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It is easy to say that healthcare organizations should implement quality improvement cycles based on routine collection of data. In practice, however, it is difficult to enable learning health systems (LHS) that use continuous learning to improve the value of healthcare delivery. It requires integration of approaches for routine data collection, analyzing data to generate knowledge, and putting knowledge into practice through improvement cycles. Also in our hospital Radboudumc we face challenges to close the loop for continuous quality improvement and value based healthcare.
The International Network for Activating Learning Health Systems (LHS) group has published a paper in the BMJ with key domains, tools and actions required to enact intelligent learning health systems for continuous improvement in healthcare. This international group integrates expertise from different fields of knowledge including data science, quality improvement, implementation science, and complexity science.
Their paper addresses key enablers of learning health systems, including promoting patient engagement, making data available and accessible that are fit for purpose, focusing on generating and implementing knowledge, creating organizational readiness, and stimulating learning health systems at different scales.
To enable learning health systems, several technical building blocks are required for data collection, analysis and sharing. Technology platforms such as such as clinical registries and data warehouses are used to capture data that are routinely collected in electronic health records. The foundation of a learning health system is a learning community, including patients, clinicians and experts, that engage in learning cycles in which they collect and analyze data to generate knowledge that will inform changes to improve care. A culture that values continuous learning and innovation is essential in a learning health system and requires leadership to stimulate behavior and process change.
To support organizations in creating a learning health system, they have established a toolkit with tools and case studies. With the toolkit we aim to integrate knowledge from different scientific fields, and to support the data to knowledge to improvement cycle.
Read the study here:
McDonald PL, Foley TJ, Verheij R, Braithwaite J, Rubin J, Harwood K, Phillips J, Gilman S, van der Wees PJ. Data to knowledge to improvement: creating the learning health system. BMJ. 2024 Jan 25;384:e076175. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076175.
And take a look – and use - our toolkit: Home - LHSToolkit (learninghealthcareproject.co.uk)
