PFC 2005 - What is a Collaborative?

Breakthrough collaborative is:

• achieving results
• defining, documenting and disseminating good ideas
• testing and measuring improvement
• developing clinical leaders
• accelerating improvement.

Breakthrough collaborative is not:

• research for new clinical knowledge
• focused within a single institution
• small changes to existing systems
• benchmarking
• a series of meetings.

The breakthrough collaborative method seeks to achieve results; define, document and disseminate good ideas; test and measure improvement; identify and develop clinical leaders; and accelerate improvement. The breakthrough collaborative methodology focuses on rapid cycle change methodology based around the well established improvement cycle known as 'PDSA' cycle (or a plan, do, study, act.)

During a breakthrough collaborative teams participate in an orientation session, four learning sessions, and 'action' periods. The learning sessions include plenary and small group discussions, in which teams learn from colleagues, receive coaching from clinical leaders, share and gather new information, and develop clinical improvement plans.

The 'action' periods are times between learning sessions when the health service teams work towards implementing major, 'breakthrough' improvements within their organisations. During action periods, the teams maintain contact with each other via conference calls, online discussion groups and occasional site visits. The teams share improvements by measuring and reporting their progress against targeted aims on a monthly basis.

The goals of the breakthrough collaborative programs are to:

• Improve the timely delivery of safe, appropriate patient care whilst increasing family, carers, patient and staff satisfaction.
• Develop leadership for improving health services, in order to enhance the timely delivery of safe, appropriate patient care whilst increasing family, carers, patient and staff satisfaction beyond the life of the collaborative.

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