Resources & Tools

The Public Health Improvement Resource Center is an online database is managed by the Public Health Foundation (PHF), and offers resources developed by colleagues and partners throughout the field to help build and improve public health systems. The resources support the initiation and continuation...

When to Apply QI Tools to Support Measurement Activities

March 27, 2013

The Public Health Foundation (PHF) and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) have worked collaboratively to develop a tool to help public health organizations identify and apply quality improvement (QI) tools to support measurement activities. The tool is designed to be used alongside...

Strategic Practice Selection Exercise

June 29, 2012

The Strategic Practice Selection Exercise is a data driven decision making exercise to show how health departments can use a strategic practice selection process to assess the availability, affordability, accessibility, and utility of potential interventions. The priority areas selected for this exercise...

Key Ingredients in Public Health Quality Improvement

May 29, 2012

The emphasis on quality improvement (QI) continues to intensify for public health departments. The growing focus on accreditation, along with realistic concerns about optimizing efficiency while positively impacting the public’s health, are fueling this interest. To support the efforts of health departments...

Making AIM Statements More Robust

April 19, 2012

Quality improvement teams should begin their improvement efforts by creating an AIM statement that defines the problem and the goals. PHF’s Senior Quality Advisor Jack Moran and Maine Department of Health and Human Service’s Performance Improvement Manager Brynn Riley wrote an article detailing the...

3-Step Competency Prioritization Sequence

February 13, 2012

The Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) define a broad array of professional development areas a public health organization may wish to consider in designing and executing a workforce development plan—a key requirement for Public Health Department Accreditation. However,...

Solve The Real Problem Using Root Cause Analysis

February 9, 2012

The Root Cause Analysis is a QI tool used to define the main cause of a problem and identify the actions necessary to permanently eliminate it. Fixing the main cause of the problem prevents continuously addressing minor symptoms of the problem. This article by Grace Duffy and PHF QI Experts Jack Moran...

Assessing and Building a Culture of Quality Improvement in Your Agency Presentation

July 12, 2011

These slides provide an overview of the culture of quality improvement (QI), the steps needed to build and change organizational culture, becoming aware of the six indicators of a culture, and how to rate an organization’s culture using a radar chart. These slides are excerpted from a presentation...

Applying QI Techniques to Analyze Problems and Find Solutions Presentation

July 12, 2011

These presentation slides provide a basic introduction to quality improvement (QI) as it pertains to the National Public Health Performance Standards (NPHPS) and other public health initiatives and activities. Topics in the presentation include the purpose and usage of basic QI problem solving tools,...

Improving the Planning and Performance Measurement Reporting System

June 27, 2011

The goal of this rapid cycle improvement (RCI) project was to streamline the reporting process of the Minnesota Planning and Performance Measurement Reporting System to improve the content and quality of the data submitted and add more value for state and local stakeholders. RCI PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)...

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