IHI Improvement Map – Customer Testimonials

The success of a solution is best measured by the reaction of its end users.  You know you have successes when your users fall in love with your application. Here is what IHI’s customers are saying about the Improvement Map:

Is easy to use

“The [Improvement] Map is so easy to use and the video [tour of the Map] was extremely helpful and user-friendly. If you use the video, in literally 10-15 minutes, you can figure [the Map] out and make it part of your day-to-day work.”

Michele Kelly, Director of Quality, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center

“The Improvement Map is easy to use, easy to navigate, and provides good, concise information. In [the health care] world, ‘easy’ is surprising.”

Linda Hummel, Director of Quality Resources, University of Louisville Hospital

“There are so many practical things [built into the Improvement Map] that make it useful. The graphic user interface is visually very enticing. The tool is very easy to maneuver and several of our leaders commented on how great it is that the links in the resource section take them directly to other great information.”

Colleen M. O'Brien, Quality Resource Center Team Leader, Bellin Health

“[The Improvement Map] is so easy to use and easy to navigate. It’s not complicated to use whatsoever. A layperson could access this information [because] it’s written so it’s easy to understand. Consumers will probably use this. Someone with basic computer skills will be able to get good information pretty easily.”

Christine McMullan, Continuous Quality Improvement Director, Stony Brook University Medical Center

Saves time, increases efficiency

“I love the Map. As a small hospital with few resources, I don't have an in-house library, much less an in-house librarian. I can't ask someone else to research something for me. [Using] the Improvement Map is like having another staff person to help me!”

Michele Kelly, Director of Quality, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center

“In the QI department, we find the Improvement Map is helpful because it lessens our load by saving us time. In years past we’d have to do a lit search, compile the recommendations, present the information to the MDs, etc. With [the Improvement Map], all of it is already identified. It’s like having lots of succinct How-to Guides. It’s great to have all the relevant information readily available and up-to-date. You’re not reinventing the wheel; you’re learning from other’s success and building on it.”

Christine McMullan, Continuous Quality Improvement Director, Stony Brook University Medical Center

“When we embrace a new initiative, we begin by doing research about it at the system level. We do all the groundwork to get people ready for tests of change, so they don’t need to do their own research, and so there will be commonality among our facilities. This is especially important because some of our physicians practice at more than one of our hospitals. The research can be very time-consuming, trying to find the best of the best, to identify and communicate the best learnings and the best techniques. Now, we turn to the Map for all that research.”

Rose Lindsey-Giulian, System Administrator for Quality, Case Management and Infection Prevention, Baptist Memorial Healthcare

“People [working on quality improvement] spend a lot of time searching the web themselves, searching through all the journals for information. [The Improvement Map] means we don't have to do all that. It's just about all here, so it saves time.”

Joanne Jeffords, Senior Director - Transformational Care. Catholic Healthcare West

“The time savings alone [from using the Improvement Map] is invaluable. I have no doubt that we’ll ultimately find that using the Map is going to reduce costs, increase efficiency and lead to better patient outcomes.”

Linda Hummel, Director of Quality Resources, University of Louisville Hospital

Helps you solve problems

“This summer our VP of Operations told us about the IHI Improvement Map and we joined Passport. A group working on implementing the vent bundle was ‘stalled out’ and had approached the Quality Department for assistance. Before we met with them, we went into the Improvement Map and found the information on VAP. The Map was so simple and easy to use. At first it almost seemed too simple, but then we started to understand that there’s more to it than it seems, especially as you look into the resources available. The basic information wasn’t anything we didn’t already know, but even that was helpful because it confirmed that nothing had changed and we just needed to keep it simple. The most helpful part [of the Improvement Map] was going to the resources area. That’s where we found the list of VAP Mentor Hospitals. We found Allegheny General Hospital . . . and contacted them. We arranged a conference call and quickly learned about two ideas they were using that we weren’t that we put into practice.

Linda Hummel, Director of Quality Resources, University of Louisville Hospital

“If you’re looking for the best information, it’s all there on the Map. For example, CA-UTI is an area in need of improvement [for us]. We decided to use [the Improvement Map] to research best practices, protocols, etc. for preventing CA-UTI, and it was all there. We’re already reaping the benefits in our tests on two units. We incorporated the daily review of necessity [of catheters] into our daily goal sheets. We looked at the ED and determined that not all of the catheters being placed were really necessary and we’re addressing that. We’ve developed nurse-driven [catheter] removal protocols. We’re in the process of implementing automatic stop orders for 48 hours after insertion.”

Christine McMullan, Continuous Quality Improvement Director, Stony Brook University Medical Center

Helps you determine your priorities

“We’re using the Improvement Map to stay abreast of best practices and national improvement recommendations to create our health care quality and patient safety agenda. The Map puts into one location the resources necessary to have the appropriate infrastructure, processes and support functions required to have a state-of-the-art quality improvement program. If we can get everything on the Improvement Map right, we will be on our way to significantly improving quality and safety for our patients.”

Dr. Evan Benjamin, Vice President Healthcare Quality, Baystate Medical Center

“We’re not implementing all of [the Improvement Map’s key processes], but we know the ultimate goal is to get to all of it and it will probably take years, but the Map makes it easy to prioritize. With all the information on cost, time, level of difficulty, etc., at your fingertips, you can look at your own strategic goals and identify what improvements support them and, of those, where do you want to start. The sorting function is very user-friendly. You can’t possibly apply all the processes all at once, but you can approach it strategically.”

Christine McMullan, Continuous Quality Improvement Director, Stony Brook University Medical Center

“[Bellin’s] senior leadership has greeted the IHI Improvement Map with a very enthusiastic response. Practically all of the information we need to decide whether [an improvement initiative] should be undertaken - the background, purpose, evidence base, benefit/feasibility assessment, measures, regulatory requirements, etc. - is right there on the Improvement Map. The Map offers great value because it’s going to save us so much time and help us determine our priorities.”

Colleen M. O'Brien, Quality Resource Center Team Leader, Bellin Health

“The strength of the Improvement Map is that it helps you think. In situations where you don’t know what to do, the information is there."

Dr. Henry Sullivant, chairman of the Improvement Map Initiative, Baptist Memorial Healthcare

Helps you assess your progress

“As a leader in [my] organization, I asked the directors of certain departments and service lines to use the Improvement Map’s filtering mode to analyze their areas of responsibility under the domains of process ands support and then report back to me on our adherence to the recommendations. I asked them to determine on a 4-point scale if each element was “fully implemented,” “in progress,” “just starting,” or “not on the table” at all. The directors sorted for all processes and support areas in their areas such as infection control, the cardiac service line, the hospital medicine service line and so forth. Senior leaders separately looked at the leadership domain to determine where we are. Once we established our “location” on the map – if you will – we met as senior leaders to assess the progress.”

Dr. Evan Benjamin, Vice President Healthcare Quality, Baystate Medical Center

“It’s nice to see that we’re doing many of [the key processes on the Improvement Map] and doing many of them well. We know there’s room for improvement, but it’s great to validate what you’re doing.”

Christine McMullan, Continuous Quality Improvement Director, Stony Brook University Medical Center

“After [Bellin’s] leadership has a chance to ‘play’ with the [Improvement] Map, we’re going to get together as a leadership group, judge where we are on things, determine our priorities, identify where we need to go and find how the Map can get us there. The Map is a great way to make sure we have all our bases covered.”

Colleen M. O'Brien, Quality Resource Center Team Leader, Bellin Health

Can help you engage quality and safety allies

Colleen O’Brien, Bellin Health Quality Resource Center Team Leader, reports that she did a presentation on the Improvement Map to her organization’s leadership. To her surprise, even the non-clinical leaders were excited about the Map. The head of their dietary department, for example, was intrigued by the Clinical Nutrition Services key process and asked how they can contribute to preventing harm to their patients.

“I appreciate that the information on the Improvement Map will be helpful not just for clinicians and direct patient caregivers. I’ve done two presentations to our leadership group and there was a lot of interest, including from some of our non-clinical departments, such as radiology. I think there are departments that have always been looking for a way to engage with IHI and now they can.”

Susan Vitolins, Director of Performance Improvement, Northeast Health

“The [Improvement] Map is so simple to navigate and makes it easy to locate information and share with people I'm working with. You can tell them about something on the Map and say ‘go here.’”

Joanne Jeffords, Senior Director - Transformational Care, Catholic Healthcare West

“The [Improvement] Map helps us get everyone who has a stake in a process in the room and get them engaged.”

Dr. Henry Sullivant, chairman of the Improvement Map Initiative, Baptist Memorial Healthcare

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