Resources Spread and Sustainability Leadership Culture Quality Improvement Safety and
Risk Management Frameworks Measurement Integration Storytelling

Spread and Sustainability

Spread refers to the extent which change has been adopted in other parts of the organization, with the intent of active learning, as in shared and acted upon by all parts of the organization. Best practice requires healthcare providers and their organizations to rapidly spread innovations and new ideas. We have developed this page of the QHN website to help quality improvers spread good ideas.

Over the years, QHN has had numerous local, national and international speakers present their spread ideas to our members. We hope you find the tools, examples from the field, and literature here within, as useful and exciting as we have.

If you have other spread tools or a story to share, we would love to hear from you.

Tools

The following tools - templates, manuals and policies, have been recommended by our members, faculty or partners.

Maher, Lynne.  Spread – an emerging framework from NHS. NHS Institute for Innovation
and Improvement. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Maher, Lynne, David Gustafson, Alyson Evans. The NHS Sustainability Model. NHS
Institute for Innovation and Improvement. 2003.

Plsek, Paul. Spreading Good Ideas for Better Health Care: A Practical Toolkit. VHA 2000 Research Series. Vol 2. 2000.

Examples from the Field

The following presentations and stories demonstrate what can happen when these tools and evidence are put into practice.

Maher, Lynne.  Keeping the Engine Running: Sharing Directions for Successful Spread.
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Maher, Lynne.  Emerging Themes in Innovation and Improvement - Data, Design and
Delivery- What are the English up to? NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.
Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Riley, Karen & Kim Kraeft. Medication Reconciliation Successes from Bluewater Health. Bluewater Health. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Walker, Cathy & Vanna Boghossian. The Credit Valley Hospital Perinatal Immunization
Project . The Credit Valley Hospital. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Davey, Tracey, Marilyn Kalmats & Scott Pierotti. Operation Clean Sweep: Spread and Sustainability at the Niagara Health System. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Beverley Tezak & Susan Walsh. Linking Project Management and Quality. Mount Sinai Hospital. Presented at the QHN Fall Forum 2007.

Literature

The following evidence has been gathered for your information.