Attitudes toward quality improvement among healthcare professionals: Lessons from a hospital-wide quality initiative

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to describe how the training of healthcare professionals in improvement work can be performed, and evaluate potential changes in attitude as a result of the initiative.Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out at a University Hospital in Sweden. There were 443 participants in the study. The response rate before the intervention was 55 per cent (242 respondents) and six months later, it was 43 per cent (190 respondents). A two-day training program about quality improvement was performed on seven different occasions and after the training had been concluded, participants were encouraged to translate their newly acquired knowledge into improvement projects. Surveys on attitudes toward improvement work were completed by the participants right before the training and six months afterwards. The results were analyzed using a Mann-Whitney test. Findings– The analysis showed some statistically significant changes in attitude among the participants. There were also differences between groups of participants based on their profession and the number of years in their current position. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study is that it was solely based on attitudes expressed during the survey and did not include any observed changes in behavior. Another limitation is that attitudes after the intervention were only measured once. Originality/value– It is possible to use training to change attitudes toward improvement work. The result differs among groups of participants, which raises the question as to whether training should be tailored to better suit the needs of different groups to create positive change. Further research is needed regarding how to reach and fully implement a quality improvement mindset