6.6 Knowledge Check

1. What does it mean for an intervention to be ‘reliable’ in quality improvement work?
2. Which of the following best describes the purpose of a PDSA cycle?
   A) Fully implement a solution
   B) Quickly abandon changes
   C) Test and learn from small changes
   D) Collect long-term outcome data
3. Name two factors that make an intervention more reliable.

1. When should a team consider scaling up a tested intervention?
2. What are the key criteria to decide if a change should be adopted, abandoned, or adjusted?

Knowledge and Awareness

1. A “reliable” intervention consistently produces the intended result nearly every time it's used, rather than working only occasionally or depending on one person remembering to do it correctly.
2. C) Test and learn from small changes — PDSA cycles are designed to try a change on a small scale, learn from the results, and adjust before wider rollout.
3. Sample answers (any two): standardizing the process/using checklists, building in reminders or decision-support (e.g., EHR prompts), simplifying steps, training and reinforcing the process with staff, and designing in redundancy or backup steps so the process still works if one step is missed.

Application

1. A team typically considers scaling up once repeated small-scale PDSA tests show the change reliably produces the desired result, works across different conditions or staff, and has addressed major barriers identified during testing.
2. Key criteria include whether the data show the change led to real improvement toward the AIM, whether it was reliable and feasible to sustain, whether staff and patients responded well to it, and whether the effort required is justified by the results — changes that don't meet these criteria are adjusted and retested or abandoned.