Open AccessQuality improvement in practice—part three: achieving the triple aim through the systematic application of quality improvement
Author(s) -
John Pearcey,
Bryan McIntosh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of health care management/british journal of healthcare management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1759-7382
pISSN - 1358-0574
DOI - 10.12968/bjhc.2021.0041
Subject(s) - quality management , quality (philosophy) , health care , process management , performance improvement , population , operations management , computer science , medicine , business , engineering , political science , management system , philosophy , environmental health , epistemology , law
The triple aim is defined as the simultaneous pursuit of improvement across three areas: population health outcomes, quality of care and value for the system. Since the triple aim framework was first introduced in 2008, it has been applied in various contexts across several countries. The triple aim has been proposed as a core purpose of the integrated health and care systems in England. However, little has been written about how the systematic application of quality improvement can support the process of achieving the triple aim, despite the increasingly widespread use of quality improvement methods and tools in the quality of care element of the triple aim. This article, the third in a three-part series about applying quality improvement to practice, puts forward a step-by-step guide for healthcare systems to use their existing quality improvement capabilities to help them achieve the triple aim, with examples and learning from the authors' experience at East London NHS Foundation Trust.