Learn. Engage. Act. Process. QI Learning Program (LEAP)
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Share PrintLEAP is designed to engage frontline teams in quality improvement (QI) within the demands of everyday clinical practice. By the end of LEAP, teams will complete a project with the support of a coach and with a learning community comprised of other teams.
Origin:
October 2016, Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center (Ann Arbor)
Adoptions:
57 successful
Awards and Recognition:
QUERI Implementation Training Hub
Partners:
Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Systems Redesign and Improvement
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
Integrating evidence-based innovations (EBIs) into sustained use is challenging, and implementations in health systems often fail. LEAP's goal of increasing the QI capability of frontline teams seeks to combat this challenge by increasing implementation readiness and success of EBI implementation.
The solution
LEAP has been developed as a training program designed to increase frontline teams' QI skill capability and embrace QI as a foundational strategy to optimize an evidence-based intervention.
LEAP offers frontline employees virtual QI training that is supportive, user-friendly, and immediately relevant. LEAP helps frontline teams develop projects that addre ... LEAP has been developed as a training program designed to increase frontline teams' QI skill capability and embrace QI as a foundational strategy to optimize an evidence-based intervention.
LEAP offers frontline employees virtual QI training that is supportive, user-friendly, and immediately relevant. LEAP helps frontline teams develop projects that address priorities within their local setting and mitigate barriers to implementing changes by fostering skills in QI methods, open communications, developing productive working relationships, and building team-based problem-solving skills. See more
LEAP offers frontline employees virtual QI training that is supportive, user-friendly, and immediately relevant. LEAP helps frontline teams develop projects that addre ... LEAP has been developed as a training program designed to increase frontline teams' QI skill capability and embrace QI as a foundational strategy to optimize an evidence-based intervention.
LEAP offers frontline employees virtual QI training that is supportive, user-friendly, and immediately relevant. LEAP helps frontline teams develop projects that address priorities within their local setting and mitigate barriers to implementing changes by fostering skills in QI methods, open communications, developing productive working relationships, and building team-based problem-solving skills. See more
The results
LEAP participants develop greater confidence in applying QI methods within the demands of everyday clinical practice and report intending to continue QI to optimize care for their patients, cultivating a culture of continuous learning to benefit Veterans.
One recent study of LEAP found VA facilities that did not participate in LEAP experienced declining ... LEAP participants develop greater confidence in applying QI methods within the demands of everyday clinical practice and report intending to continue QI to optimize care for their patients, cultivating a culture of continuous learning to benefit Veterans.
One recent study of LEAP found VA facilities that did not participate in LEAP experienced declining patient reach in the 12 month period after LEAP, but facilities that participated in LEAP did not experience this decline. LEAP participants also reported higher engagement in QI.
Please see links to LEAP publications below. More publications are forthcoming. See more
One recent study of LEAP found VA facilities that did not participate in LEAP experienced declining ... LEAP participants develop greater confidence in applying QI methods within the demands of everyday clinical practice and report intending to continue QI to optimize care for their patients, cultivating a culture of continuous learning to benefit Veterans.
One recent study of LEAP found VA facilities that did not participate in LEAP experienced declining patient reach in the 12 month period after LEAP, but facilities that participated in LEAP did not experience this decline. LEAP participants also reported higher engagement in QI.
Please see links to LEAP publications below. More publications are forthcoming. See more
Metrics
- Engagement in QI by clinical teams
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Multimedia
Videos
Above:
Laura Damschroder at the Ann Arbor VA provides an overview of the LEAP program
Above:
Testimonial from a LEAP Participant - Simona
Above:
Testimonial from a LEAP Participant - Crystal
Implementation
Timeline
-
Weeks 1-5
By Week 5, teams have engaged new members, reviewed current data, and brainstormed project ideas.Assignments: Team Member Roles Table, Affinity Diagram, and Matrix Diagram or Impact/Effort Matrix -
Weeks 6-14
By Week 14, teams have explored root causes, set an aim, and begun a Project Charter.Assignments: Fishbone Diagram, Project Charter draft, and Process Map -
Weeks 15-21
By Week 21, teams have finished the Project Charter, implemented change, and collected process data.Assignments: Project Charter and Run Chart -
Weeks 22-26
By Week 26, teams have presented progress, planned next steps, and reflected on the LEAP experience.Assignment: Final Project Presentation
Departments
- None
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
Files
- Handout overview of LEAP LEAP Handout
- The LEAP Curriculum at-a-glance LEAP At-A-Glance
- LEAP Program Application LEAP Program Application
- Preparing for VA LEAP Preparing for VA LEAP
- The LEAP Program: Quality Improvement Training to Address Team Readiness Gaps Identified by Implementation Science Findings Damschroder et al 2020 JGIM - The LEAP Program: Quality Improvement Training to Address Team Readiness Gaps Identified by Implementation Science Findings
- Continuous quality improvement at the frontline: One interdisciplinary clinical team's four-year journey after completing a virtual learning program Robinson et al 2022 LHS - Continuous quality improvement at the frontline: One interdisciplinary clinical team's four-year journey after completing a virtual learning program
- Effectiveness of a virtual quality improvement training program to improve reach of weight management programs within a large health system Damschroder et al 2024 HSR - Effectiveness of a virtual quality improvement training program to improve reach of weight management programs within a large health system
Links
- LEAP for MOVE! Year 1 Results - Cyberseminar LEAP for MOVE! Year 1 Results - Cyberseminar
Risks and mitigations
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Lack of time to participate in LEAP and lack of time to plan and execute improvements. | Obtain local leadership support for dedicating time to QI initiatives. Communicate successes and lessons learned to build support over time. |
| Inability to sustain improvements. | Communicate positive effects with leaders and colleagues to gain their support for designing processes that are sustainable. |
| Employees may have inadequate access to needed data, meaning they are unable to reliably identify problems and track the effects of improvements. | Coaches work with teams, local systems redesign, and/or quality management to design meaningful reports that can be easily produced for the long-term. |
About
Origin story
Employees are incredibly dedicated to improving care for Veterans but work in busy clinical settings. QI skills are needed, yet most training requires time outside of clinic and provides little coaching support. We designed LEAP to be accessible by using an incremental learning approach with hands-on application. LEAP draws on the Institute for Healthcare Im
...
Employees are incredibly dedicated to improving care for Veterans but work in busy clinical settings. QI skills are needed, yet most training requires time outside of clinic and provides little coaching support. We designed LEAP to be accessible by using an incremental learning approach with hands-on application. LEAP draws on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and HarvardX curriculum.
Original team
Jeremy Sussman
Principal Investigator
Ariel Domlyn
Principal Investigator
Michelle Freitag
Improvement Coach
Claire Robinson
Improvement Coach
Madison Stewart
Research Assistant
Laura Damschroder
Founding Principal Investigator (Retired)
Comment
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