How can improvement's 'all teach, all learn' approach ensure safe environments for frontline public health workers?

When COVID-19 emerged as an urgent public health challenge, health systems across the world buckled and broke from the strain of caring for an overwhelming number of patients. We saw higher mortality rates due to our limited understanding of this new disease and understaffed medical centers without sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nursing homes proved to be especially vulnerable, and many recognized the need for adopting best-practice infection prevention and control to reduce the spread among their vulnerable residents. Using an “all teach, all learn” approach, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is working with nursing home staff in the US to address issues that impact their ability to ensure a safe environment for residents and workers.

our approach

Shift is working with IHI to train and mentor nursing home staff with six main goals: prevent the spread of COVID-19 between staff, residents, and visitors; ensure that staff members have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to implement best-practice measures to protect residents and themselves; and to reduce the social isolation that residents, families, and staff experience in this uncertain and difficult time.

partners

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)