What is an Expedition?
ex•pe•di•tion (noun)
1. an excursion, journey, or voyage made for some specific purpose
2. the group of persons engaged in such an activity
3. promptness or speed in accomplishing something
An Expedition is a topic-specific, action-focused program, lasting three to five months, designed to help front-line teams make rapid improvements in a key components of the
Improvement Map. Think of it as an intensive virtual support system, designed to enable widespread uptake of an important hospital improvement.
Each Expedition is for hospitals that would like some help along the way from expert faculty serving as your guides and through the support of other organizations who are taking on the same challenge at the same time.
The Program
This program will include:
- Send-Off Call to orient all teams, review the route, and provide guidance for specific steps
- Check-In Calls every two weeks for faculty to provide advice and mid-course adjustments
- Ongoing opportunities to share with and learn from other participating organizations
- Opportunities for periodic check-ins with faculty
- Concluding Call to reflect on the achievement and plot the next climb
Success Factors
Teams will need the following to be successful in this Expedition:
- Strong team-based improvement capacity
- Designated team, ideally to include a nurse working on the testing unit or able to lead the work, an internal quality/performance improvement expert, and a physician champion
- Sponsorship and support from hospital leadership
- Clear commitment to the goal and the process
Details
IHI launches one Expedition per month (on average.) Passport members may join as many Expeditions as they would like for FREE so front-line teams can make rapid improvements in some of the areas of greatest concern to hospitals today. Hospitals can "direct enroll" in any one Expedition program for $750.