To solve complex quality problems teams need to follow a systematic sequence of inquiry and action. In this article a practical description of a team quality improvement sequence (TQIS) is given based on the experience of the more successful teams in the Norwegian total quality management experiment. There are nine phases in the sequence and teams have the flexibility to choose the best quality...

BACKGROUND A year-long pan-Canadian quality improvement collaborative (QIC) led by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) supported the spread of the successful Halifax, Nova Scotia-based INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program™ to 19 teams in the 10 Canadian provinces. We describe QIC results, addressing two main questions: 1) Can the results of the Nova Scotia INSPIRED model be repl...

Through inward perceptions, we intuitively expect distributed software development to increase the risks associated with achieving quality goals. To compound this problem, agile software development (ASD) maintains that face-to-face (synchronous) communication attributed to co-location of the development team is a key success factor. The following study explored the relationship between synchro...

PURPOSE This article considers the question if measurable improvements are achieved in the quality of care in stroke services by using a Breakthrough collaborative quality improvement model. CONTEXT OF CASE Despite the availability of explicit criteria, evidence based guidelines, national protocols and examples of best practices; stroke care in the Netherlands did not improve substantially ye...

A series of experiments investigated creativity and quality of work-product solutions in virtual teams (Ocker,2007, 2005; Ocker & Fjermestad, 1998; Ocker, Hiltz, & Johnson, 1998; Ocker, Hiltz, Turoff, & Fjermestad, 1996). Across experiments, small teams with about five graduate students interacted for approximately two weeks to determine the high-level requirements and design for a computerized...

To assess the quality of the primary health care network, the Ministry of Health created the Program for Improving Access and Quality in Primary Care (PMAQ), a national evaluation of family health teams. Thus, this study aims to present the geolocation of PMAQ 2012 quality indicators in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The PMAQ data show that, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, 65% of the teams achieved...

To solve complex quality problems teams need to follow a systematic sequence of inquiry and action. In this article a practical description of a team quality improvement sequence (TQIS) is given based on the experience of the more successful teams in the Norwegian total quality management experiment. There are nine phases in the sequence and teams have the flexibility to choose the best quality...

Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (NSTEMI) are common and cause significant morbidity and mortality. Following evidence-based medicine (EBM) guidelines is one way to ensure that these patients are cared for appropriately. This pilot study examined data from patients with NSTEMI to assess both documentation quality and use of EBM across multiple teams. Medical records were reviewed...

BACKGROUND Palliative care expert teams in hospitals have positive effects on the quality of life and satisfaction with care of patients with advanced disease. Involvement of these teams in medical care is also associated with substantial cost savings. In the Netherlands, professional standards state that each hospital should have a palliative care team by 2017. We studied the number of hospita...