CHANGE MANAGEMENT TOOLS PART 2 OF 3: Managing clinical improvement projects

Phillips J, Simmonds L (2013) Change management tools part 2: managing clinical improvement projects. Nursing Times; 109: 16: 20–22. This paper, the second of a three-part series looking at change management tools, provides a practical guide on how to use common project management principles in practice. Much of the literature on project management focuses on the business arena, with little reference to clinical settings. Identifying this literature and understanding its relevance to managing projects in healthcare can be difficult. This article provides a practical guide to identifying the key principles of good project management and applying these in health settings.

In this article…

• Principles of project management in clinical settings

• How to write a project plan

• Case study of project management used in a clinical setting

The principles of project management used in clinical improvement initiatives are similar to those used in the business arena