Engaging patients at all levels is a relatively new process so such a framework is not intended to be set in stone and could evolve as more work is undertaken to understand the whole process.

But how does one make that engagement meaningful and how do you assess the impact of that engagement? How do we know engaging patients is making a difference?

Involving Patients to Improve Primary Care

Dr. Tara Kiran

Ten years ago, I gave birth in hospital to my first child – a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

I still remember looking into her eyes for the first time and I still remember what it was like to be a patient. I remember wanting to provide feedback to someone about my experiences – both the good (great breastfeeding support) and the bad (being woken before dawn for a blood pressure check). But there was never any opportunity.

Installing Better Signposts

Anna Greenberg

Public reporting on health system performance is an essential part of health care improvement. This we know. But in order for such reporting to be effective, the data being reported has to be read and, if necessary, acted upon by those for whom it is intended.

Let’s make our health system healthier

Join Our Patient, Family and Public Advisors Program

Patients, families and the public are central to improving health quality.


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