Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff

Background Improving the quality of patient care remains a global necessity. Despite system and professional benefits, current evidence indicates that the spread of improvement principles among front-line healthcare workers remains poor.While education and training alone are unlikely to result in co...

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Main Authors: Siobhán Eithne McCarthy, Petar Popivanov, Mairead Finn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-02-01
Series:BMJ Open Quality
Online Access:https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/1/e002967.full
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author Siobhán Eithne McCarthy
Petar Popivanov
Mairead Finn
author_facet Siobhán Eithne McCarthy
Petar Popivanov
Mairead Finn
author_sort Siobhán Eithne McCarthy
collection DOAJ
description Background Improving the quality of patient care remains a global necessity. Despite system and professional benefits, current evidence indicates that the spread of improvement principles among front-line healthcare workers remains poor.While education and training alone are unlikely to result in consistent improvement practice, coaching can play a critical role in sustainable, evidence-based improvement implementation. Peer quality improvement coaching (PQIC) places the power and agency in the shared relationship between coach and coachee to shape coachee quality improvement (QI) outcomes.Study objective was to develop and pilot an evidence-based protocol for implementation and evaluation of a PQIC for front-line staff engaged in small to intermediate improvement efforts.Methods We conducted a multistage case-study design and implementation process. First, a systematised literature review identified themes about the theory and practice of QI coaching (QIC). Second, these themes guided the development of a PQIC protocol. Finally, the protocol was piloted and evaluated among staff in a single-centre tertiary maternity hospital. PQIC effectiveness was assessed using evaluation tools identified in the literature.Results Effectiveness; strategies and models; moderating factors and methods for evaluation of QIC emerged from the literature. Together with Bloom’s taxonomy and Kirkpatrick’s educational model, these themes informed the development of this PQIC protocol. It was piloted in three steps: education, coaching and evaluation. A survey revealed that the participants in the education step achieved excellent scores. Following the coaching journey, the coached multidisciplinary team leaders completed their improvement initiatives and demonstrated increased QI knowledge and skills measured by the ‘IHI improvement advisor self-assessment tool’ and ‘IHI assessment scale for collaboratives’.Conclusion Built on established education, peer coaching and QI concepts, this evidence-based PQIC protocol adds to international evidence on how to support front-line healthcare workers in their improvement efforts. Future research needs to assess protocol effectiveness across different settings.
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spelling doaj-art-353695d13abd4a58ab0f22f2338f635f2025-02-09T04:00:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Quality2399-66412025-02-0114110.1136/bmjoq-2024-002967Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staffSiobhán Eithne McCarthy0Petar Popivanov1Mairead Finn2RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dublin, IrelandCoombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandRCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dublin, IrelandBackground Improving the quality of patient care remains a global necessity. Despite system and professional benefits, current evidence indicates that the spread of improvement principles among front-line healthcare workers remains poor.While education and training alone are unlikely to result in consistent improvement practice, coaching can play a critical role in sustainable, evidence-based improvement implementation. Peer quality improvement coaching (PQIC) places the power and agency in the shared relationship between coach and coachee to shape coachee quality improvement (QI) outcomes.Study objective was to develop and pilot an evidence-based protocol for implementation and evaluation of a PQIC for front-line staff engaged in small to intermediate improvement efforts.Methods We conducted a multistage case-study design and implementation process. First, a systematised literature review identified themes about the theory and practice of QI coaching (QIC). Second, these themes guided the development of a PQIC protocol. Finally, the protocol was piloted and evaluated among staff in a single-centre tertiary maternity hospital. PQIC effectiveness was assessed using evaluation tools identified in the literature.Results Effectiveness; strategies and models; moderating factors and methods for evaluation of QIC emerged from the literature. Together with Bloom’s taxonomy and Kirkpatrick’s educational model, these themes informed the development of this PQIC protocol. It was piloted in three steps: education, coaching and evaluation. A survey revealed that the participants in the education step achieved excellent scores. Following the coaching journey, the coached multidisciplinary team leaders completed their improvement initiatives and demonstrated increased QI knowledge and skills measured by the ‘IHI improvement advisor self-assessment tool’ and ‘IHI assessment scale for collaboratives’.Conclusion Built on established education, peer coaching and QI concepts, this evidence-based PQIC protocol adds to international evidence on how to support front-line healthcare workers in their improvement efforts. Future research needs to assess protocol effectiveness across different settings.https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/1/e002967.full
spellingShingle Siobhán Eithne McCarthy
Petar Popivanov
Mairead Finn
Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
BMJ Open Quality
title Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
title_full Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
title_fullStr Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
title_full_unstemmed Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
title_short Developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front-line healthcare staff
title_sort developing and piloting a peer quality improvement coaching protocol for front line healthcare staff
url https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/1/e002967.full
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