In health care, more is not always better.
We know what to do less of, but how?

Sense-making literally means making sense of events. A typical conversation during our day is a simple exchange of information or feelings. Sense-making conversations are different in that they are reflective and often generative, with participants’ ideas informing and building on one another. The main result: Participants arrive at a common understanding of what the events and data mean—for them, for their patients, for health care—and have a foundation for taking action.

In the case of medical overuse, care providers may leave a sense-making conversation with the shared understanding of how they contribute to the overuse of a particular service and the degree to which their patients are exposed to potential harm. Through further discussion they may develop new ideas and approaches for reducing the unnecessary overuse of a particular service—and begin to act on them.

Read more about the conceptual underpinnings of sense-making conversations in “Sensemaking of Patient Safety Risks and Hazards.” (Battles, J.B. etal. (2006). Health Services Research. Aug; 41(4 Pt 2): 1555–1575.)

In 2017 we are working with UCLA Health, Swedish Hospital System, and Missouri Primary Care Association to learn from their experiences and develop a complete change package with tools for implementation. Check back here for updates on what we are learning!

Our article offers an introduction to the Framework and how we developed it. Share this summary with colleagues, residents, and others working to reduce medical overuse…read article