Recently, I have come to agree with Dr. Berwick, viewing the IHI
Open School as not just a movement, but a revolution started by students who
are motivated to change the culture of care in the systems where we work. We are finding that in order to make the
changes we need to achieve higher quality care at a lower cost, we must
transform entire systems of care.
100,000 students and residents signed-on to the IHI Open School is an
incredible number and is certainly a huge milestone! These students are entering their respective
health professions as natural leaders in quality and safety. In many ways, they have now become the
experts in their systems. But our
patients need us more than ever. We need
more students to sign-on. The systems
are not changing quickly enough and we require a small army to teach others how
to develop safer, more effective, patient-centered care that is timely,
efficient, and equitable. This means
teaching the science of quality, safety, teamwork, and communication. We must do this together. And it must be multi-disciplinary. Health care delivery is increasingly
complex. Patients are confused,
vulnerable, and are being harmed more than we would like to admit.
The IHI Open School is the absolute best way for us to come
together, connecting with students of all disciplines in our local chapters,
advocating for IHI Open School courses to be integrated into the curriculum at
our schools, teaching other health care providers about these important topics,
and engaging in dialogue with students and faculty around the world through the
IHI Open School chapter network. I
originally thought of the IHI Open School as a motivator, an entity designed to
encourage students to complete courses on their own time and develop the skills
they need. However, after four years of
existence, it is now becoming an integrator.
The concepts we learn through IHI Open School are the threads that
connect all health disciplines. Every
student in every health discipline should have these skills. Application of these skills has solved many
complex problems and will continue to solve problems and improve patient care
on a larger scale.
So let’s bring 100,000 more students to the IHI Open School. 100 years
ago, Dr. William James Mayo stated in his commencement address at Rush Medical
College in Chicago, “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to
be considered, and in order that the sick may have the benefit of advancing
knowledge, a union of forces is necessary.”
Indeed, our union of forces is the IHI Open School.
--Ryan
Miller is a 3rd year medical student at the Sanford School of
Medicine and Chapter President for the South Dakota IHI Chapter
