The North Carolina Center for Public Health Quality hosted its first Public Health QI 101 Workshop for eight local health departments on May 13 and 14th at the Solution Center in Research Triangle Park. This workshop focused on using QI tools and methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided in local agencies with the overall goal of improving the health of their community. The face-to-face workshop is an important learning opportunity in the six month long Public Health QI 101 course.
"Through this course we provide teams with the knowledge, assistance, experience and tools to apply QI to important issues affecting their agency today – while keeping in mind our long term goal, to help participants apply QI in all aspects of their job as well as begin to build a culture of continuous improvement in their agency", said Dr. Greg Randolph, Director of the NC Center for Public Health Quality.
Staff from Ashe, Cleveland , Forsyth, Iredell, Macon, Orange, Robeson, and Wilkes Counties participated in the workshop. Each health department has a QI team of about six people, with some teams also including a DPH nurse consultant. Prior to the workshop, teams participated in four webinars to identify a QI project, focus on their overall goals and measurable objectives for the project, and to begin learning some of the basic QI methods and tools. Teams left the workshop excited and prepared to apply the QI tools in their agency, "I didn't really have buy-in at first because I was appointed to the team. After this workshop I have buy-in and excitement to take back to our facility." (PH QI 101 participant)
Following the workshop, teams will work with a faculty coach as well as receive coaching during an on on-site improvement event (Lean Kaizen event) to apply QI tools to their target area. On August 31, teams will reconvene for a second face-to-face workshop to celebrate successes and plan for spreading and sustaining their project. By the end of the course, each QI team member will have the knowledge and ability to use QI tools and methods and will be able to share those techniques with others throughout their agency.
