The emergency settings where nurses practice present at times a complex maze of practice challenges, mandatory elements of care defined by regulatory bodies, expanding technologieis for documentation and care delivery, and frequent change. A process improvement activity in this kind of turbulence requires a thoughtful focus and a steady hand to produce meaningful results. Performance improvement is not new to emergency settings. The ability to benchmark and develop recognition as exemplars in emergency care takes focused attention and ongoing development. The IQSIP will cultivate the integration of evidenced based practice into improvement activities and the recognition of practice excellence.
The 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report provides information on the status of health care and where improvement is most needed.
National Health Care Quality Report
www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhqr09/nhqr09.pdf
The Insitutue for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
www.IHI.org
IHI is an independent not-for-profit organization helping to lead the improvement of health care throughout the world. Founded in 1991 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, IHI works to accelerate improvement by building the will for change, cultivating promising concepts for improving patient care and helping health care systems put those ideas into action.