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Ask an Expert!

One of the features of PHQIX is the opportunity to “Ask an Expert” a question related to QI in public health.  Our Expert Panel is made up of representatives of entities, government, non-government, and academia with in-depth knowledge of QI in public health.

The first question submitted was this:

We have been working on QI efforts for about the last two years, and feel like we have made great strides toward implementing a QI culture. What recommendations would you have not only for sustaining the gains that have been made, but also to continue to develop the skills of staff at all levels?

Check out the answer here.

Feel free to submit a question and the Expert Panel will weigh in to give you a thoughtful answer!

The Expert Panel

In order to ensure that the exchange is a huge success, PHQIX has our very own Expert Panel (EP)! That’s right- we have 11 of the leading quality improvement (QI) experts guiding every step of the way.  The responsibility of the EP is to provide advice and counsel to the project team on key activities to be undertaken by the project, to help engage the Public Health Community in participating in the Practice Exchange, and to review QI submissions for posting on the Practice Exchange.  The EP is made up of representatives of entities, government, non-government, and academia with in-depth knowledge of QI in public health.  The EP include the following QI experts: Les Beitsch, Chris Bujak, Jim Butler, Cindan Gizzi, Grace Gorenflo, Louise Kent,  Joe Kyle, Kusuma Madamala, Joyce Marshall, Marni Mason, and Jack Moran.

Our Expert Panel met for the first time in Portland, OR in June at the NNPHI Open Forum Meeting.  The meeting gave us a chance to connect in person and discuss various topics related to the project. First we briefed the Expert Panel on the project vision, structure, activities, the user centered design approach, and the design concept for the PHQIX website.   The bulk of the meeting was spent working in small groups discussing the submission workflow and submission fields for the site.  One of the group activities was determining the process for submitting a QI initiative for posting on PHQIX.  We worked through the process from the time a submitter logs on to the site to the time their initiative is approved and posted on PHQIX.

The other EP group discussed the submission template, which is essentially the form which one will complete to submit a QI initiative for approval. In this breakout session, the Expert Panel taught us about QI and provided us with invaluable feedback on the data elements which are necessary to collect to ensure that PHQIX is useful for the public health community.  Among their many helpful suggestions, the EP members stressed the importance of collecting metrics. They also gave us ideas about how they would like to be able to tag parts of submissions with keywords.

We are so grateful that the EP members have agreed to assist us on this important project and are looking forward to continuing to work with this dynamic group for the next two years!

User-Centered Design

PHQIX staff began building the exchange earlier this year with input from the PHQIX User Group and Expert Panel.  From the beginning, we have employed user-centered design principles, involving potential users throughout every stage of the software design work.

• The User Group is the core of our user-centered design process.  User Group members provided input to the initial design of the PHQIX website, including identifying desired website features.
   
• The Expert Panel offered insight and guidance for the initial design of the practice exchange website, particularly with developing the taxonomy of quality improvement elements to be collected. Ultimately, they will review incoming submissions and be available to provide their expertise to the PHQIX community.

PHQIX is presently in its “soft launch” stage, so feel free to offer feedback and suggestions for site content and functionality to webmaster@phqix.org

Welcome to PHQIX!

Welcome to the Public Health Quality Improvement Practice exchange (PHQIX)!  PHQIX, pronounced “p” “h” “kicks,” was developed and is managed by RTI International with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

While sustained national efforts at quality improvement are critical to optimizing health across all populations, there is no nationally recognized online collaboration resource for quality improvement in public health.  The goal of PHQIX is to support QI efforts in public health practice throughout the United States by functioning as, among other things, a communication hub for public health professionals interested in learning and sharing information about QI in public health.

Here are some things you can do on the site:

• Find a Quality Improvement Initiative – Looking for ideas for your community? Search for interventions that might be relevant to your public health environment.  What worked in your community? Submit your own quality improvement initiative to share what you learned with others.
• Ask a Quality Improvement Expert – Facing a challenging issue?  Get an answer from an expert.
• Discuss Quality Improvement Issues with the Community – In the process of thinking something through? Share your thoughts, ideas, or questions with others interested in similar issues. 

PHQIX is presently in its beta stage, so feel free to offer feedback and suggestions for site content and functionality to contact@phqix.org.

Thanks for visiting.  We look forward to learning and growing with you!