Introduction Countless quality improvement projects are conducted internationally each year, but only a few of them are translated into scientific literature. This is problematic, as a core element of the improvement model is to map best practices and previous experiences so that new projects do not always have to start from scratch. In this presentation, a quality improvement project is presented, and the Patient Inventory method is introduced, which can be a useful tool for identifying inefficiencies in patient pathways and for implementing targeted quality improvement initiatives.

High-quality treatment and care for patients require appropriate management of patient pathways. However, patient pathways are often challenged by breakdowns in coordination, continuity, and communication between healthcare professionals and across sectors. With the increasing number of people needing treatment, hospital capacity is also challenged, compromising the quality of care and treatment and resulting in inappropriate use of resources. Therefore, it is important to identify inefficiencies in patient pathways so that targeted quality improvement initiatives can be implemented. The Patient Inventory is a useful tool for this purpose.

Methods The Patient Inventory tool^{1 2} is a specialized clinical audit that provides a structured basis for assessing the quality of patient pathways at the department or hospital level and between sectors. The method asks whether patients are treated in the right place, at the right level, at the right time, and with the right pathway.

Results The presentation shows results from a specific quality project based on the Patient Inventory method and how the presenters published the results in a recognized journal. The presenters hope that this method and their experience in publishing their results can inspire others to use the Patient Inventory method to improve patient care and to disseminate their findings in scientific journals.

References

1. Knudsen SV, Hermansen SB, Holmskov J, Johnsen SP, Mainz J. Patient inventory: a quality improvement method. Int J Qual Health Care. 2020 Jun 17;32(5):300-305. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzaa038. PMID: 32412058.

2. Hermansen SB, Holmskov J, Johnsen SP, Mainz J, Knudsen SV. Quality in practice: applying the patient inventory method at a Danish psychiatric hospital. Int J Qual Health Care. 2020 Sep 23;32(7):477-479. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzaa076. PMID: 32696039.