Making Improvement Simple

If I don’t have a computer where my team meets, can I download the audio file to my computer and then to my I-Pod or MP3 player and play it using portable speakers?

• No, you must have an internet enabled device to stream the media—a laptop or desktop computer with speakers, an iPad, a smart phone, iTouch or other internet ready device with supplemental speakers. If you don’t have any of these capabilities, we suggest that you print the story for each team member and ask volunteers to alternate reading sections of the story. Or, you can read it yourself.

I have a few members of my team who are very shy when it comes to speaking up in groups. How can I get them involved?

• Instead of opening up the discussion following the story to the wider group, ask team members to turn to the person next to them and take a minute or two to discuss what they learned from the story and its relevance for your team. Then, bring the pairs back to the larger group and elicit what they learned.

I have a couple team members who just don’t seem interested or even disrupt our huddle—they haven’t identified anything they’d like to do, and seem resistant to trying anything new. How can I get them engaged?

• Arrange for a one-on-one supervisory session with them. Start by listening to their reasons for not participating. Reiterate the importance of this program to not only you, but to the team, and to everyone you serve. If they need help, give them a choice between one or two of the many behaviors that the team is experimenting with. Ask them to think it over and get back to you by the next day with some ideas of what they would like to try. If they still aren’t ‘onboard’, at least ask them not to disrupt the team’s improvement efforts.

I played the story but couldn’t get people to open up and participate. What do I do?

• Play the story again at the next meeting and immediately put people in groups of 2 or 3 to discuss the questions. Then, invite them to report back to the larger group.  Always, let your team know they can engage you individually if they feel more comfortable.

Here are some suggestions for how to present Story Simulations to your team to maximize the story’s impact and fully engage the team in improving patient safety and satisfaction.

• Schedule within existing huddles or staff meetings. It should take no more than 10-15 minutes every 2 weeks.
• Ensure that everyone attending can hear clearly and easily see you.
• Avoid meeting in high traffic areas or places with continual distractions.
• Rehearse beforehand to ensure that audio playback and sound are working and to familiarize yourself with operating the equipment.
• You may consider sending the story out electronically to the team ahead of time.
• Read the story and review the discussion guide ahead of time.
• Relax, let the story be the catalyst for team discussion.

To introduce the team to the StoryCare concept, here are a few talking points:

• Discuss how since the beginning of human history, people have used stories to teach and as a springboard to trying new behaviors, as well as to remind community members of shared values.
• Share that StoryCare was created to help keep your team focused on patient satisfaction and safety during your daily routines, and to facilitate finding the best ways for teams to make these principles tangible and real. It’s not prescriptive. Rather, it depends on your team coming up with your own best practices based on what works for you.
• Explain that at the beginning of every 4 weeks, you’ll kick off a meeting with a new story. They’re short, usually not more than 2-3 minutes. Everyone will listen to the story, and then briefly discuss it and its relevance to your team. Explain that as they go through the month, you’ll be asking them to think of how they can translate the lessons of the story into their daily practice with fellow team members, patients and their families.
• Tell them over the next two weeks you’ll be asking them to identify one thing they did different to accomplish the goal exemplified in the story.
• Then, tell them that over a period of the following weeks, you’ll be encouraging them to experiment with different practices. At the end of the fourth week the team will settle in on one behavior that collectively you want to make a best practice. You’ll then kick off another round of improvement with a new story.