Pediatric Office for Improvement Science

Below are resources developed at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and control chart templates developed at Cincinnati Children’s (CC). To access IHI resources you will need an account, however it is free to create an account. CC resources access will require a MedHub login. Should you have questions in how to use or access these resources, email us at: POISE@uabmc.edu

1. Control Charts 

2. Key Driver Diagram 

3. FMEA 

4. PDSA Cycle orksheet 

5. PPT banded templates 

There are free resources available at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. On campus opportunities for advanced education can be found through the Department of Health Services Administration.

1. On campus opportunities - Coming soon

2. Institute for Healthcare Improvement QI Tools

   Resources include driver diagram templates, failure mode effects analysis tool, histogram template, pareto chart template, and a PDSA worksheet.

3. QI Educational slide decks - Under development 

Click here to learn about on campus opportunities to fund your improvement work.

There are multiple ways to get support from the POISE office. Should you want to engage with both the POISE office and Performance Improvement and gain the perspective of our range of improvement specialists, you can sign up for QI Office Hours below. If you have a specific question or would like ongoing coaching from one of our QI Faculty, please reach out to the POISE office at the contact below.

QI Office Hours

POISE Co-Directors: POISE@uabmc.edu

For information related to MOC Part 4 and to submit your project, click the link below: https://www.childrensal.org/maintenance-certification/maintenance-certification-overview

The QI Quarterly was curated to keep leadership informed of our progress, review aspects of the office, and spotlight successes. If you’d like to be added to our distribution list, contact us at: POISE@uabmc.edu

QI Quarterly Volume 7: 2024 Review

QI Quarterly Volume 4: April - June 2023

QI Quarterly Volume 3: January - March 2023

QI Quarterly Volume 2: October - December 2022

Project Members: Christy L. Thomas, Jordan M. Unlap, Caleb R. Watson, Ryan M. Jones, Robert W. Park, Vicki S. Shinick, Nancy M. Tofil, Jordan W. Newman, Jeremy M. Loberger

About the Initiative: This quality improvement initiative aimed to reduce unplanned extubations (UE) in a pediatric intensive care unit, a preventable event associated with increased morbidity and healthcare costs. Through a series of targeted interventions—including implementation of a prevention bundle, standardized practices, and the introduction of a dedicated QI respiratory therapist—the team worked to improve patient safety and reduce harm.

SMART Aim: The goal was to decrease the rate of unplanned extubations per 100 invasive ventilation days by 50% through multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.

Project Members: Claudette Poole, Celia Hutto, Audrey Lloyd, Heather Reylea, Christa Nevin, Sheila Stills, Lori Mills, Lauren Marefka, Nanyamke Foreman, Andy Yousef, Dayna Cook

About the Initiative: The goal in HIV care is to achieve sustained virologic suppression. By natioanl standards, a suppressed viral load is considered a viral load of < 200 copies/mL. Patients who are able to keep their viral load < 200 copies/mL have a much better prognosis and much lower risk of transmission. The factor that is most closely correlated to achieving sustained virologic suppression is remaining engaged in clinical care.

SMART Aim: For virologic suppression: the goal is to increase our percentage of patients with a viral load of < 200 from 81% to above the national percentage of 87% from 10/1/ 2022 to December 1, 2023