NHS error reduction

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q.health.org.uk/.../

  • OK, I give up.  Apart from being a TV programme, what's QI?

  • In this context we can guess 'Quality Indicator' or 'Quality Improvement'

    However I suspect the roadmap will not be a map of roads nor will the framework have any obvious frame-like characteristics - note the early warning with the misuse of "transition" as if it was a verb instead of a noun..

    For me, too much manglement language.  I shall skip this and wait for a plain English version, iff it is important someone will create a translation.

    Mike.

  • What if I told you there is a way to make healthcare better, cheaper, and more satisfying for everyone involved? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not. It’s called Quality Improvement (QI), and it’s a proven method to reduce costs, waste and variation, and increase patient and staff satisfaction and engagement. QI is not a one-time fix, but a continuous process of learning and improvement that can transform healthcare for the better. QI is not a secret, but a science that anyone can learn and apply. QI is not a burden, but a benefit that can make healthcare more rewarding and enjoyable. QI is the magic formula for healthcare, and you can be part of it.

  • You appreciate clarity and conciseness in language, but you also enjoy the challenge and sophistication of technical jargon. You are also indicating that the text is not very relevant, and that you are not motivated to read it further. I respect your perspective, but I also believe that the text might have some merit, if you are willing to explore it deeper. Perhaps the text is attempting to communicate some complex and subtle ideas that necessitate a specific vocabulary and style. Perhaps the text is addressing a different audience than you, who might be more acquainted with the terms and concepts. Perhaps the text is not intended to be read in isolation, but as part of a larger context and discussion. I’m not claiming that the text is flawless, or that it cannot be enhanced. I’m just suggesting that maybe there is more to it than appears, and that maybe you could give it another opportunity. Maybe you could try to comprehend the purpose and the message of the text, and see if you can find something valuable or intriguing in it. Maybe you could also share your feedback and suggestions with the author, and help them improve their communication skills. Perhaps you could show some consideration for those who would like to engage in other topics that do not involve the movement of electrons.

  • Thank you for the translation - it is helpful. Pity it was not worded  that way in the original flyer.

    Mike.

  • Point taken, my previous post could be read as quite abrasive. Perhaps some explanation is due. At work I suffer from a lot of missives written in language like the flyer above, ('maps' or 'frameworks' where there are really detailed plans or outline ones, new workers are 'onboarded' people 'go forward' to the future and other such tosh. )

    And you are quite right, after a while one learns that this gobbledygook is symptomatic of a low information content, and not to waste time and read on. Which does  indeed mean I will miss out if  it happens the idea is a good one, but poorly presented.

    Mike.

  • Now, my day job is assessment of risk management and legal compliance of public services (and, by connection, I get involved with assessing and auditing quality management, although that's not my real area). I also deliver training in this area, and gawd knows safety management and legal compliance is one of the most boring subject in the world to be trained in - and quality management is another. So I have similar feelings to Mike but from a different angle, I think what's important when we deliver information and training is that we must clearly identify what the listeners' problem is that needs solving, and how what we're proposing solves it. Then we can get into the nerdy bits (and I write that as a self confessed SMS nerd). I did revisit the linked page to check before writing this - it's not at all clear that it's going to be "problem" > "proposed approach" > "evidence / argument that this will be a (better) solution", which is what makes an appealing presentation. It comes across as "proposed approach" only, which is why it's written in the language it is. If I were to advertise one of my courses by describing the content I would equally expect the target audience to describe it as "gobbledygook", as with all technical jargon it only makes sense when you understand the issue. 

    Ok, so what about those who are in the field who use the jargon themselves? They will still only want to attend (assuming that they have some level of experience) if they think it's going to help them solve a problem, so the same rule applies.

    As the old advertising guidance advises - "sell the sizzle, not the sausage"! 

    It's actually exactly the same issue as we have as engineers when we talk about technology - it's very easy to get carried away with the technology and forgetting that what the potential listener is interested in is what the problem is that that technology is trying to solve - and, indeed, giving some level of confidence that it will actually solve it.

    Mike, I do disagree with you about jargon though, we all use jargon, managers say that engineers use jargon to confuse things, engineers say that managers use jargon to make them sound cleverer and more dynamic than they are. My experience is that both viewpoints are wrong, all professionals use jargon in their professions, typically to distinguish between areas which seem to the outsider to be the same. And that's fine, provided they remember who their target audience is when they're writing. I'd probably use all the examples you'd list if I was talking to a project manager or a resource manager, because it would mean we'd all know precisely what we're talking about, but I probably wouldn't use them to another engineer - any more than I'd talk about "inductive coupling" or "reactive impedance" to a project or resource manager. (Good discussion at the Repair Cafe I volunteer at yesterday about the technical distinction between "buggered" and "knackered"! Translation for project managers: "we have identified a non-conformance which we are working to resolve", and "the system has failed and will require the development of a forward looking road map for a replacement system" Grinning )

    I exclude of course the more irritating of the "sales and marketing executive" type of course who absolutely do use jargon to cover the fact that they have no idea what it is they're selling or why! Wink And, back to the point, we do need to be careful not to confuse their output (which I'm sure this link isn't) with the genuine use of correct technical terms in the right context, but which miss the fact that the intended audience may not be familiar with those terms. But does also put an onus on us when writing to use jargon appropriately. 

  • Don't give up! It's the NHS's version of Quality Improvement.

  • I'm just an old retired dyslexic engineer working hard to help the NHS. Sorry that I don't live up to your standards. But - you won't put me off. Yes - even my poor sentencing. Is that a word?

  • iff? please translate. I'd like to add that all my effort is as a volunteer.