OASIS Alert

Surprise: Having a detailed plan is not one of them.

Someone who wants to have everything planned out before beginning a project will find outcome-based quality improvement a challenge, warns Carrie Knittel, director of clinical services with Washington-based Assured Home Health and Hospice.

She offers these tips for the OBQI newbie:

1. Don't try to have it all figured out before you start. Be open to different possible answers. Ask your Quality Improvement Organization for training and resources.

2. Early staff involvement is crucial forachieving the results you're seeking. Staff need to buy into the project because they provide a different perspective that will help you develop a more accurate plan of action that they can support.

3. Present information in regularly scheduled staff meetings so you need no additional meeting time forclinicians. Throughout the project, spend a few minutes at each staff meeting sharing tips or suggestions. This keeps staff aware of the project.

4. Use a variety of examples, from basic to outrageous, when trying to teach staff where to draw the line. For example, contrast pain interfering with going to the bathroom with pain interfering with playing golf.

5. Don't expect your first OBQI project to go smoothly. You may have several false starts or find yourself lacking confidence, but the second project will be easier because of what you learn the first time around.