Add to your toolkit
There are many free resources and tools available online to support your QI project.
See below for links to reputable sources of information, tools and resources to support your QI project.
The Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC)
The Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) houses a range of tools and resources to help NSW Health staff with QI. From brainstorming to graphs, charts and mapping tools, the CEC has information and instructions on when and how to use each tool in your project.
The CEC also has a series of clinical-based Quality Improvement Toolkits based on 10 set topics including medication reconciliation, sepsis and harm minimisation. Depending on your project topic, these may be very relevant to you, or may be used to help further your understanding of the QI process in clinical environments.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is fantastic source of free information and resources to support your QI. It includes information and "how-to" videos and guides, practical advice and links to publications that may be relevant to your project topic.
My Health Learning
My Health Learning hosts online training courses to support staff undertaking quality improvement activities. Use the search function to look for QI courses relevant to your work. The course titled "Introduction to Improvement Science (part of the Safety & Quality Essentials Pathway)", contains 6 modules designed to build staff capacity in QI. It provides guidance around using driver diagrams and undertaking and measuring improvements in your local workplace.
HNE Health Libraries
Don't know where to start with searching for literature around your QI topic? Need research support or help managing your references? HNE Health Libraries have a range of supports and training available to assist.
Microsoft Teams
As a NSW Health staff member you will have access to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams can be very useful for individuals or teams undertaking QI projects. It includes functions such as:
- Create project task lists and plans using Microsoft Lists or Microsoft Planner (apps within Microsoft Teams).
- Create surveys and polls using Microsoft Forms (an app within Microsoft Teams).
- Organise project files and documents into secure folders to ensure data security.
- Hold, record and transcribe online meetings with your project team.
- Have multiple people working on the same document at the same time.
You can access Microsoft Teams online or through the Microsoft Teams app on your work computer/laptop.
To learn how to use Microsoft Teams or access it online, click here.
Quality Improvement Data System (QIDS)
QIDS is an online reporting tool developed by the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC). QIDS has been created to give clinicians and managers easy access to information to improve their services.
QIDS contains an Improvement Projects module based on quality improvement approaches used by the CEC. This module works to simplify the tasks associated with documenting and reporting quality improvement projects. The module includes an interactive tool to build driver diagrams. Change ideas from the driver diagram can also be linked to PDSA cycles and project measures (process, outcome and balance measures) within the tool.
Click here for more information on QIDS.