Stripe 1 - Discovery
The following aspects will need to be addressed in this stage of implementing Team Stripes and the following information and resources will support.
The 'Discovery' phase of the Team Stripes framework is where the initial data collection and analysis will begin. The data collected and analysed during this phase will assist the team to self-identify gaps in the delivery of safe, quality care and build the evidence base for the safety improvement prioritisation.
Collect baseline data through multiple methods as an effective way to identify improvement priorities and measure the impact of change over time:
- Safety culture measurement instruments such as the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ)
- Patient experience of care
- Caregiver experience of care
- Observations in clinical practice.
Staff and patient stories: gaining information about the experience of care and work will provide rich insights and during the evaluation phase they will contribute to show impact, identify unintended consequences, demonstrate innovation and support the quantitative data.
Literature search: Further information can be gathered by searching the literature.
Resources available to support data collection
The data collected during the Discovery phase is synthesised and presented back to the point-of-care staff. Careful consideration needs to be given to how the data are presented ensuring a meaningful representation to the participating team.
The presentation needs to include a summary of the data the team shared via surveys or stories as well as any other data collected (incident data, observations, patient and carer feedback).
The summation needs to be succinct enough to allow plenty of time for discussion. At the end of the session the team will have identified key priority areas to commence their safety improvement work. Agreement is reached on at least one key focus area.
Within three weeks of the feedback session a written summary report is provided to the leadership for distribution to the clinical team. The report is a synopsis of the 'Discovery' activities starting with the point of engagement. It will include a tangible place for the team to start their safety improvement work to enable quick wins. The key priority area that is agreed upon will inform the next step.
The team is given an agreed amount of time to consider and clarify any aspects of the report before action planning starts. The report will usually contain more than one identified improvement area so the team will benefit at this time with improvement coaching to help them choose the key priority. Trying to change everything at once is the most tempting and least sustainable option.
By including the point-of-care team in the learning and improvement process they will feel heard and likely understand that their co-workers are on the same page as them in terms of wanting to deliver safe, high quality person-centred care.
This will engender a collective sense of achievement and agreement on a shared purpose which will underpin a resilient workforce.