The National QPS Directorate has delivered a range of national safety initiatives, such as improvement collaborative and learning sets, to support healthcare professionals in making improvements in high priority patient safety areas.
We are now testing a new approach by developing a low-complexity, accessible, engaging and easily navigable mobile app for healthcare professionals undertaking QI projects and programmes in healthcare settings. Apps are universally recognised as a convenient way to provide immediate access to information, which in turn can support better clinical decision-making & improved patient outcomes.
The first two patient safety areas addressed through the app are:
- reducing the risk of falls and risk of harm from falls
- reducing the rate of acquired pressure ulcers
The HSE Patient Safety Strategy 2019-2024 has identified these at two high-impact patient safety risks which, if tackled effectively, can significantly improve safety & quality of healthcare.
HSE Patient Safety Strategy 2019-2024 (PDF, 635 KB, 30 pages)
Our app uses evidence-based care bundle approaches to address patient safety risk areas, and demonstrates quality improvement methods to inspire healthcare professionals to use QI in implementing the bundles. The app brings healthcare professionals onto an engaging pathway of learning and activities, supplemented by virtual project clinics to check in with participants and encourage new approaches to make improvements locally.
Our Mobile App is named QUICKPatientSafety. This stands for “Quality Improvement Capability and Knowledge for Patient Safety. As represented in its name, the app quickly and efficiently supports healthcare professionals to improve key patient safety areas.
We are co-designing and testing the app with a small group of pilot sites across a range of settings and geographic locations. These include 4 hospitals in the Ireland East Hospital Group; disability and older persons residential services in CHO 1 (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo); and St Francis’ Hospital, Dublin.
Q Community “Q Exchange” funding
The project proposal was submitted to the Q Community “Q Exchange” programme for potential funding from the Health Foundation (UK). Through this annual programme, any Q member in the UK and Ireland can submit an idea for improvement with the possibility of receiving up to £40,000 (sterling) to support taking the idea forward.
The project was a successful recipient of the 2022/2023 Q Exchange programme, and £39,000 was awarded to this project.
- Original Project Proposal (June 2022) for funding from the Q Community / Health Foundation
- Project report (June 2023) for the Q Exchange Programme.
If you are interested in learning more about the Q Community, visit The Health Foundation.
App development partners: Aurion Learning
The NQPSD team is working with Aurion Learning on the development of the QUICKPatientSafety mobile app. Aurion Learning is the sole eLearning partner of the HSE and has designed, built and delivered the HSE’s online learning and development portal, HSELanD. Since the launch of HSELanD, over 12 million learning hours have been completed and over 80,000 active learners are accessing learning and development opportunities at a time and place to suit their needs.
Aurion Learning is using their ByteKast platform to deliver the QUICKPatientSafety app in a personalised, engaging pathway. App content includes eLearning modules, resources and articles, video streams and podcasts as well as activities such as assessments, rewards, and certificates to keep app users motivated.
App Support
Are you a professional on one of our pilot teams testing the app?
You will have received an invitation link for registration and can download the app for IOS or Android.
For additional app support, please contact us as QPS.Improvement@hse.ie and we’ll get back to you – we’re happy to help!
Contact
We look forward to posting updates on this project as it progresses.
For more information on the QUICKPatientSafety app, please contact our QPS Improvement Team at QPS.Improvement@hse.ie