Bundling Your Way to Quality Care

Abstract

BackgroundA bundle is defined by IHI as a small set of evidence-based interventions for a defined patient segment/population and care setting that, when implemented together, will result in significantly better outcomes than when implemented individually. It is important to understand that a bundle is not simply a checklist to complete, it is a set of researched interventions that have been shown to work better when completed together. These interventions are usually already well known and utilized in practice by nurses or providers. A bundle places the priority on the entire set of interventions being completed for the at-risk patient.ObjectiveThe focus of this paper is to explain the principles of a bundle, the evidence supporting their utilization in practice, challenges associated with care bundles, how to overcome these challenges, and recommendations for future success.ConclusionsA literature search on the implementation of bundles demonstrates several challenges to their use. Sustaining a comprehensive quality improvement approach within an institution can be challenging but with the guidelines outlined by IHI for requirements of a bundle and the implementation recommendations, great success can be obtained.