What are key elements that lead to success in quality improvement efforts?

There is a bundle of elements that need attention and have been found to be important for quality improvement efforts to succeed. These include:

1. Leadership from top management;
2. An organizational culture that supports creativity and improvement efforts;
3. Data infrastructure and information systems (e.g., measurement based care; registry);
4. Experience–specifically number of years involved in quality improvement.

Other elements found to be important include physician involvement, motivation to change, resources for quality improvement, and quality improvement team leadership.

REFERENCES

Kaplan HC, Brady PW, Dritz MC, Hooper DK, Linam WM, Froehle CM, and Margolis P. The influence of context on quality improvement success in health care: A systematic review of the literature. Milbank Quarterly, 88(4): 500–559, 2010.