January 2010 Quarterly Meeting Presentation Highlights

Barb DeBaun and Kathleen Carrothers led an energetic discussion of the use of data and how it can help with effective communication.

Audience participation revealed the following:

• 50% of attendees felt that data is a mystery and wanted to learn how to understand it better

• The primary factors that determine the kind of data display charts attendees use are user-friendliness, the audience, and the objective of the data

• 40% of attendees use flow charting as their ‘go-to' PI tool; 30% rely heavily on brainstorming

• The attendees' greatest challenges related to data display were (a) meeting the needs of the audience and (b) lack of understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data display

• Run charts and pie charts are most commonly used, with raw numbers/cases a close third

• 90% of the audience believes that data can be confusing, motivating, misleading and the ‘be all end all'

Real-life examples that demonstrated how data can be either informative and effective or misleading and destructive were reviewed.

Connecting process (e.g. VAP bundle compliance) to outcomes (e.g. VAP) is a powerful way to connect the dots and demonstrate the power of steps to achieve an optimal outcome
Sometimes the most effective data does not show a line or a pie or an upper control limit; it can be as simple as a number, or ‘days between' or a visual such as smiley faces that indicate success

Elements of a good data display -

• Tell a story
• Resonates with your audience
• Connects process with outcomes
• Easily understood and can stand alone (i.e. should not need long-winded explanation)
• Include:
   • Descriptive title
   • Labeled axes
   • Clear understanding of what is good (e.g. arrow going up or down "Good")
   • Goal/target lines, including source of goal
   • Annotations depicting process changes/improvements made
   • Key, if there are different groups

Download Strengths and Weaknesses of Common Data Displays Table

Download Presentation "Data Displays Demystified"

Download Highlights from the January 2010 Quarterly Meeting "Practical and Tactical"