An approach carried out with user partners from beginning to end
The publication of this Position Statement on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a major step towards Quebec’s learning health system. While the idea of continuous improvement may seem obvious, putting it into practice in a huge health and social services network is a challenge. The Unité de soutien au système de santé apprenant (SSA) Québec is contributing to this collective effort, as part of the mandate given to it by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), to structure and deploy CQI in the province’s local healthcare and service environments.
The Position Statement was drafted thanks to the contributions of some fifty individuals. These people worked mainly in the health and social services network, or were closely linked to it, and came from union, university, government and paragovernmental circles, among others. They were users or their representatives, health and social services professionals, members of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec, managers, decision-makers, organizations, orders and associations, and members of research teams. In these discussions, the people consulted expressed their vision of continuous quality improvement and how Quebec could stand out in this field.
”Let’s recognize and embrace CQI, integrate partnership with patients, disseminate successful initiatives and include this method in the training plan for professionals working in health and social services.”
Dr. Antoine Groulx, Scientific Director of Unité de soutien SSA Québec
What does the document contain?
- Continuous quality improvement (CQI)
- Setting the scene
- Defining CQI
- CQI in Quebec
- Impact of CQI
- Recommendations for CQI
- Implementing CQI approaches
- Attitudes and skills of stakeholders in CQI
- Partnerships in CQI
- Roles of decision-makers and government bodies in CQI
- Access to and use of data and indicators in CQI
- Conclusion
- References and appendices
We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the people involved in the development of this Position Statement for their outstanding contributions, as well as to the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux for its financial support.
Writing and editing (in alphabetical order)
- Christian Chabot
- Myra Drolet
- Karine Gagnon
- Johannie Laliberté-Gagné
- Mylène Lévesque
- Mireille Plouffe Malette
- Marie-Dominique Poirier
- Directed by Antoine Groulx
Groulx, A. (dir)., Chabot, C., Drolet, M., Gagnon, K., Laliberté-Gagné, J., Lévesque, M., Plouffe Malette, M. and Poirier, M-D. (2024). Position statement on continuous quality improvement (CQI). Recommendations towards exemplarity. Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
