3. Gather data and feedback
There is lots of exciting potential to use data in a CQI initiative.
Quantitative data
Quantitative data is data expressing a certain quantity, amount or range. CQI initiatives generated from data and benchmarking can identify gaps in services or overuse of services and potential areas for improvement specific to a practice.
Practices can also mine data within their Practice Management System (PMS) at a more detailed level. For example, Type 2 Diabetes with a BMI>35 and blood pressure > 180/120.
Qualitative data
Qualitative data is descriptive and conceptual findings collected through questionnaires, interviews, or observation. Qualitative data, such as patient feedback, is important and can also be used in the CQI initiative.
Qualitative data can be collected through methods of observations, one-to-one interviews, conducting focus groups, and similar methods. It can also be converted into quantitative (numbers) data using an excel sheet formula.
The stakeholders of a CQI initiative will be diverse, and can include:
- patients
- workers in the practice
- the local marae
- the local pharmacy
- other relevant health care organisations.
There are different ways to weave feedback from these rōpū into a CQI initiative. For example, a practice could send out an email or text to a group of patients, requiring a response to a specific pātai, then the practice could ask the same pātai after the first PDSA cycle, to see if there is any change.
The responses to this pātai are qualitative data that can be presented in a graph.
