Pdca Cycle Sample
Pdca Cycle Sample
Plan
I plan to: test a process of giving out satisfaction surveys and getting them filled out and back to us.
I hope this produces: at least 25 completed surveys per week during this campaign.
Steps to execute:
Do
We noticed that patients often had other things to attend to at this time, like making an appointment or
paying for services and did not feel they could take on another task at this time.
The checkout area can get busy and backed up at times.
The checkout attendant often remembered to ask the patient if they would like to fill out a survey.
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
We only had 8 surveys returned at the end of the week. This process did not work well.
Act
Patients did not want to stay to fill out the survey once their visit was over. We need to give patients a
way to fill out the survey when they have time.
We will encourage them to fill it out when they get home and offer a stamped envelope to mail the survey
back to us.
Plan
I plan to: test a process of giving out satisfaction surveys and getting them filled out and back to us.
I hope this produces: at least 25 completed surveys per week during this campaign.
Steps to execute:
Do
The checkout attendant successfully worked the request of the survey into the checkout procedure.
We noticed that the patient had other papers to manage at this time as well.
Per Checkout attendant only about 30% actually took a survey and envelope.
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
We only had 3 surveys returned at the end of 2 weeks. This process did not work well.
Act
Some patients did not want to be bothered at this point in the visit; they were more interested in getting
checked out and on their way.
Once the patient steps out of the building, they will likely not remember to do the survey.
We need to approach them at a different point in their visit when they are still with us—maybe at a point
where they are waiting for the doctor and have nothing to do.
Plan
I plan to: test a process of giving out satisfaction surveys and getting them filled out and back to us.
I hope this produces: at least 25 completed surveys per week during this campaign.
Steps to execute:
1. We will leave the surveys in the exam room next to a survey box with pens/pencils.
2. We will ask the nurse to point the surveys out/hand them out after vitals and suggest that while they are
waiting they could fill out our survey and put it in box.
3. We will see after 1 week how many surveys we collected.
Do
Upon self report, most nurses reported they were good with pointing out or handing the patient the
survey.
Some patients may need help reading survey, but nurses are too busy to help.
On a few occasions, the doctor came in while patient filling out survey so survey was not complete.
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
We had 24 surveys in the boxes at the end of 1 week. This process worked better.
Act
Most patients had time while waiting for the doctor to fill out the survey.
We need to figure out how to help people who may need help reading the survey.
Tool: Teach-back
Step: MDs initially performing Teach-back
Cycle: 1st Try
Plan
I plan to: ask the physicians in Wednesday PM to perform teach-back with the last person they see that
day.
I hope this produces: physicians performing teach-back and that they find that it was useful, did not take
that much more time, and they will continue the practice.
Steps to execute:
1. We will ask the 5 physicians who hold clinic on Wednesday PM to perform teach-back with their last
patient of the day.
2. We will show these physicians the teach-back video.
3. After their last patient checks out, we will ask the physicians if they felt:
a. It was useful?
b. It was time consuming?
c. They will do it again?
Do
All physicians found the teach-back video informative and seemed eager to try this new tool.
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
4 out of 5 physicians performed teach-back on at least one patient in the afternoon. The 1 physician who
did not indicated she did not quite know how to integrate it into her visit.
Act
4 out of 5 felt comfortable with it and said they would continue using it.
For the 1 who was not sure how to integrate it, we will look for other teach-back resources to help
address this.
Tool: Teach-back
Step: MDs continuing to perform Teach-back
Cycle: modified 2nd try
Plan
I plan to: see if the physicians in Wednesday PM clinic are still performing teach-back by asking them
after their last patient leaves. (3 weeks have gone by since initial introduction.)
I hope this produces: confirmation that each of the physicians will have performed teach-back on at
least 3 of their afternoon patients.
Steps to execute:
1. We will approach the 5 physicians on Wednesday PM after their last patient leaves and ask them to count
the number of patients they performed teach-back on this afternoon.
2. We will ask the physicians if they still feel:
a. It was useful?
b. It was time consuming?
c. They will do it again?
Do
All still felt it was a worthy tool during their patient visits but feel they need to remember it and practice it
more.
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
Act
Maybe the goals of '3 out of 6 patient encounters should contain teach-back' is unrealistic. We may put a
sign in the clinic rooms, in view of the physicians, to remind them about teach-back.
Tool: Teach-back
Step: MDs continuing performing Teach-back
Cycle: 3rd Try
Plan
I plan to: see if the signs put up in the exam rooms help physicians remember to do teach-back and
increased its utilization.
Steps to execute:
1. We will put signs reading "Teach it Back" taped on the exam room desk/work area to remind physicians to
use the technique.
2. We will ask physicians if they notice the signs and if they reminded them to perform teach-back.
3. We will see if Wednesday PM clinic had increased use of teach-back.
Do
Study
What did you learn? Did you meet your measurement goal?
4 out of 5 said they did see the sign and that it was a reminder to do teach-back.
Act
That a reminder is needed (especially initially) to help physicians use this tool in their visit.