Using quality improvement to pursue equity: lessons from healthcare

Using quality improvement to pursue equity: lessons from healthcare (British Journal of Healthcare Management, April 2024)

Summary:

This article describes how quality improvement (QI) methods can be used to address health inequalities. The authors used a five-step approach with teams of staff and service users at an NHS Trust in East London. This involved identifying an inequality, understanding its causes, developing a strategy and potential solutions, testing those solutions, and implementing successful changes.

They highlight three successful projects: reducing racist incidents on a mental health ward, increasing access to early intervention services for ethnic minority groups, and reducing the gap in cervical screening rates between different age groups. Key factors for success included working closely with the communities experiencing the inequality, using data to understand the problem and track progress, and strong leadership support.

The article suggests that this approach can be scaled up across the NHS and used to address a wide range of health inequalities. It emphasises the importance of co-production, data analysis, and leadership commitment in achieving equitable healthcare.

Web link:

https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/full/10.12968/bjhc.2023.0142