Improvement Insights Blog
IHI 2015 Poster Use of Quality Tools
In his speech Sunday at IHI, Don Berwick called for everyone to “recommit to improvement science” (step 5 in ERA 3 of healthcare transformation).
He sounded annoyed with the lack of use of Lean Six Sigma tools and methodologies.
I understand his frustration. I was there in 2006 when he asked everyone to “pledge allegiance to science and evidence.”
Over the years, I’ve done a stroke tally of the quality tools used in IHI poster presentations.
I gave each poster one checkmark for each type of tool used.
Sadly, even with all of the emphasis on control charts, Pareto charts and other tools of quality, they are used rarely in poster presentations.
The vast majority are Excel line, bar or column charts (see attached).
The IHI sessions on High Reliability Healthcare (e.g., Memorial Hermann) suggest that zero defects are possible with Lean Six Sigma and change management—basically “improvement science”.
