So far in our series we’ve explored several approaches, frameworks and tools that will help guide you through the process of quality improvement. You are probably eager to get started at this point (or you may have already!), but you may be wondering which areas to target first in your emergency department (ED). In a previous post we listed some high-yield priorities to choose from. Among these, one of the most recognized and accessible …
HiQuiPs: Implementation Part 2 – Which Strategy to Choose: PDSA, Lean, or Six Sigma?
PDSA, Lean, and Six Sigma are three different frameworks that can be part of your quality improvement armamentarium. Each of them can often be applied to the same quality issue. Deciding on which one to use requires an understanding of their inherent strengths and weaknesses. In our last post, we briefly introduced the theory behind Lean, Six Sigma, and PDSA cycles. Here, we will practically apply each methodology to one quality problem to …
Steps to Success in Enhanced Training in Emergency Medicine: The CCFP-EM Year
This post is the first of a series of opinion pieces dedicated to resident physicians and medical students applying, experiencing, and studying for the Canadian College of Family Medicine – Enhanced Training in Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM) year. Be sure to also listen to the companion podcast: Are you a Family Medicine resident about to graduate and embark on an extra year of training in Emergency Medicine (EM)? Are you worried you don’t know …
HiQuiPs: Implementation Part 1 – QI Implementation Methodologies
In this two-part series, we will take a deeper dive into several QI conceptual frameworks, or ways to approach QI projects. In our previous posts, we discussed preparation strategies for QI projects; but when it comes to implementing a change, how would a team go about choosing an approach? We will start with a discussion of the variable effectiveness of different change interventions, then we will delve into an overview of some common …
FLOW Hacks 8 – In & out of the ED for the ‘Treat & Release’ patient.
To continue our FLOW Hacks series, Victoria Woolner (NP, MN, MSc QIPS) writes about her team’s project tackling the ‘Treat and Release‘ patient. Setting This intervention was carried out at Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospital (UHN) in Toronto, Ontario. Between the two sites, there are approximately 117, 000 visits per year. Description of the innovation Treat & release (T&R) patients are patients that have been seen in the ED and asked to return …
CAEP FEI | The Nursing Shift: Inter-Professional Education for Medical Students
Amy is a fourth year emergency medicine resident, who has recently started supervising medical students while on shift. She meets Jim, a third year medical student, who will be working with her for the shift. Over the course of the shift, it becomes apparent that Jim is struggling with understanding a charge nurse’s role in the emergency department. Amy wishes there was a way for medical students like Jim to gain more insight …