The Model for Improvement is a method of quality improvement in healthcare. It is scientific and consists of three key questions: What one is attempting to achieve, How one can know whether a change is beneficial, and what changes one makes to improve the situation. (Adams, 2018). It is also based on a four-step process for testing changes in a system. The first step is to develop a hypothesis or guess; about what will improve the system. The second step is developing and testing a change to see if it improves the system. The third step is to study the results of the change to see if it has the desired effect. The fourth and final step is to act on the study’s results, which may involve continuing to use the change if it was effective or making further changes if it was not.

The second question answers how an organization can evaluate change. There are a few different ways that organizations can evaluate whether or not a change is an improvement. One way is to track changes in healthcare processes and outcomes over time by collecting data regularly and using statistical methods to analyze the data. Another way to evaluate changes is to conduct surveys of healthcare providers and patients to assess their satisfaction with their care; This can provide valuable feedback on whether the changes are improving the quality of care (Tyler & Glasgow, 202).  

The third question aims to narrow down the options and choose a change that will likely have a positive impact. Many potential changes can improve a process or system, but it is important to consider what change will result in an improvement. Organizations or individuals can achieve this by looking at the data and determining what change will lead to the desired outcome. For example, if the goal is to reduce readmission rates, one potential change that the health system can make to reduce readmission rates is increasing discharge planning; This could involve providing more information to patients about their condition and what they need to do after they leave the hospital, as well as making sure that they have follow-up appointments scheduled (Warchol et al.,2019). Evaluating the effect of these changes can be done by looking at readmission rates before and after the changes are implemented. If there is a decrease in readmission rates, then it is likely that the changes made have had a positive effect.

References

Adams, D. (2018). Quality improvement; part 1: introduction and overview. BJA education, 18(3), 89.

Tyler, A., & Glasgow, R. E. (2021). Implementing improvements: opportunities to integrate quality improvement and implementation science. Hospital Pediatrics, 11(5), 536-545.

Warchol, S. J., Monestime, J. P., Mayer, R. W., & Chien, W. W. (2019). Strategies to reduce hospital readmission rates in a non-Medicaid-expansion state. Perspectives in health information management, 16(Summer).

Jones, B., Vaux, E., & Olsson-Brown, A. (2019). How to get started in quality improvement. Bmj, 364.