Resources
BC Health Quality Matrix
Date: February 26, 2020
Filed under:
Improve Clinical Care, Advance the Patient Voice, Communication, Council Resources, Cultural Safety & Humility, Culture Improvement, Engaging People in Quality (EPIQ), Improve Culture, Patient Engagement, Quality Improvement, Sharpen Your Skills, Teamwork & Communication, Tools
The BC Health Quality Matrix provides a common language and understanding about quality for all those who engage with, deliver, support, manage and govern health and wellness services. It answers the question: What do we mean by the “quality” of care?
The Matrix was first published in 2009 guided by other frameworks published in the literature and dialogue with partners across British Columbia’s health system. In 2019, partners were brought together again to incorporate the latest evidence in an updated version, and to ensure that BC’s vision of high-quality care honours the history and teachings of Indigenous peoples in the province. They emphasize the link between quality and the social determinants of health, stress the importance of the early years of life as integral to health, and align with the health care system’s focus on promoting wellness. Click here to learn more about the updates.
The Matrix is useful for anyone engaged in the health system – including administrators, practitioners and patient partners – for planning, assessing, improving and teaching at the practice, program, site and system levels.
BC Health Quality Matrix
The Matrix can be used to develop metrics that comprehensively measure quality across seven Dimensions of Quality and five interconnected Areas of Care. By providing a shared definition of quality for BC, the Matrix supports a coordinated approach to thinking and learning about these dimensions and areas, how they relate to one another, and what everyone’s responsibilities are throughout a person’s health and wellness journey.
Download the Matrix
BC Health Quality Matrix Companion Guide
The Companion Guide provides more information on applying the definition of quality in your setting. It includes expanded examples and case studies to illustrate various ways of using the Matrix for different purposes across the continuum of care. This includes strategic planning, measuring and evaluating a program’s impact, leading improvement projects and developing metrics.
Download the Companion Guide
Matrix Visual Tool
While all the parts of the Matrix are interconnected, considering the different Dimensions of Quality and Areas of Care is a useful way to think about and measure quality. This visual tool was created to guide the use of the Matrix in practical ways.
Download the visual tool
Quality Café: Using the BC Health Quality Matrix
This Quality Café webinar will illustrate practical ways to use the Matrix in planning, assessing and improving care. It will equip attendees to apply the Matrix’s broadened and strengthened definition of quality in their own care settings and/or communities.
BC Health Quality Matrix (greyscale)
Here’s a version of the BC Health Quality Matrix for printing in greyscale/black and white.
Download the greyscale Matrix
BC Health Quality Matrix Companion Guide (greyscale)
Here’s a version of the BC Health Quality Matrix Companion Guide for printing in greyscale/black and white.
Download the greyscale Companion Guide
Matrix Visual Tool (greyscale)
Here’s a version of the Matrix Visual Tool for printing in greyscale/black and white.
Download the greyscale Matrix visual