Elements to Sustain Improvements

Question

Description

Sustaining project improvements is often more difficult than initiating the improvement project. I am always reminded of handwashing. We educate staff over and over about the importance of handwashing related to HAI and yet consistently, staff do not retain and follow through with handwashing protocol and policy. In an article by Levin, Wright, Pecoraro and Kopec (2016) they discuss how they implemented and evaluated for their sustained improvement project related perioperative normothermia. Key findings were that nursing staff needed to be the initiators and involved from the beginning, checkpoints for consistency of the protocol implementation by staff, and ongoing competency/education were critical elements for sustained improvements (Levin, Wright Pecoraro & Kopec, 2016).

Will these elements be part of your plan for sustaining project

improvements? What will that look like? Or have you found other elements you

feel are essential to sustain improvements?