In a resounding celebration of unwavering dedication and innovation in healthcare, ACQUIRE recently hosted a Quality Improvement (QI) Storytelling Webinar via Zoom on Friday 29th September 2023. This event served as a platform to shine a light on the incredible and remarkable journeys of frontline healthcare champions from various corners of Sub-Saharan Africa. These healthcare heroes are the driving force behind transformative QI initiatives that are revolutionizing the healthcare landscape.
At the heart of the webinar, a gathering of 100 dedicated attendees gathered to learn, share and celebrate. These individuals committed to improving healthcare, attentively participated throughout the event. The webinar offered a unique opportunity for the winners to share their inspirational stories with the world, shedding light on the profound impact of QI efforts in healthcare.
Watch the full webinar recording below:
A Confluence of Healthcare Trailblazers
ACQUIRE, in collaboration with esteemed partners like the Quality Healthcare Kenyan Awards (QHKA), the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), the Society for Quality Healthcare Kenya (SQHK), and the Africa Institute of Healthcare Quality Safety & Accreditation (AfIHQSA), united frontline healthcare champions from across Africa in a spirited QI storytelling contest. The response was astounding, with over 40 submissions that met the stringent criteria. These submissions arrived from various countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. Participants conveyed their transformative journeys through abstracts and compelling video narratives, providing tangible evidence of their innovative interventions and the valuable lessons they’ve learned.
The Power of Stories
These stories, told by the QI heroes of healthcare, showcased the power of perseverance and innovation. They provided a glimpse into the tireless efforts of frontline healthcare workers dedicated to enhancing the quality of healthcare across Sub-Saharan Africa.
A Spotlight on the Winners
Among the stories submitted, three winners emerged, each bearing a unique tale of their transformative journey:
- A Quality Improvement Story From A Private Health Facility In Ghana
- A Quality Improvement Story From Machakos County In Kenya
- A Quality Improvement Story From A Tertiary Referral Hospital In Nairobi – Kenya
The ACQUIRE Quality Improvement Storytelling Contest has highlighted the invaluable contributions of these frontline healthcare champions. It fosters unity, purpose, and positive change in the healthcare landscape, reminding us that quality healthcare knows no boundaries.
In this journey to elevate healthcare quality and patient safety, these stories remind us that the flame of dedication, innovation, and unity continues to burn brightly. Through these narratives, we see the transformative power of frontline healthcare champions, and their stories are beacons guiding us toward a brighter, safer future for healthcare in Africa.
Notable Remarks By Winners
“No one should be harmed while receiving health care. We all have a duty to make healthcare safe. It can be done through teamwork and guided by evidence-based best practices.“
Jane Ngivu
“It is quality rather than quantity that matters.”
Boice Kitavi
“To err is human. As human beings, we will always make errors and when they happen, we should approach them with a learning attitude to be able to improve the system. This makes the system safe for us and the patients.”
Mabel Adobea Owiredu
A Never-Ending Pursuit of Excellence
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, the pursuit of excellence never ceases, and the winners have shown us that this pursuit is alive and thriving.
A Message of Inspiration
These remarkable healthcare professionals have not only shared their stories but have also lit a beacon of inspiration for the entire healthcare community. Their narratives underscore the relentless pursuit of excellence in healthcare and the incredible possibilities that can be achieved when individuals are dedicated to quality improvement.
Their collective dedication and unwavering spirit send a powerful message: the quest for quality improvement in healthcare is both attainable and essential. ACQUIRE is proud to celebrate these healthcare heroes and looks forward to the continued progress and transformation they inspire in the healthcare landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa. Congratulations to our winners!
Acknowledgement of Evaluators
While winners took centre stage, it is essential to acknowledge the evaluators who played an integral supportive role in this contest.
READ MORE ABOUT EVALUATORS OF THE QI STORYTELLING CONTEST 2023
Key Remarks from the Evaluators
“Improvement is possible even when it is not easy. With determination, we are able to ensure that outcomes are improved for our patients.”
Elom Otchi, Technical Director of AfIHQSA
“We acknowledge that the initiatives and interventions by frontline healthcare workers were innovative towards improving patient safety and quality of care in our health facilities”
Grace Ndegwa, Kenya (Executive Director, QHKA)
“Patient safety and quality are the same things. You cannot have quality without safe patient care and vice versa. Let us not separate the two.”
Jacqui Stewart, South Africa (CEO, COHSASA)
Guest Speakers Inspire Unity and Progress
Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey from Ghana, Vice President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and Charles Kiplagat Kandie, representing Kenya’s Directorate of Health Standards, Quality Assurance, and Regulation, graced the webinar as guest speakers. They emphasized the significance of creating a safe environment for reflection and the value of continental collaboration in advancing healthcare quality.
Sodzi highlighted the significance of fostering a safe and open environment for reflection, recognizing that this approach can lead to the effective identification and rectification of issues within healthcare systems. “As you create a safe space for people to reflect on what is happening it allows us to address what may be going wrong in the system,” he said while giving his closing remarks.
Meanwhile, Charles wholeheartedly embraced the idea of continental collaboration and learning, emphasizing the shared commitment to advancing the quality of care in Africa. He added, “Let us proceed on this. I am ready to participate in the future to see that we are connected and we can be able to learn from one another to progress improvement of care in the continent”.
Read more about the storytelling contest here.
Please watch video submissions by the QI champions on our YouTube channel.
Congratulations to the QI Storytelling Contest Winners!
ACQUIRE congratulates and celebrates the incredible winners of the Quality Improvement Storytelling Contest! These passionate frontline healthcare workers from Ghana and Kenya went above and beyond in their dedication to improving healthcare in their various settings of practice.
- 1st Place: Mabel Adobea Owiredu from Ghana
- 2nd Place: Boice Kitavi from Kenya
- 3rd Place: Jane Ngivu from Kenya
