[A version of this item appears in: Dementia: the Latest Evidence Newsletter (RWHT), Volume 2 Issue 11, June 2012].
Summary
This paper from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) describes the history, theory of change, design concepts, and outcomes associated with the development and use of bundles over the past decade.
The definition of a care bundle:
“A small set of evidence-based interventions for a defined patient segment/population and care setting that, when implemented together, will result in significantly better outcomes than when implemented individually”.
The IHI developed the “bundle” concept during 2001 in the context of an IHI and Voluntary Hospital Association (VHA) joint initiative entitled the “Idealized Design of the Intensive Care Unit (IDICU)”. The premise involved enhancing teamwork and communication in multi-disciplinary teams to improve care outcomes in the ICU.
Bundles involve a small set of evidence-based interventions for a defined patient population and care setting. The “New Cross Hospital Dementia Care Bundle” falls into this category of emerging approaches.
The authors reflect on what has been learned over the decade and offer suggestions for further research and implementation of the bundle approach to improving care.
Reference
Resar, R. Griffin, FA. [and] Haraden, C. [et al] (2012). Using care bundles to improve health care quality. IHI Innovation Series white paper. Cambridge (Massachusetts): Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012.
