Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, MD, MPH, IHI Senior Technical Director, Africa Region

Have trouble viewing this video? Read the transcript.

• Discuss why quality improvement can make a big difference in low-income countries.
• Recognize when process improvement is not the right intervention in low-income countries.

Description: What’s it like to do quality improvement work in a low-income country?

In this video short, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey uses his personal experiences to explain why quality improvement can make a huge difference in the quality of care in low-income countries. But he also explains why QI isn’t always the right intervention in places where basic needs such as transportation go unmet.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever worked in a place where, in Dr. Sodzi-Tettey’s words, “improvement is just begging to happen”? What did you learn from the experience?
2. Pretend it’s your first day working in a low-income setting. How can you help assess the level of impact quality improvement can have on patients and systems?
3. Can you think of an example of a problem you’ve faced where process improvement wasn’t the right approach? What other approaches could you have used to resolve the problem?