Applying a science-based method to improve perinatal care: the institute for healthcare improvement perinatal improvement community.

Abstract

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement applies a systems-focused, science-based approach to improving perinatal care. This approach is based on the pioneering work in quality improvement and statistical process control performed by Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming, and it uses the Model for Improvement, a simple and effective tool for accelerating improvement. In 2008, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement articulated a Triple Aim for improvement-better care, better health for populations, and lower per capita costs. The Triple Aim has become a guiding framework throughout health care and also guides much of the work of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's collaborative effort to improve perinatal care-the Perinatal Improvement Community-is an ideal example of work that pursues all three dimensions of the Triple Aim. The improvement method used in the community creates the foundation for the kind of cultural transformation that Perinatal Improvement Community leaders and participants have learned is necessary to make significant and lasting change. Using a systems-focused and science-based approach to improvement equips obstetricians and gynecologists with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to improve the systems of care they work in so they can deliver the best evidence-based care to all of their patients, all of the time.