The Collaborative Program

The Australian Primary Care Collaboratives (APCC) Program framework consists of an orientation activity and three learning workshops over a nine-month period with activity periods in between, and ongoing data submission. This framework is often referred to as a Program 'wave'. The activity periods allow for practices to test and implement change in their organisations. 
 

The Program consists of the following components:

Orientation

At orientation, practices are provided with an introduction to Collaboratives and how they operate, plus an understanding of the procedures for collecting and reporting the improvement measures, and implementing PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles.

Baseline Data Collection

Baseline data is a snapshot of a practice's position before they begin with the Program.

3 Learning Workshops

The learning workshops provide participants with access to stimulating ideas and approaches in a supportive environment. Having access to what others have done successfully will short cut the learning process and speed up practices' ability to deliver improved care for their patients. learning workshops also provide a hothouse of ideas. By listening to others' experiences, new ideas are generated and innovation occurs.

At learning workshops, participants:

  • hear from topic areas and quality improvement experts
  • listen to fellow practices about how they have sought to improve their own care systems
  • get 'protected' (dedicated) time to formulate plans for action
  • contribute their experiences to help others learn and stimulate innovation
  • share, debate and learn from each other.

Activity Periods

Activity Periods are periods of time between learning workshops where practice staff implement ideas they have been exposed to and formulated during the workshops. Practices test ideas using the Model for Improvement*.

The Model for Improvement

The Model for Improvement* is a simple and effective tool for improvement. It consists of two parts; the first part, the "thinking part", consists of three fundamental questions to guide improvement work:

1. What are we trying to accomplish?
2. How will we know that a change is an improvement?
3. What changes can we make that will result in an improvement?

The second part, the "doing part", is made up of rapid, small Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles to test and implement change in real work settings. The PDSA cycle provides a framework for testing ideas and assessing the results to determine if the change is an improvement. To find out more about the Model for Improvement click here.

PDSA Cycles & Testing of Ideas
Small incremental changes are tested and implemented at a practice level using "Plan, Do, Study, Act" (PDSA) cycles. To find out more information about PDSA cycles click here.

The PDSA cycle enables practices to break down change into manageable chunks so that they are able to make incremental changes. Practices try out changes on a small scale, and use consecutive PDSA cycles to collect information about how effective the change is.

Data Collection

Monthly data collection and reporting enables participants to track their improvement. Regular reporting and measurement is a key feature of the Collaborative Methodology and a powerful tool by which participants can assess their progress, and benchmark themselves against other participants, according to the APCC's defined clinical measures. This reporting is not a performance management tool. It is part of the Collaborative learning process to track progress and improvement in the systems of care.

Expert Reference Panel

At the development stage an Expert Reference Panel is formed for each topic area. An ERP is a group of experts and key professionals with experience in the key topic areas. To find out more about the APCC ERPs please click here.

Change Principles

The Program provides a set of change principles, which underpin best practice in each topic area. These are documented in the handbook which all participants will be provided with at Orientation. To veiw the Change Principles for the Program click here.

Change Ideas

Change ideas are practical examples of how practices can implement and achieve change. To see some change ideas that APCC practices have tested visit the Ideas for Improvement, 1001 Stories, or Virtual Tabletops pages.

Shared Learning

Practices which have made improvements by applying the principles and ideas to their own practices, have a platform to share their specific learning with their peers. In addition to driving change, this approach to improvement helps reduce anxiety to change by seeing that others have done it.

Measurement

The Program uses specific improvement measures to enable participants to monitor the impact of the changes they make and assess the improvement gained over time. To view the Program measures please click here.


For more information see: APCC Team (ERPs), Model for Improvement, Goals and Aims of the Program, & Program Results
 

*(Langley, Nolan, Nolan, Norman & Provost (1996) "The Improvement Guide" Jossey Bass, USA)

Last Updated 11 March 2010