Bio: Christopher Hayes, M.D., M.Sc., M.Ed., a 2013-14 Canadian Harkness/CFHI Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, has been at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto since 2005, where he is the critical care response team site director and the medical director of quality and patient safety. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Medicine and the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Since 2008, Hayes has been a medical officer at the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. He is a recognized leader in patient safety and quality improvement, and has led research projects into such areas as rapid response teams, central line programs, and ventilator bundle programs. He has worked with regional, national, and international organizations, and has received multiple distinctions and awards. He has been the principle or co-principle investigator on several grants, including from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Canadian Intensive Care Foundation. Hayes holds a master's of science from McMaster University in Ontario, and a medical degree and master's of education from the University of Toronto.
Placement: Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Mentors: Donald Goldmann, M.D., Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Project: Minimally Disruptive Improvement: Addressing Workload-Capacity Balance with Quality Improvement Projects
Description: Hayes will develop a conceptual model that incorporates the notion of "workload-capacity balance" into quality improvement strategies. As a second step, he will develop and pilot-test a tool for organizations and individuals to increase the likelihood of quality improvement projects' success and sustainability. A modified Delphi process will be used. This will involve: conducting a structured literature review and semi-structured interviews with individuals from key quality improvement projects; and creating an expert panel to identify the factors related to workload-capacity balance, and then build a conceptual model and assessment tool. The model and assessment tool developed through the Delphi process will be field-tested at current quality improvement projects. Data from the assessments will be complemented by semi-structured interviews.