What strategies, tactics, and tools can governing boards use to establish quality and safety goals and stimulate improvement in healthcare organizations?
Governing boards of healthcare organizations are legally responsible for how their organizations perform. There are various activities they can undertake to help ensure quality and safety, yet there is growing evidence of problems in the general level of quality and safety of care across healthcare organizations.
In 2008, a research team led by Dr. G. Ross Baker synthesized available scientific evidence from the literature on current structures, processes, strategies, and tools used by healthcare boards to set goals, monitor improvements, and achieve results for quality of care and patient safety.
The researchers consulted with many healthcare leaders and board members to better understand the knowledge, skills, and current practices of healthcare boards in hospitals and health systems across the country and internationally. The result is the report Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety in Canadian Healthcare Organizations. The team also conducted case studies of four organizations whose boards have undertaken quality and safety journeys.