Marjorie M. Godfrey

Microsystems are the building blocks of the healthcare system. They are the small functional frontline units that provide most healthcare to most people, be it a clinic or a ward. The microsystem improvement approach engages teams at the frontline of care with patients and families in a structured process to improve the quality of care and outcomes. This Element offers an overview of the theory of the microsystems, mesosystems, and team coaching improvement approaches, using case studies to demonstrate how the approaches have been used in practice. A critique of the emerging evidence base and the strengths and limitations of the approach is given. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Value by Design is a practical guide for real-world improvement in clinical microsystems. Clinical microsystem theory, as implemented by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and health care organizations nationally and internationally, is the foundation of high-performing front line health care teams who achieve exceptional quality and value. These authors combine theory and principles to create a strategic framework and field-tested tools to assess and improve systems of care. Their approach links patients, families, health care professionals and strategic organizational goals at all levels of the organization: micro, meso and macrosystem levels to achieve the ultimate quality and value a health care system is capable of offering.