Mapping the Status of Healthcare Improvement Science through a Narrative Review in Six European Countries

Manuel Lillo-Crespo, Maria Cristina Sierras-Davó, Alan Taylor, Katrina Ritters and Aimilia Karapostoli
Additional contact information
Manuel Lillo-Crespo: Nursing Department and International Mobility Coordinator, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Maria Cristina Sierras-Davó: Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante, Carretera de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Alan Taylor: Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Coventry University, Gosford St, Coventry CV1 5DL, UK
Katrina Ritters: Coventry University, Gosford St, Coventry CV1 5DL, UK
Aimilia Karapostoli: Department of Nursing, University of Peloponnese, Tripoli 22100, Greece

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: With the aim to explore how improvement science is understood, taught, practiced, and its impact on quality healthcare across Europe, the Improvement Science Training for European Healthcare Workers (ISTEW) project “Improvement Science Training for European Healthcare Workers” was funded by the European Commission and integrated by 7 teams from different European countries. As part of the project, a narrative literature review was conducted between 2008 and 2019, including documents in all partners’ languages from 26 databases. Data collection and analysis involved a common database. Validation took place through partners’ discussions. Referring to healthcare improvement science (HIS), a variety of terms, tools, and techniques were reported with no baseline definition or specific framework. All partner teams were informed about the non-existence of a specific term equivalent to HIS in their mother languages, except for the English-speaking countries. A lack of consensus, regarding the understanding and implementation of HIS into the healthcare and educational contexts was found. Our findings have brought to light the gap existing in HIS within Europe, far from other nations, such as the US, where there is a clearer HIS picture. As a consequence, the authors suggest further developing the standardization of HIS understanding and education in Europe.

Keywords: healthcare improvement science; quality improvement; narrative review; patient-centered care; consensus statement; health education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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