Quality Improvement in Healthcare: A Conversation with Dr. Tony Lembke

In this episode of the Medicubes Podcast, hosts Riwka and Kim are joined by Dr Tony Lembke, an experienced GP and former clinical director of the Australian Primary Care Collaborative. The episode focuses on the topic of quality improvement in general practice and its impact on patient care, practice sustainability, and provider experience. Dr Lemke shares his insights and experiences from working with numerous general practices, providing practical examples of quality improvements and discussing the importance of a culture of continuous improvement.

Key Talking Points:

• Dr Lembke explains the concept of quality improvement and its significance in achieving better care, health outcomes, and practice sustainability.

• He shares practical examples, such as proactive chronic disease management, reducing interruptions for doctors, and implementing new processes for workflow efficiency.

• The discussion delves into building a culture of quality improvement, fostering psychological safety within teams, and the importance of collaborative learning and sharing innovative practices.

• The Model for Improvement is explored, including the thinking and doing parts, with an emphasis on small iterative steps and measurement to drive continuous improvement.

• The episode also addresses the challenges and opportunities for practices in innovating and sharing new initiatives, with real-life examples of successful collaborative learning.

• Dr Lembke's final message focuses on the culture of kaizen (continuous improvement), encouraging practices to adopt a joyous and easy approach to quality improvement, with a focus on patient-centred care.

Make sure you subscribe to the Medicubes podcast and visit www.medicubes.com.au for more episodes and additional information.

Resource Links;

RACGP Standards for General Practices QI Standard 1 Criteria and Indicators

Institute of Healthcare Improvement: Model for Improvement

Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Healthcare

W. Edward Deming’s 14 Points for Total Quality Management

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