Healthcare Improvement Blog - Life QI

I Chart

Written by Kerrie Preston | Aug 9, 2018 1:58:35 PM
I charts are used for variable (continuous) data i.e. time, money, height/weight, temperature, workload/throughput/efficiency. It can also be used to record measures for each observed unit (e.g. individual weight per patient seen in a service). An I chart is not suitable for things you count (rather than measure); e.g. number of falls, incidents of violence, pressure ulcers.

 

 Typical instances in healthcare would be:

  • Waiting times (e.g. Time taken between referral to first assessment)
  • Money (e.g. cost of successive admissions)
  • Average Weight
  • Blood Pressure

 

I Chart Example

Here we will show you what data is required when creating an I Chart and how this is reflected in the Chart itself. 

 

So lets say the 'Aim' of the project was to:

Reduce the proportion of patients with pressure sores by 50% in six months.

and the measure was:

Average length of hospital stay.

 

You would need to capture the following data:

Time Period Dates when the value was recorded (Daily, Weekly, Monthly).
Value The measurements collected at every time period.

 

Data Capture Example:

Average length of hospital stay


 
I Control Chart Example:
Average length of hospital stay

 

 

 


 
If you want to learn more about SPC then take a look at our