Guide to Coaching Quality Improvement Teams

Quality improvement (QI) coaching is an essential method to provide ongoing support to help teams of health care workers apply QI approaches in their setting. To prepare for the coaching session, a coach should prepare clear objectives for the session, such as reviewing changes tested, results achieved, challenges faced, and identifying findings/learning that improvement teams can share with other teams. A meeting agenda should also be prepared, including a review of previous meeting notes, review of a team's progress since the last meeting, and planning for further test of changes. The coaching session may last up to two hours and can be conducted on-site and/or virtually. While in-person coaching makes communication easier, coaches can use different technologies for different purposes, such as providing support during regular QI team meetings via phone or video calls. During the coaching session, a coach helps the team to review their progress, note any problems, find solutions, and identify next steps. The coach may want to vary the order of the activities or add additional activities depending on the needs of the QI team and their progress. Key facilitation points include introducing the coaching session, reviewing the previous meeting, reviewing improvement aim(s), indicators, and changes, reviewing improvement results, providing technical support, identifying key learning, and planning for next steps. The guide also provides useful resources for coaches, including general resources on improvement, resources for practicing methods and tools for improvement, and resources on QI coaching. These resources include online courses, competency-based materials, and coaching manuals that provide an introduction to QI team coaching and address common challenges new coaches face. The coaching process involves several key activities, including reviewing the previous meeting, reviewing improvement aim(s), indicators, and changes, reviewing improvement results, providing technical support, identifying key learning, and planning for next steps. Coaches should be prepared to provide support to the team in the use of QI methods and tools, such as development or refinement of improvement aims and indicators, use of flowcharts, cause and effect diagrams, and plotting data on time-series charts. The guide emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and improvement, and provides resources for coaches to enhance their knowledge and skills in QI methodology. By following the guide, coaches can provide effective support to improvement teams and help them achieve their goals in improving care for children under five and pregnant women presenting with fever in Malawi. Coaches should also be aware of the resources available to them, including online courses, competency-based materials, and coaching manuals. These resources can provide an introduction to QI team coaching and address common challenges new coaches face. By utilizing these resources, coaches can enhance their knowledge and skills in QI methodology and provide more effective support to improvement teams. In conclusion, the guide provides a comprehensive framework for coaches to support improvement teams in improving care for children under five and pregnant women presenting with fever in Malawi. By following the guide, coaches can provide effective support to improvement teams and help them achieve their goals in improving care for these vulnerable populations.