IHI Offers “Getting Started Kit” for Always Events

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is offering a new downloadable Always Events® “Getting Started Kit” to help providers better understand what constitutes an Always Event, determine best practices and implement initiatives designed to institute these practices. IHI defines Always Events as “aspects of the patient experience that are so important to patients and families that health care providers must perform them consistently for every patient, every time.”

An example of an Always Event would be the Partner With Me initiative implemented at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Through this effort, designated staff customize care for patients diagnosed with dementia, based on information communicated by family members regarding patient preferences and routines.

IHI’s new “Getting Started Kit” provides practical guidance as to how to implement the four basic elements of an Always Event: leadership, patient and family partnership, staff engagement, and measurement. Also, included in the kit are two case studies of organizations that have implemented successful Always Event initiatives.

To learn more and to download IHI’s new Always Events® Getting Started Kit, click here.