Introduction and module overview

Quality improvement – simply put, the implementation of tools and strategies to achieve measurable improvements in efficiency, performance, accountability and outcomes – is not a new concept to pharmacy. At its core is the effort to sustain a culture of quality, something that requires ongoing commitment and dedicated time. Throughout healthcare, the importance of practitioners having a solid understanding of evidence-based quality improvement (QI) methods has been increasingly recognised since the 2013 Mid-Staffordshire inquiry.¹

Pharmacy makes a valuable contribution to a patient’s experience of healthcare, and this role will only grow as we move more towards a services-led offering. The sector is increasingly focused on QI to enhance patient safety and reduce service variation; setting and achieving QI measures for pharmacy services will continue to evolve and be linked to remuneration. 

Many pharmacies are witnessing a natural evolution of change through QI implementation, impacting on both the people and processes within the pharmacy setting. But how do we ensure that a ‘culture’ of continuous improvement is sustained to impact health outcomes successfully?