{"id":4458,"date":"2021-11-19T16:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T05:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/ccch\/?p=4458"},"modified":"2022-01-24T13:14:44","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T02:14:44","slug":"the-practices-of-an-effective-quality-improvement-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/ccch\/2021\/11\/19\/the-practices-of-an-effective-quality-improvement-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"The practices of an effective quality improvement coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is part of the\u00a0<\/strong>Learning and changing with quality improvement<\/strong><\/a> blog series.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 2016, the Centre for Community Child Health has been engaged by the Victorian Department of Education and Training\u2019s Best Start program to maximise participation in Maternal and Child Health and kindergarten services through the use of quality improvement. Together with Best Start facilitators and departmental staff, we continue to learn about how to best adapt this methodology to the community setting and its ability to deliver improvements.<\/p>\n

This blog series aims to share insights from the partnership. It is authored by Lauren Heery<\/a>, Senior Project Coordinator in the\u00a0Service Systems Innovation Team<\/a> at the Centre for Community Child Health.<\/p>\n

What we are learning about becoming an effective QI coach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Working alongside Best Start facilitators over the last five years, I\u2019ve become increasingly aware of the multidimensional nature of the role. As quality improvement coaches, Best Start facilitators need to be proficient in quality improvement methods, have strong project management skills, and know-how to engage and build relationships with partners and stakeholders.<\/p>\n

As part of the initiative\u2019s network-wide learning and coaching programs led by the Centre for Community Child Health, Best Start facilitators have come together on multiple occasions between August 2020 and June 2021 to reflect on their practice. In these sessions, Best Start facilitators have shared insights about their role, leading to the identification of six domains of practice for becoming a more effective QI coach. These are: Shifting your mindset; Developing technical knowledge and skills; Creating buy-in; Deepening relationships; Building the capacity of others; and Practising professional self-care (see Figure 1).<\/p>\n

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Figure 1: Domain of effective quality improvement facilitation in Best Start<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n

1. Shifting your mindset<\/h3>\n

Facilitators identified that shifting their mindset around a few key ideas was an important aspect of becoming an effective QI coach. These included:<\/p>\n