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Biomedical subjects

F Hekelman

Publications and source records attributed to F Hekelman.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Continuous self-improvement: systems thinking in a personal context.

BACKGROUND: Continuous quality improvement (CQI) thinking and tools have broad applicability to improving people's lives--in continuous self-improvement (CSI). Examples include weight loss, weight gain, increasing exercise time, and improving relationship with spouse. In addition, change agents, who support and facilitate organizational efforts, can use CSI to help employees understand steps in CQI. A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH: Team members should be involved in both the definition of the problem and the search for the solution. How do everyday processes and routines affect the habit that needs to change? What are the precursors of the event? Clients list possible solutions, prioritize them, and pilot test the items selected. One needs to change the daily routines until the desired behavior is accomplished habitually and with little external decision. DISCUSSION: CSI is successful because of its emphasis on habits embedded in personal processes. CSI organizes support from process owners, buddies, and coaches, and encourages regular measurement, multiple small improvement cycles, and public reporting.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Rapid improvement teams.

BACKGROUND: Suggestions, most of which are supported by empirical studies, are provided on how total quality management (TQM) teams can be used to bring about faster organizationwide improvements. SUGGESTIONS: Ideas are offered on how to identify the right problem, have rapid meetings, plan rapidly, collect data rapidly, and make rapid whole-system changes. Suggestions for identifying the right problem include (1) postpone benchmarking when problems are obvious, (2) define the problem in terms of customer experience so as not to blame employees nor embed a solution in the problem statement, (3) communicate with the rest of the organization from the start, (4) state the problem from different perspectives, and (5) break large problems into smaller units. Suggestions for having rapid meetings include (1) choose a nonparticipating facilitator to expedite meetings, (2) meet with each team member before the team meeting, (3) postpone evaluation of ideas, and (4) rethink conclusions of a meeting before acting on them. Suggestions for rapid planning include reducing time spent on flowcharting by focusing on the future, not the present. Suggestions for rapid data collection include (1) sample patients for surveys, (2) rely on numerical estimates by process owners, and (3) plan for rapid data collection. Suggestions for rapid organizationwide implementation include (1) change membership on cross-functional teams, (2) get outside perspectives, (3) use unfolding storyboards, and (4) go beyond self-interest to motivate lasting change in the organization. CONCLUSIONS: Additional empirical investigations of time saved as a consequence of the strategies provided are needed. If organizations solve their problems rapidly, fewer unresolved problems may remain.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed1998

Using PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) to establish academic-community partnerships: the Cleveland experience.

The Schools of Medicine and Nursing at Case Western Reserve University and the Program in Health Administration at Cleveland State University have created an interdisciplinary course in continuous improvement that emphasizes learning through experience, accommodates a large number of students, and has created new partnerships with Cleveland area health care organizations. An approach that respects these partners as customers and refines the relationships with serial tests of change (e.g., PDSA) has contributed significantly to this program's success.

Community-Institutional Relations↗
PubMed1994

Peer coaching in clinical teaching: a case report.

Peer coaching is a method for improving teaching skills that was developed for use in general educational classroom settings. Key elements of peer coaching include the identification of specific goals for improving teaching skills, focused observation of teaching by colleagues, and the provision of feedback, analysis, and support. As part of a faculty development project, we adapted peer-coaching methodology to the clinical teaching setting. This report describes the experiences of two family physicians who have served as peer coaches for each other over the past 2 years. The participating physicians report enthusiastically about their experiences with peer coaching as a method for personalized faculty development. They report more self-awareness of their clinical teaching behaviors, the ability to improve specific teaching skills, and the rewards of a collaborative relationship between colleagues.

Ambulatory Care↗