Assessing HEALTH’s Quality Improvement Culture

Measures included in this project include QI awareness, perceptions, skills, and practices. Because this is the first time that this survey was administered at HEALTH, the results provided the baseline for future QI assessments that will occur in March of each year. Overall, the success of HEALTH's QI initiative will be measured based on percent increases of staff in the upper stages of NACCHO’s QI culture framework, for each of the survey domains described previously. Some of the main findings of the QI survey included the following: • Most of HEALTH’s staff members are in phase 4 of perceptions about QI. • Most staff members are in phase 3 of QI awareness and knowledge and skills. • Approximately half of HEALTH’s staff members have been involved at least once in activities that use QI tools and methods. • One in three employees has QI knowledge and/or skills. • One in 11 employees has experience as a QI trainer. • About half of the staff members who have knowledge about QI tools and methods received training outside of HEALTH.

QI is now a recognized term and concept at HEALTH.

All HEALTH staff members need to go through QI training to learn QI skills and build internal QI networks. The QI survey will be used to continuously assess and refine QI strategy. Continuous, consistent support from leadership is required to build a QI culture.