Infrastructure to improve together: Fostering palliative care (PC) and quality improvement (QI) learning in oncology through a virtual learning collaborative (VLC).

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 20-20
Author(s):  
Arif Kamal ◽  
Ann Alexis Prestrud ◽  
Katherine Ast ◽  
Julie Bruno ◽  
Molly Gavigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Learning Platform

20 Background: PC and oncology teams can most effectively improve patient experience during cancer when the specialties improve care processes together through collaborative QI activities. To support collaboration ASCO, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Duke University developed a partnership to pilot the ASCO VLC. This pilot will develop and test a scalable model for quality improvement and dissemination of best practices, focused on improving palliative care in oncology. Methods: The ASCO VLC integrates lessons learned through the Breakthrough Series, ASCO Quality Training Program, and others. An Advisory Committee representing expertise in medical oncology, palliative care, geriatrics, nursing, social work, survivorship, health services research, and quality improvement oversees the pilot project. Content in the VLC website was refined based on feedback gathered through a needs assessment survey of pilot participants. Results: The online collaborative and learning platform went live in June 2014. The site houses live and recorded educational sessions covering PC and QI topics, includes discussion boards to foster interactions between practices, supports sharing of tools and resources, and allows practices to submit their problems and aims statements, and results of their work for peer review and feedback. 24 practices were recruited to participate; 73% from community/private practice sites. In response to the needs assessment, 85% of participants responded with a high sense of comfort with PC; yet, only 33% had similar comfort with QI. When asked to rank their top preference, respondents were most interested in learning about pain and symptom management (44%), or advance care planning (22%). Ongoing mixed qualitative and quantitative assessments through Spring 2015 will assess feasibility and acceptability of the ASCO VLC model. Conclusions: We are creating an online virtual learning collaborative as a sustainable infrastructure to support and foster clinician education and dissemination of PC best practices in oncology.

Developing a virtual collaborative to facilitate palliative care and quality improvement learning in oncology.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 252-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Kamal ◽  
Kristen McNiff ◽  
Ann A. Prestrud ◽  
Dale Lupu ◽  
Molly Gavigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Quality Improvement Intervention ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Oncology Practice

252 Background: Despite a strong evidence base and increasing calls for integration, oncologists find it difficult to deliver primary palliative care concurrent with standard oncology care. Solutions that promote practical integration of palliative care in oncology are needed. In an AHRQ-funded pilot, ASCO and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine are developing the Virtual Learning Collaborative (VLC) to develop and test a scalable model for quality improvement and dissemination of best practices in palliative care within the oncology setting. Methods: The VLC will be a web-based learning and collaboration system built upon existing ASCO technology resources. We will select at least 25 oncology practices to participate in regular, facilitated learning sessions, collaborative discussions, and sharing of best practices. The VLC will equip each practice with the knowledge, tools, and coaching to select, test, and adopt a quality improvement intervention relevant to their own palliative care needs. Development of the VLC is ongoing; oncology practices begin participation in Spring 2014. Results: We will assess the VLC using protocol-driven evaluation methods common to technology development, quality improvement, implementation science, and educational initiatives. VLC usability, feasibility, and acceptability will be assessed through surveys of participating practices and focus groups. Longitudinal changes in conformance to palliative care metrics will be assessed using ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) system. We will use mixed qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to assess ongoing changes in clinician knowledge and self-efficacy in applying palliative care principles. Conclusions: We aim to develop and test a novel method for facilitating quality improvement and palliative care learning in oncology. Through this pilot, we will refine the VLC for implementation in the greater oncology community. Ultimately, this effort supports other ASCO and AAHPM quality improvement initiatives focused on clinician education and dissemination of best practices.

Formation of an international quality improvement collaborative for palliative care: The Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance (GPCQA).

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 91-91
Author(s):  
Arif Kamal ◽  
Jonathan Nicolla ◽  
Fred Friedman ◽  
Charles S. Stinson ◽  
Laura Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Spiritual Assessment ◽  
National Quality

91 Background: Formal mechanisms to share data on quality remain immature in specialty palliative care. As the field grows, infrastructure that promotes collaboration among academic and community-based practice will be required to foster comparisons and benchmarking of data to inform areas for quality improvement. Further, such relationships will create a palliative care “quality improvement laboratory”, where proposed guidelines and best practices can be developed, implemented, and tested. Methods: We set out to bring together specialty palliative care practices with a shared vision for collaborative quality improvement. We modeled our approach after the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series alongside our Rapid Learning Quality Improvement paradigm. We use a set of common data collection procedures, across an electronic point-of-care platform called Quality Data Collection Tool (QDACT), alongside a centralized data registry. Further, we meet and discuss challenges and issues, compare best practices, and brainstorm new projects through biweekly conference calls. Results: We have created a multi-institutional collaboration for quality assessment and improvement in specialty palliative care. Termed the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance, we have brought together 11 academic and community organizations, both general and oncology-specific, across six states to study various areas of quality practice. Short-term, we will conduct rapid-cycling quality improvement projects addressing National Quality Forum domains for quality palliative care, including documentation of spiritual assessment and timely advance care planning. Long-term, we aim to study the link between quality measure adherence and outcomes and further align our initiatives with those of other large consortia, like the Palliative Care Research Cooperative and Palliative Care Quality Network. Conclusions: Collaborative quality improvement is needed in specialty palliative care across a national platform. Developing the infrastructure to perform standardized quality improvement is achievable across multiple palliative care settings.

Pioneering a Nursing Home Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative: A Case Study of Method and Lessons Learned

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Gillespie ◽  
Tobie Olsan ◽  
Dianne Liebel ◽  
Xueya Cai ◽  
Reginald Stewart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Nursing Home Quality

scholarly journals Lessons Learned from the Development of the North Carolina Extension Master Food Volunteer Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (Summer 2021) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dara Bloom ◽  
Julia Yao ◽  
Harriett Edwards
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Volunteer Program ◽  
Entire Process ◽  
The North ◽  
External Reviews

This article describes the curriculum and program development process that was used to create the North Carolina Extension Master Food Volunteer program. We used a rigorous program development process, including conducting a needs assessment, piloting and evaluating the program, incorporating revisions based on feedback, and receiving external reviews that were incorporated into the final product. We provide lessons learned and best practices for others to follow. These include the importance of piloting the program, involving agents and key partners throughout the entire process, and providing flexibility and adaptability in program delivery.

scholarly journals Nigeria-Cameroon Border Demarcation at a Glance and Lessons Learned for Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Prabhakar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Political ◽  
Security Threats ◽  
Boko Haram ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Nigerian Government

The border demarcation between two countries usually takes place after wars or serious conflicts. Nigeria, which has the largest army in Africa, showed that it had a big heart when it reached an agreement with Cameroon as per the 2002 ICJ judgment without waging a war with its much smaller neighbor Cameroon. Although many Nigerians feel that Cameroon has gained a lot more than Nigeria, especially when Nigeria decided to hand over sovereignty of the 1000 sq-km oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, the Nigerian government is eager to make a closure of the boundary demarcation as per the 152-page ICJ judgment.Ever since the demarcation activity started with a pilot project in 2005, many field missions have taken place with the mediation/facilitation of the United Nations, which has provided logistical and partial financial support and has brought in experts from all over the world.The field demarcation along the land, river and ocean boundaries between Nigeria and Cameroon has mostly been completed, except for the final mapping and emplacement of boundary pillars along some sections of the border which are inaccessible or are marked ‘disagreement areas’. There are some serious security threats posed by Boko Haram in the disagreement areas in the north.The best practices used in the Nigeria-Cameroon border demarcation are outlined below. Nepal could take some valuable lessons from the demarcation methods used by these two countries and maintain the political will to carry on the border demarcation works which can be technically and physically challenging and politically complex.Nepalese Journal on Geoinformatics, Vol. 14, 2015, Page: 33-36

scholarly journals The Power of Collaboration: Experiences From the Educational Innovations Project and Implications for the Next Accreditation System

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Sweet ◽  
Jerry Vasilias ◽  
Lynn Clough ◽  
Felicia Davis ◽  
Furman S. McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Accreditation System ◽  
Educational Innovations ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
Next Accreditation System ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background The Internal Medicine Educational Innovations Project (EIP) is a 10-year pilot project for innovating in accreditation, which involves annual reporting of information and less-restrictive requirements for a group of high-performing programs. The EIP program directors' experiences offer insight into the benefits and challenges of innovative approaches to accreditation as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education transitions to the Next Accreditation System. Objective We assessed participating program directors' perceptions of the EIP at the midpoint of the project's 10-year life span. Methods We conducted telephone interviews with 15 of 18 current EIP programs (83% response rate) using a 19-item, open-ended, structured survey. Emerging themes were identified with content analysis. Results Respondents identified a number of the benefits from the EIP, most prominent among them, collaboration between programs (87%, 13 of 15) and culture change around quality improvement (47%, 7 of 15). The greatest benefit for residents was training in quality improvement methods (53%, 8 of 15), enhancing those residents' ability to become change agents in their future careers. Although the requirement for annual data reporting was identified by 60% (9 of 15) of program directors as the biggest challenge, respondents also considered it an important element for achieving progress on innovations. Program directors unanimously reported their ability to sustain innovation projects beyond the 10-year participation in EIP. Conclusions The work of EIP was not viewed as “more work,” but as “different work,” which created a new mindset of continuous quality improvement in residency training. Lessons learned offer insight into the value of collaboration and opportunities to use accreditation to foster innovation.

A quality improvement program within the research setting to improve cancer clinical trial recruitment, accrual, and retention.

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 124-124
Author(s):  
Margo Michaels ◽  
Judith Blanchard ◽  
Kathleen Reims ◽  
Kevin Little ◽  
Gina Pokrashevsky
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Trial Participation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Menu Selection

124 Background: Participation in and access to cancer treatment clinical trials (CCTs) is a key measure for delivery of quality cancer care. Yet adult trial participation in the U.S. remains under 3%, with even lower participation rates among minority groups and people over 65. There is little evidence for best practices in CCT accrual. If institutions are to be evaluated by the access they provide to CCTs, it is critical to identify practical, evidence-based approaches to maximize the efficiency of CCT recruitment, accrual, and retention efforts. The National Cancer Clinical Trials Pilot Breakthrough Collaborative (NCCTBC) is the first-ever national effort to identify such best practices in a real world setting. Methods: The purpose of this pilot was to test the feasibility of applying a proven quality improvement process to CCT accrual. More than 150 evidence-based changes to processes and procedures were identified. Five community oncology practices designed, tested, and implemented changes and reported monthly on 6 core measures to gauge improvement. Teams collaborated to share challenges and were provided coaching and technical assistance by national experts. Results: Teams have tested 35 changes over a 10-month period. Outcomes from the pilot are already showing promising results in identifying those changes that can have the most impact on improving accrual. For example: Improvements in race and ethnicity data capture are helping to address disparities in patient census. Improvements in processes for trial menu selection are leading to new ways of assessing patient populations and finding trials that match them. Documentation of pre-screening and offer rates is identifying system gaps and ways to increase these rates. Conclusions: Results affirm the feasibility of applying a quality improvement framework to address persistently low accrual rates and decrease health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities and the elderly. Based on lessons learned, we are making improvements to the NCCTBC infrastructure and processes and plan to recruit 10 new teams to test further changes.

Evaluation of a Virtual Learning Collaborative to Integrate Palliative Care Into Routine Oncology Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e1371-e1377
Author(s):  
Arif H. Kamal ◽  
Heidi Bossley ◽  
Ronald Blum ◽  
Amy J. Berman ◽  
Charles von Gunten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Online Portal ◽  
Program Characteristics ◽  
Oncology Practice

PURPOSE: The integration of palliative care into usual oncology care is a best practice, but implementation can be challenging. METHODS: We convened a virtual learning collaborative (VLC) of oncology practices with a focus on integrating palliative care. The entire program was virtual, with teams meeting via online Webinar and conference call and accessing content via an online portal. Because of the need to pause and retool after the first 5 months, the VLC evolved into 2 phases, with feedback after the first phase informing the second. We primarily evaluated the reaction of participants and project team members after the completion of the VLC using 2 quantitative surveys (after each phase) and semistructured interviews with participants. RESULTS: A total of 24 oncology practices entered the VLC. Evaluation after each of 2 phases was conducted. For the first evaluation, 67% of respondents agreed a quality improvement coach was helpful to complete the program; 61% agreed a palliative care expert was helpful. The most common reasons for withdrawal involved organizational and VLC factors. Organizational factors included: time constraints, personnel changes (turnover), loss of the champion, and lack of team engagement. Twenty-two active participants and 8 former participants completed the second survey. Of those, 79% agreed the experience with the VLC was valuable, and 74% agreed the virtual delivery mode was useful. We identified 3 themes to drive future improvements related to structure, engagement, and content. CONCLUSION: VLCs are a potential mechanism to disseminate information and facilitate learning in oncology. Further study of program characteristics that promote acceptance of VLCs are needed.

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