iCOPE Implementation
The iCOPE Digital Screening Program has been successfully implemented across a range of maternity, postnatal, general practice and specialist settings.
To assist you with implementing the iCOPE system, we have created a brief seven-step guide. This has been designed for larger settings (eg. maternity hospitals, maternal, child and family health centres or parenting centres), to help you define WHAT your program may look like and HOW to get people engaged and invested in implementing digital screening within your service.
Step 1: Start with the why
People need reasons to change behaviour, fund or spend time on improving clinical practice.
Take time to define why iCOPE digital screening is important and help people clearly understand what’s in it for them and their patients. They will be more excited about helping.
Step 2: Mobilise the right leadership
Implementation is a social process that relies on people to drive commitment.
Enlist support from influential leaders from key disciplines who will guide, make decisions, learn, share, actively problem solve, and stay involved to make iCOPE happen.
Step 3: Take a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach
People are more likely to support what they help create.
Invite representatives likely to be impacted by iCOPE screening (e.g. clinical staff, allied health, administrative staff, medical records and IT teams) to be involved. Enlist their ideas and help them to understand how iCOPE screening impacts them, and how you can work together.
Step 4: Define your Clinical Program
Each setting is different.
iCOPE can be tailored to support your setting, clinicians, reporting and patients/clients. Our team will support you as you plan to implement iCOPE into your screening schedules, patient cohorts, record keeping systems, communication channels and referral pathways.
Step 5: Do the ‘techy’ Stuff
While implementing iCOPE is not difficult, optimal outcomes are achieved with IT integration.
If this is your goal, our team will work closely with your IT representatives to enable clinical reports to be seamlessly integrated into existing electronic health record systems.
Step 6: Prepare people
To achieve lasting change in clinical practice, consistency is key.
Once you’ve raised awareness and desire to participate, help teams get ready by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, support tools and mentoring to help them confidently deliver iCOPE screening. The COPE team will assist in the provision of training to prepare your people.
Step 7: Monitor, Evaluate and Improve
Ongoing evaluation is an integral part of any quality care initiative.
Evaluation helps clearly define your desired outcomes at the outset, and decide how and when you’ll measure success. By collecting baseline data of your current practice and then continuing to monitor results, you can assess and adjust your program as needed.
You can also download the full guide for you and/or your team members.
Download Full Implementation Guide
If you have any questions or would like support to implement iCOPE within your setting, please contact the iCOPE team at icope@cope.org.au