February 2026 Improvement Evidence Update
- Feb 3
- 3 min read
Welcome to the February 2026 Improvement Evidence Update — your go-to monthly summary of the latest quality improvement research, evidence, tools, and events—all from the past month and condensed into just 2 pages for easy reference. Links to the pdf and word document are under the screenshot below!

PDF Document
Word Document
What’s Inside the Improvement Evidence Update?
A downloadable PDF and editable Word version of the update for easy sharing and customisation.
A searchable list of resources—just use the search bar at the top of the page.
Feel free to customise and share this update, crediting andrea.gibbons@somersetft.nhs.uk and Somerset NHS FT.
All articles were published in January 2026 (unless otherwise stated) and are in alphabetical order by journal / website

Deprescribing benzodiazepines across different healthcare settings: a quality improvement initiative (BMJ Open Quality)
Early extubation in low-risk liver transplant recipients: a quality improvement project (BMJ Open Quality)
Improving resident doctor referrals to specialties: a 5-year evaluation of a centralised referrals sheet (BMJ Open Quality)
Quality improvement for self-management: the DIALOG+ QI framework (BMJ Open Quality)
Quality improvement project to improve blood culture volumes in haematology patients (BMJ Open Quality)
From parallel tracks to integrated practice: advancing the integration of quality improvement and implementation science – editorial (BMJ Quality & Safety)
“Bring your own” reusables to surgery: an environmental sustainability quality-improvement initiative (Canadian Journal of Surgery)
Lipoprotein(a) Testing in an Outpatient Cardiology Clinic: A Quality Improvement Initiative (Journal of Clinical Lipidology)
Implementation of an ERAS® Programme for Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in a High-Volume University Hospital (Journal of Clinical Medicine)
Screening and Counseling for Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care Practices (JAMA Network Open)
Learning Health System Implementation: Building a Hub-and-Spoke Model for Hypertension Management Through the QI Hub (Journal of General Internal Medicine)
Reduction of pruritus and depression using longitudinal patient-reported outcome measures in hemodialysis: a quality improvement project (Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes)
Learning Health Systems Symposium: Charting the Future of Saskatchewan Healthcare (Learning Health Systems)
Podcast: Population health, prevention and the power of improvement (NHS Confederation)

A nursing perspective on leadership within the National Health Service (Journal of Research in Nursing)
Department of Health and Social Care 2024-25 Full Report and Audit insights (National Audit Office)
The Mental Health Act 2025: What you need to know (NHS Providers / NHS Confederation)
NHS Activity Tracker: January 2026 - Demand, activity and performance data (NHS Providers)
Health at the heart of local growth (The Health Foundation)
Meeting the NHS workforce retention challenge - blog (The Health Foundation)
The history of the NHS, social care and public health policy (The Health Foundation)
What’s in store for health and care in 2026? Strategic outlook (The King's Fund)

Validation and benchmarking of Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREM) tool for the safety of patients undergoing MRI investigations (BMJ Open Quality)
Evaluating the Process of Patient Engagement: Insights from a Mixed‐Methods Evaluation of a Cancer Center Patient Advisory Group (Health Expectations)
Patient care in temporary care environments Report (Health Services Safety Investigations Body)
Improving Patient Experience in Healthcare (Brown Hospital Medicine)

24 Feb 2026: Shine a light on co-production February event - NHSE, Online, 10:30-12:00
25 Feb 2026: NHS IMPACT: Coproduction of Improvement - Online, 11:00-11:50
6 Mar 2026: Closing date for NHS Excellence Awards
17 Mar 2026: Making room for innovation: a practical model for de-implementing previous ways of working - Q Community Event, online 12.00-13.30
18 Mar 2026: Leading Successful Partnerships - Q Community, Online, 12:00-13:00
23 Mar 2026: NHS IMPACT: Quality management systems - Online, 12:30-13:50
25 Mar 2026: Q member event: exploring the role of improvement in transformational change - In person event, all day, London
31 Mar 2026: Shine a light on co-production March event - NHSE, Online, 10:30-12:00
30 Apr 2026: NHS IMPACT: Learning from Scotland’s improvement journey - Online, 10:00-10:50
10-11 June 2026: NHS Confed Expo 2026 - Manchester
18 June 2026: NHS IMPACT: Leadership for improvement - Online, 10:00-10:50
For full national quality improvement events listings go to: https://www.theqihub.com/post/events



