Aren't you amazed at the pace of work on any given day? While we thought we couldn't get busier a few years back, somehow the pace has quickened, and there does not appear to be an end in sight. Though "busy" is neither a brand new phenomenon nor an ill in itself, it is essential that we make sure that the work being done is achieving the needed end result. We must periodically take stock to assure that we are in fact moving forward or making progress. Taking stock, or assessing effectiveness in improving performance, must be carried out periodically by many leaders within a health care organization, including the leader of the performance improvement initiative. We must assure that we are:

* Clear about our vision for performance improvement as driven from the mission and vision of our organization and

* Responsive to the needs of our organization in a rapidly changing environment.

Despite these concepts sounding simple or obvious, within the context of day to day effort they often get lost. They also can get lost in the need to respond to the letter (and spirit) of the law in regulations or meet expectations for performance measurement/reporting from groups external to one's own organization. We run the risk of completing the tasks on our list, but failing to make a positive impact.

Identifying practical goals of performance improvement and then using those as a litmus test against current efforts may provide a beacon to keep leaders of PI focused on what is important. Goals might include:

* Assuring that care delivered is safe, effective, and evidence based,

* Assuring that positive outcomes are achieved by those we serve,

* Assuring staff competence, improvement, and routine feedback about performance and outcomes,

* Nurturing an atmosphere for continuous improvement,

* Assuring responsiveness to timely issues, identified either within or outside of our organization,

* Demonstrating compliance with standards, regulations, and accrediting expectations, and using these as a framework/focusing those standards to improve performance in THIS organization.

A tall order? Perhaps, but an achievable one. We have to keep our eye on the ball of making an impact, not just meeting the demands of Tuesday, or Wednesday or the daily calendar or task list. If we don't, we've truly missed the point [horizontal ellipsis] and the opportunity.

Patricia Schroeder RN, MSN, MBA

Journal Editor