3.10 References

Langley GL, Moen R, Nolan KM, Nolan TW, Norman CL, Provost LP. (2009). The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance (2nd ed.).

The AIM statement as the answer to the first Model for Improvement question: 'What are we trying to accomplish?'

Module 3 is framed explicitly as addressing the first of the three Model for Improvement questions. Langley et al. (2009) is the source of this structure and provides the foundational guidance on writing aims that drive PDSA work.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). (2024). How to Improve: The Model for Improvement.

The AIM statement as the organizing principle for the full Model for Improvement cycle

Section 6 explicitly ties the AIM back to the Model for Improvement and forward to measurement (Module 4) and PDSA cycles (Module 6). The IHI Model for Improvement resource is the overarching framework that gives the AIM statement its structural role.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). (2024). Setting Aims.

IHI guidance on setting aims: population, measure, goal, timeframe

Section 4's four-part AIM structure (what, for whom, by how much, by when) and the AIM statement template ('Increase/decrease [outcome] for [population] from [baseline] to [goal] by [date]') align directly with IHI's Setting Aims resource, which is the operational how-to guide for this module's core skill.

Doran GT. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35–36.

SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) applied to AIM statements

Module 3 explicitly introduces the SMART framework in Section 1 and applies it throughout. Doran (1981) is the original source of the SMART criteria, making this a foundational citation for this module.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2024). Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program.

PMHCA-specific AIM statement examples (screening rates, consult wait times, referral completion)

The audience-specific AIM examples throughout Module 3 are grounded in PMHCA program goals. The HRSA PMHCA program resource contextualizes why these specific outcomes (screening, access, follow-up) are the right focus for federally funded PMHCA improvement work.