Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jan 30;4(3):e10215.
doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10215. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Building, scaling, and sustaining a learning health system for surgical quality improvement: A toolkit

Affiliations

Building, scaling, and sustaining a learning health system for surgical quality improvement: A toolkit

Greta L Krapohl et al. Learn Health Syst. .

Abstract

This article describes how to start, replicate, scale, and sustain a learning health system for quality improvement, based on the experience of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC). The key components to operationalize a successful collaborative improvement infrastructure and the features of a learning health system are explained. This information is designed to guide others who desire to implement quality improvement interventions across a regional network of hospitals using a collaborative approach. A toolkit is provided (under Supporting Information) with practical information for implementation.

Keywords: Learning Health System; collaborative improvement; quality improvement; surgical improvement; toolkit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr Krapohl and Dr Campbell received financial support from the Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan during the time when this manuscript was being written. All authors, except Samantha Hendren MD, MPH, FACS and Joceline V. Vu MD, received salary support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Value Partnerships program.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Michigan surgical quality collaborative learning health system model
Figure 2
Figure 2
Patient‐reported outcomes for opioid consumption, satisfaction, and pain
Figure 3
Figure 3
Michigan surgical quality collaborative learning health system model: opioid prescribing
Figure 4
Figure 4
Example of prototype MSQC opioid dashboard (A) and data collection platform (B)

References

    1. Greene SM, Reid RJ, Larson EB. Implementing the learning health system: from concept to action. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157(3):207‐210. - PubMed
    1. Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Evidence‐Based M . The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. In: Olsen LA, Aisner D, JM McGinnis, eds. The Learning Healthcare System: Workshop Summary Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US) National Academy of Sciences.; 2007. - PubMed
    1. Friedman C, Rubin J, Brown J, et al. Toward a science of learning systems: a research agenda for the high‐functioning Learning Health System. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2015;22(1):43‐50. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Friedman CP, Allee NJ, Delany BC, et al. The science of learning health systems: foundations of a new journal. Learning Health Systems. 2017;1(1):1‐3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smoyer WE, Embi PJ, Moffatt‐Bruce S. Creating local learning health systems: think globally, act locally. JAMA. 2016;316(23):2481‐2482. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources