National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is in just two short weeks! Taking place on April 16th every year, NHDD exists to empower people to begin or continue conversations about their wishes for care through the end of life. NHDD is an initiative to educate people on the importance of advance care planning. Looking for ideas to plan or promote NHDD in your community? IHI's The Conversation Project put together a list of 15 ideas to help you think about what you might do for those in your personal, social, or community circles. Learn more about NHDD in the blog: https://go.ihi.org/4ldojIH (fb)

Last week at the IHI office in Boston, a few members of our staff had the opportunity to conduct the Red Bead Experiment with Don Berwick, IHI President Emeritus and Senior Fellow. Initially devised by renowned staticisian W. Edwards Deming, the Red Bead Experiment demonstrates that workers' performance is often governed by the system they work within, not their individual abilities, and that blaming workers for system problems is ineffective. The experiment uses a control chart to show that even though a “willing worker” wants to do a good job, their success is directly tied to and limited by the nature of the system they are working within. It demonstrates the importance of understanding the process, identifying problems, and implementing solutions, rather than relying on quick fixes or blaming individuals. (fb)