Health Quality Council Blog

A wicked problem is a problem, issue or dilemma that is seemingly impossible to solve. Learn more about driver diagrams, how we can use them to map out wicked problems and work towards a solution.

Process maps allow you to visually plot out processes, tasks and workflows. Learn more about how they help with quality improvement.

HQC marked a special milestone in late 2022—its 20th birthday. Amidst the celebrating was an opportunity to reflect on our humble beginnings, our progress in quality improvement (QI) over two decades and our ambitions for the future.

Learn more about HQC’s Cultural Advisory Committee and hear from one of its members.

Twelve improvement leaders graduated from CQIP’s fifth cohort in June 2022. Learn more about their improvement projects in Saskatchewan’s health care system. 

Whether you have had a chance to attend any of our webinars from this year or not, we have rounded up our top four sessions of 2022 for you to check out!

Learn more about this useful evaluation tool used to map out root causes in processes.

Learn about the A3, a powerful problem-solving tool, and its place in A3 thinking.

Learn more about how HQC is working to become more culturally responsive from our CEO Tracey Sherin.

CEO Tracey Sherin and researcher Suelen Meira Goes reflect on their learnings and experiences on the other side of the globe.

Our CEO Tracey Sherin reflects on 2021-22.

Our board chair Dr. Susan Shaw reflects on 2021-22.

If you’re in a clinical environment and interested in QI, here are some reasons why you should enroll in CQIP.

Learn more about intersectoral collaboration and how working across sectors can provide new insight on complex health issues.

HQC’s quality improvement (QI) experts share their top tips and tricks for success to help you on your quality improvement journey.

Learn more about the Drama Triangle and how you can use it to flip the roles and reduce the drama in your personal and work relationships.

What is a physician panel report, how are they used and how can they improve quality in the health system?

Whether you have had a chance to attend any of our webinars from this year or not, we have rounded up our top four sessions of 2021 for you to check out!

Eighteen improvement leaders graduated from CQIP’s fourth cohort in January 2021. Learn more about their improvement projects in Saskatchewan’s health care system. 

Read a message from our CEO, Tracey Sherin, as she discusses the Health Quality Council’s highlights and achievements in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Read a message from our Board Chair, Dr. Susan Shaw, as she shares her observations about the work in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

We discuss the Essential Together program, evidence and recommendations for integrating essential care partners, and steps health care organizations and facilities can take to reintegrate essential care partners.

What exactly is QI or quality improvement? Glad you asked! Quality improvement is the framework used to systematically improve processes and systems. In this post we explore the definition of QI, its applications, and more.

Here’s are some of our favourite podcasts to learn more about quality improvement, leadership, determents of health, and patient safety.

Successful measurement is a cornerstone of successful improvement. The key is to pick the right measure or set of measures. In this post we outline nine tips to help simplify your measurement journey.

A coaching conversation directs and drives the other individual towards action. It’s about maximizing the potential within somebody. Learn more about the power of coaching and what it can do for your organization.

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle is a powerful approach you can use to make effective change happen. Learn how easy it is to implement improvements in your life by using these small tests of change.

We know you may have been busy dealing with 2020 and all – so if you didn’t get a chance to check out the QI Power Hour webinars offered this year, don’t fret! We’ve rounded up the greatest hits from this year, in order of popularity.

How do you create a work standard? Why should you document your processes into work standards? This post will help you make the most of standardizing your work processes.

Have you ever made an assumption about someone based on your interpretation of their behaviour? If you can relate, then you’ve likely experienced the Ladder of Inference. Learn how to avoid misunderstandings – both personally and professionally.

Learn about the international campaign to help clinicians and patients engage in conversations about unnecessary tests and treatments and safer care.

Learn about the benefits of simulation learning methods to help bridge the wide – and often overwhelming – gap between learning and doing in the workplace.

Our QI Power Hour team put together some webinar sessions full of remote work tips and tools to help you capitalize on the pros of working remotely and to help you manage the cons.

The use of virtual care in health care delivery saw a definite increase in the wake of COVID-19. What does this mean for patients and providers?

Read a message from our CEO, Tracey Sherin, as she discusses the Health Quality Council’s highlights and achievements in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Read a message from our Board Chair, Dr. Susan Shaw, as she shares her observations about the work in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Trying to manage different perspectives and ideas can lead to friction, and at worst, interpersonal conflict amongst team members. What if you could set your team up for success and reduce the likelihood of your team slumping into unproductive negative team dynamics?

Twenty-five improvement leaders graduated from CQIP’s third cohort in May 2019. Each participant carried out an improvement project, completing it as an improvement leader who is skilled at facilitating, coaching, and teaching QI to others.

How can you better prepare your improvement team to navigate conversations about measurement? This post discusses three common, but distinct, forms of measurement, and when they are each used.

Learn what the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES) does and how they inform decisions made by policy makers, health care providers, regulators, and patients on the safety and effectiveness of drugs.

Are you’re looking for some quality improvement reading for the year ahead? Our resident quality improvement experts share their top quality improvement reads and recommendations.

Guest author Dr. Charles Plante explores cost poverty in Saskatchewan, the benefits of addressing them, and policies and practices can we put into place to address these issues.

We’ve rounded up the top 5 most popular QI Power Hour sessions of 2019, grouped by the core skills of an Improvement Leader.

Whether you are new to the world of the determinants of health or looking for a refresher, here’s a primer on this topic.

Dr. Kendel reflects over the past sixteen months during his tenure as interim-CEO as Tracey Sherin assumes the role of HQC’s CEO on September 30, 2019. 

From a patient and family perspective, these are five things that you should consider as you create, or continue to build, a culture of safety in your organization.

Nicolas Zulu, an African Leaders of Tomorrow (ALT) scholar from Zambia, shares his learnings about improving health care from his time interning with the Health Quality Council.

Read a message from Dr. Susan Shaw, Health Quality Council Board Chair, that was first included in our 2018-19 Annual Report.

Read a message from Dr. Dennis Kendel, Health Quality Council Interim CEO, that was first included in our 2018-19 Annual Report.

HQC Interim CEO Dr. Dennis Kendel shares his perspectives after watching Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story.

To support your quest to develop a top-notch QI project idea, we invited CQIP faculty, coaches, and alumni to share their tips on what it takes to bring a QI project from “good” to “great.”

Dr. Erin Hamilton and Dr. Shaqil Peermohamed, graduates of the first cohort of the Clinical Quality Improvement Program, talk about the impact the program’s learnings has had on their practice.

Dr. Dennis Kendel shares his thoughts on the film Falling Through the Cracks and its impact to inspire positive change in the health care system.

Participants from CQIP’s second cohort share what they learned through their QI projects and participation in the Clinical Quality Improvement Program.

We’ve rounded up the six most popular QI Power Hour quality improvement webinars in 2018 covering connected care, improving community health, intersectoral quality improvement, and more.

Dr. Kendel discusses the challenges restructuring posed to relationships at all levels in Saskatchewan’s health system. He also shares HQC’s evolving role and points to future areas of focus for the organization.

SARCAN had a clear understanding of the problem they faced, which sparked a different way of thinking to achieve longevity. Here are four tips from SARCAN’s journey that sparked their continuous improvement journey.

This article will introduce you to the Highly Adoptable Improvement Model and the six key factors you need to pay attention to if you want your next QI project to be a success.

We summarize the top 10 Connected Care lessons learned and provide examples of how local teams right here in Saskatchewan are implementing these strategies.

Learn more about the Lessons Learned Infographic− a visual summary of learnings from the ED Waits and Patient Flow Initiative that can be used as a tool to initiate conversations about addressing emergency department waits.