Approximately 50 people attended the Science of Improvement Course, designed to give a framework for looking at complex problems.  Facilitators Robert (Bob) Lloyd, Penny Carver, Joan Grebe and Marie Schall took participants through the various steps of the  improvement framework which includes breaking problems down into manageable sections - getting the data to substantiate the problem - knowing how to take steps to develop a change concept - test whether it works and put it into action.

It's a methodology that has proven successful around the world and has produced sustainable and effective results.  "For example for the first time ever we are seeing all hospitals in Scotland using the methodology for a patient care initiative.  "As a result we are noticing a marked drop in infections from all Hospitals," says Bob.  "It’s a fantastic achievement and shows that improvements can happen over time."   

So are there common health challenges happening around the world?

“New Zealand is the same as other countries when it comes to fragmented health services,” says Bob.  “The main issue seems to be a disconnect between what happens when people are discharged from Hospital and the care they may receive in the community.  We hope this programme will give people the basic skills, knowledge and methods to be able to identify and close the gaps and ultimately make it better.

Bob says another major challenge people face is around the collection and use of data.  "We need to ask ourselves are we using our data for judgement or are we using it for opportunities for improvement.  We need to be aiming for the latter."

The Breakthrough College series course held from 17-19 October was also well attended and provided participants with the knowledge,  tools and materials to establish, implement and evaluate their own collaboratives and projects.

Over the course of 3 days attendees took part in workshops on topic selection, developing key technical content,  preparing teams to participate, teaching the model for improvement, developing and running learning sessions, supporting teams during action periods and the science of improvement.

It was a great opportunity for people to share and learn from one another, while tapping into the expertise available. 

Marie Schall says IHI has sponsored over 50 Collaboratives on several dozen topics involving teams from thousands of health care organizations. IHI has brought this methodology to countries around the world, including Peru, UK, Denmark, Africa and of course New Zealand.

"The best part of my job is hearing about all of the different collaboratives and how people are going to use the methodology to improve practice,'" says Marie.    "It's rewarding to see the light bulbs go off as people see a clear way forward."

The learning doesn't stop when the course finishes and IHI keeps in touch with its graduates via WebX - a computer based training programme.  People are able to share their projects, go back and work on them, report back to IHI and ask for feedback.  "It works out really well and keeps us connected with the work that is going on internationally," says Marie". 

IHI will also be working closely with a small group of people in Ko Awatea so they can teach the IHI programmes to others.  "It’s important this knowledge gets passed on to others," says Bob.