Top 3 Best QI Books in 2014

It is almost the end of 2014! As a recap of this year, I was thinking to have a post on the literature on quality improvement, with my top 3 of best reads in this category. In a previous post I was mentioning how quality improvement is a continuous process, where everybody is invested in learning and growing so that incremental improvement is achieved. And learning is an ongoing, crucial activity in improvement.

From all the books I have read on QI in 2014, here are my top 3 picks:

3.  On the Mend- Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry by John Toussaint, M.D. 

Toussaint is the CEO of ThedaCare and one of the most important agents in adopting Lean principles in healthcare. This award winning book talks about how healthcare can be improved using proven principles of Lean management. It is full of examples from ThedaCare, a cathalyst centre for quality improvement and innovation in the US. 

Quote: "Patients are goldmines of customer feedback for healthcare improvement" 

2. Why Hospitals Should Fly- The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care by John J. Nance 

Yes, this is under the category "fiction". But it is fiction that is intended to be considered as non-fiction sometimes in the near future (I strongly hope so!). I liked this book as it touches on so many issues in safety, risk and quality in healthcare, and it makes compelling analogies with the aviation industry. 

Quote: "We have absolutely outlawed the
 phrase and the concept of, “This is the way we’ve always done it.” In my view, this is the most dangerous phrase in medical practice."

1. The Best Practice- How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine by Charles Kenney

If there is only one book you want to read on QI, make it this one. I loved this booked and could not put it down. It starts with a short history on QI to put things in perspective and continues with specific examples on how organizations improved, from hospitals like Virginia Mason to Kaiser Permanente. It is an uplifting book, with a compelling human touch, the book I will always go back to help me remember why I am doing this.

Quote: "(on levelling of hierarchy) Motivation to improve comes from knowledge and inspiration, not orders." 

And this was my list for 2014! One more bonus: here is one of my favourite TED talks this year. Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are. 

Happy reading and watching!