Select Figure 5.1 for steps you can take (11 KB).
Evaluating your Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP) system for delivering preventive services should be an ongoing process. You can use formal methods, such as questionnaires and chart audits, or informal methods, such as staff meetings and lunches, to help you evaluate your PPIP system. You can evaluate your PPIP system by assessing the following elements:
To evaluate your system effectively, it is necessary to set times for ongoing evaluation and to keep lines of communication open.
Because your setting's system for delivering preventive services will change and evolve over time, you will need to evaluate your performance periodically to determine whether your prevention goals are being met. You will want to evaluate areas of excellence as well as areas of deficiency. It is particularly important to acknowledge areas of excellence so staff will continue to be motivated to maintain and improve the delivery of preventive services within your setting.
You may want to suggest that staff change roles within the system. People who "cross-train" will not only appreciate the work done by others, but will learn how to better support each other.
There are a number of ways your setting can keep the lines of communication open to regularly evaluate your PPIP system. Some of these are described briefly below.
Consider using the Worksheet for Evaluating Your PPIP System (PDF File, 14 KB; PDF Help) (also in Appendix B) as a first step in evaluating your PPIP system for delivering preventive services.
Regular Reflection and Change at the Bristol Memorial Clinic
The staff at Bristol Memorial Clinic, who used to meet once a month, now meet every Wednesday afternoon. Once PPIP was implemented, the staff decided that the monthly meetings came too late to address some of the problems before they arose. Since they started meeting weekly, they have been able to stay on top of changes and to resolve problems promptly. Most staff look forward to the weekly check-in as a way to stay connected to each other and to share their ideas.
Each meeting begins with a report from two representatives, one from the planning team and one from the performance improvement team. The planning team addresses ongoing growth and development within the clinical setting. Once a year they lead a session to reassess the group goals and to make future plans. This group works to maintain the energy and spirit of the organization and to keep people motivated and involved. The performance improvement team reports on staff adjustment to their individual functions and to team work. They compare current status to their goals and recommend changes to better meet those goals.
Bristol Memorial Clinic has instituted many changes since implementing PPIP, most of which were suggested by staff at the weekly meetings. One of the most helpful changes was to move Mark, the health educator, from his office in the basement to a space outside the waiting room. This made it easier for him to counsel patients on the way to or from the exam room.
Mark is now more visible to the patients, and he is better able to keep the educational materials stocked in the waiting room. Mark has ideas for creating a health education library in his old office. The clinic has just received a TV/VCR as a donation, and Mark is looking into the possibility of obtaining some educational tapes for the patients to view when they come in for their visits.
Another important change was instituted after staff realized that some patients were not being followed up after their off-site screening tests. Two Bristol Memorial Clinic nurses proposed a system for tracking patient referrals. The feedback these nurses received from the staff at the weekly meetings helped them to develop the new system within a month. They created a referral tracking form that is maintained by the receptionist. When the results come back to the clinical setting, they are noted on this form, which helps to ensure that results are placed in the patient's chart.