Well Planned Action Series: Module 3 – Planning is Everything!

By the end of Module 3, you will be able to:

  • Identify potential opportunities for improvement through current state analysis
  • Identify and prioritize change ideas to test within your sphere of control 

Let’s get you started!

Each Module contains a set of videos and an Action Period Guide. While you can do these in any order, we recommend following our “playlist” below and then completing the Action Period Guide activities with your team members.

Module 3 Videos

Module 3: Planning is Everything (7:35)

Impact Effort Matrix (3:03)

Finding 15% Solutions (2:06)

Planning With the End in Mind (up to 1:06)

Module 3 Discussion & Action Period Tasks Explained (03:06)

Action Period Guide for Module 3

Required Activities:

Step 1: As a team, look at some of your current patients’ charts to see where the medical goals for discharge information is documented and consider these questions:

  • How does the team currently share and update this information?
  • Does everyone follow the same process or is there variation?
  • Do the “Assessment Plans” include what the plan actually is?

Step 2: Review the examples in the “Categories for Improvement” table included in the Resources below and consider how the roles of people, processes, tools, and the environment could be affecting your team. Have a conversation about what you are currently doing in your area and brainstorm ideas for improving your processes.

Step 3: Use the “Planning Form” worksheet as a guide to document your current state, what you want to do more of, and what you want to change. Consider how hard or easy your ideas will be to do, and whether they will have a high or low impact. Discuss the likely impact and the required effort as a team and note it in the appropriate place on the Impact-Effort Matrix.

Step 4: Choose one change idea the team wants to start with and use the worksheet to document your plan for testing the idea in Module 4. Think about what a successful change in the process would look like, what needs to be in place to do it, and who needs to be involved. Get really specific about what you want to do and who will be involved. 
Team Worksheet – Planning Form (35-40 minutes)

Step 5: Use the monthly Team Activity Update to continue developing awareness with your broader team. Share what you are planning and be open to feedback.
Team Activity Update - complete & share with broader team/unit (5 minutes)

 

Resources:

Categories for Improvement identified by Island Health Physicians, Nurses, Allied Health professionals and support staff.

People

  • Effective communication with all patients/families
  • Point person as source of truth for information
  • Consistent information sharing
  • Awareness of communication modalities for all team members
  • Role clarity for all team members
  • Awareness of patient/carer wants and needs
  • Full scope practice for all team members
  • Working together as a team
  • Leverage positive deviance
  • Clearly defined team lead
  • Know your team as people
  • Regular/predictable opportunities for connection and communication
  • Patients/families/carers are partners 

Tools (technology, equipment, materials)

  • Structured Team Report (STR)
  • Huddles
  • IT tools e.g. IHealth Clinical Documentation 
  • Checklist
  • Electronic white boards
  • Translation services
  • Unified notes and charting for all team members
  • Tools and resources to share with patient/carers
  • Orientation resources, including how the unit works and the roles each person plays
  • Team communication tools e.g. MS Teams
  • Leveraging technology to support documentation

Process (procedures, policies)

  • How to communicate with patient/families
  • Synchronous versus asynchronous information sharing
  • Collaborative goal setting
  • Daily huddle
  • Structured Team Report (STR)
  • Written summaries
  • Goals documentation
  • Communication process
  • Ongoing involvement of the patient/family
  • Timely goal setting on admission
  • Process to clarify/adapt goals
  • Update charting
  • Empower team members to share goals with patient/family
  • Meetings same time each day
  • Orientation to unit
  • Feedback loops
  • Opportunities to collaboratively streamline processes and improve efficiency 
  • Updates to shared communications made daily and as needed

Environment

  • Place to share information
  • Variation between units
  • Lack of privacy and quiet
  • New staff
  • Lack of clarity about who to ask
  • Psychological safety to ask question
  • Communication systems
  • STR boards
  • Huddle spaces
  • Team members covering multiple units
  • Inconsistent awareness of goals and plans, including patients/carers
  • Opportunities and spaces for collaboration between all team members, synchronously and asynchronously
  • Places to highlight and share work being done well and how it can be adapte
  • Workspaces promote joy and team building to elevate morale

 

Additional Resources:

Interested in learning more? Check out these additional resources:

 

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For general inquiries, please contact us at PQI@IslandHealth.ca