Developing a Sustainable Quality Improvement Program in an Academic Center: The Experience of an Adolescent Unit.

Introduction: Successful quality improvement (QI) efforts use a comprehensive, institutional QI framework and professional development, but literature describing implementing QI frameworks in Adolescent Medicine practices is sparse. We aimed to implement and increase the number of formally structured QI projects (primary aim) and the number of projects achieving a centerline (CL) shift (secondary aim) in our hospital's Adolescent Medicine Clinic.

Methods: We used formal QI methodology to improve health outcomes by increasing the number of faculty with formalized QI education, creating interdisciplinary QI teams, and improving staff motivation.

Quality Tool School: Improving the Delivery of Quality Improvement Education in a Children's Hospital.

Background: In 2013, Nationwide Children's Hospital's (NCH) Quality Tool School (QTS) was created as an initial Quality Improvement educational series, composed of three separate classes, totaling 5.5 hours of hands-on QI training. QTS complemented the NCH 40-hour Quality Improvement Essentials course.

Increasing access to psychological services within pediatric rheumatology care.

Background: Given the impact of psychological factors on rheumatic disease, pediatric psychologists serve a vital role in promoting quality of life and managing common problems among youth with rheumatic disease. The aim of this project was to increase access to psychological services among youth with rheumatic disease at a children's hospital.

Methods: A quality improvement (QI) team identified key drivers and interventions aimed to increase access to psychological services for youth with rheumatic disease.

Implementing Evidence-Based, Electronic, Substance-Use Screening in a Primary Care Clinic.

Purpose: Substance use is common among adolescents, and among those with substance use disorders; use often persists into middle age, underlying the importance of early detection and treatment. The goal of this quality improvement project was to increase the electronic substance use screening rate of adolescents presenting for preventative health visits from 0% to 50% between March 2021 and September 2021.

Methods: This is an ongoing quality improvement project.

Preventing Teen Pregnancies on Teratogenic Drugs by Quality Improvement and Behavioral Economics.

Background: Adolescents with chronic disease engage in sexual activity similar to their healthy peers, with generally low utilization of contraception. Adolescents with rheumatic diseases prescribed teratogenic medications may be at risk for unplanned pregnancy.

Methods: Using structured quality improvement (QI) methods with behavior economic (BE) principles, a multidisciplinary team aimed to implement pregnancy prevention processes for females on high-risk medications.

Timely Access to Mental Health Services for Patients with Pain.

Unlabelled: Efficient access to pediatric mental health services is a growing concern as the number of patients increases and outpaces efforts to expand services. This study outlines interventions implemented using quality improvement (QI) science and methodology to demonstrate how a clinic embedded in a large children's hospital can improve access to the first appointment for a population seeking pain management services.

Methods: A process improvement project started with a QI team, whose members designed interventions to change scheduling practices.

Decreasing Radiograph Errors in Pediatric Sports Medicine Clinic.

Background: Radiographs are frequently ordered for general musculoskeletal complaints in the outpatient setting. However, incorrect laterality, incorrect location, or unnecessary radiographs have been reported as errors in our clinics. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to reduce incorrect duplicate radiographs in outpatient pediatric sports medicine clinic.