Supporting Healthcare Improvement Through Facilitation & Training

The SHIFT study will take place at approximately thirteen (13) residential long-term care facilities in Manitoba during a one-year period. These sites will be licensed by the provincial government and provide 24-hours on-site housing and health care services for older adults by professional (nursing) staff, allied health care professionals and unregulated staff. In consultation with SHIFT research staff, a senior administrator at each facility will be identified to take on the role of Senior Sponsor (e.g. Director of Care, CEO) for the project. Quality improvement (QI) teams will be formed at each site and team formation will also occur in consultation with research staff. QI teams will have 5-6 participants comprised of a Team Sponsor (e.g. Unit Manager) and Team Members (e.g., Care Aides and Allied Staff). The SHIFT intervention is comprised of three major components that include: 1. PDSA (plan-do-study-act) Facilitation comprised of workshops interspersed with site-specific (i.e., context-sensitive) coaching sessions designed to help team members plan for and ably conduct their PDSA innovations; 2. Readiness for Change Activities designed to help SHIFT team members more purposefully prepare for the intervention (e.g., by selecting PCH units with the appropriate personnel and context to participate in SHIFT, recruiting team members with the appropriate knowledge and social capital to help ensure project success); and, 3. LeaderShift Modules designed to help Team Sponsors more effectively support front-line team members to plan, implement, and evaluate their SHIFT PDSA cycles.