Sourcebook : 2.8 Testing Changes : 2.8.1 The Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle (PDSA)

The PDSA model thrives on trial and error. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is shorthand for testing a change - by planning it, trying it, observing the consequences, and then acting on what is learned from those consequences.

Teams need to be committed to doing all steps of the cycle. It is the only way to learn from the work.

Step 1. Plan a change

• State the objective of the test: What will the team do?
• Make predictions about what will happen and why.
• Develop a plan to test the change (Who will do what? When? Where? What data must be collected?).

Step 2. Do a change

• Carry out the test.
• Document problems and unexpected observations.
• Collect and assess data.

Step 3. Study a change

• Analyze the data.
• Compare the data to the team's predictions.
• Summarize what the team learns.

Step 4. Act on the next change

• Modify plans as needed, includinge the action, ort a new approach, ord the work into a new area, or Institutionalize the change.
• Prepare a plan for the next cycle.

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This online version of the book Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians is provided with permission of Americans for Better Care of the Dying [ www.abcd-caring.org ] and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For further information on quality improvement in end-of-life care visit The Palliative Care Policy Center [ www.medicaring.org ].