IHI Model for Improvement
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement is a framework that helps teams structure their efforts around clear aims, measurable goals, and iterative testing to create meaningful change in patient outcomes, safety, and clinical processes.
Using the IHI Model for Improvement includes answering three fundamental questions and completing at least 1 PDSA cycle.
The three fundamental questions help define the project’s purpose, goals, and metrics:
- What are we trying to accomplish? (Aim)
- How will we know a change is an improvement? (Measures)
- What changes can we make that will result in improvement?
The Plan-Do-Study-Act or Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDSA/PDCA) cycle is used to test changes in real time and emphasizes doing these small tests of change before wide-scale implementation.
- Plan: Identify a change to test, create a plan, and define metrics for evaluation.
- Do: Execute the plan on a small scale and document what happened.
- Study/Check: Analyze the results and compare them to the expectations.
- Act: Decide on next steps based on the findings (adopt, adapt, or abandon).
QI Methods
Model for Improvement, PDSA/PDCA
Problem Solving & Analysis
Data Analysis, Problem definition
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