Sustaining and Disseminating Improvements Following a Learning Collaborative
<p>Many health care organizations use the "learning collaborative" model to achieve better operational or clinical outcomes. The model involves appointing several staff members to a team that meets with an expert over a period of time to improve their performance and share progress reports. However, learning collaboratives may not always lead to long-term improvements or to the dissemination of those improvements throughout the organization.<br><br>A new <a href="http://www.pcdcny.org/resources/cmfstudy.html">Commonwealth Fund-supported study</a> by the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) has identified a set of principles that organizations can use to facilitate the sustainability and spread of improvements following a learning collaborative. Those principles are:<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><tr><td> </td></tr><tr><td class="first"><ul><li>Provide direct and visible leadership;</li><li>Deploy teams to make changes;</li><li>Test changes with the Plan-Do-Study-Act process;</li><li>Use the "care model" as a framework for change;</li><li>Coach for change;</li><li>Make the new way unavoidable;</li><li>Allocate actual resources;</li><li>Monitor what you want to sustain and spread; and</li><li>Create a culture of improvement.</li></ul></td></tr></table><br>To learn more, read the study on the <a href="http://www.pcdcny.org/resources/cmfstudy.html">PCDC Web site.</a></p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2008/jan/sustaining-and-disseminating-improvements-following-a-learning-collaborative