In
Switch,
the authors present examples of successful big changes - like improving
child nutrition in impoverished Vietnam or reducing nurse turnover but
they also implore the reader to apply the same principles to their own
personal, n-of-1 improvement. Improvement is a such a common human
aspiration it's fitting that fundamental principles have universal
application from a personal to a global scale.
In a
recent
article about safety and quality improvement education in medical
school the authors point to a successful strategy they've used for
several years. Students are given an assignment to carry out a personal
improvement project that includes areas such as exercise, diet, or study
habits.
"Students use process diagrams, fishbone diagrams, and run
and control charts; carry out PDSA cycles; and make daily measurements
(miles run, colas drunk, or minutes of study) so they can link their
process to outcomes." They even have a personal improvement workbook
freely available. (
download
here)
Those of us keen on sharpening our improvement
habits can do so by turning the improvement process in on ourselves. If
you can internalize sound improvement method in your own changes it may
bring added resolve and discipline to your NICU team's quality
improvement work.
A different twist to the words of Mahatma
Gandhi...
"Be the change you want to see in the world."