Keywords: job satisfaction, joy, person-centred

Introduction:

Quality improvement in healthcare is often perceived by clinicians as an external obligation driven by regulation, accreditation, or administrative requirements. As a result, quality initiatives can generate resistance, scepticism, or fatigue rather than engagement.

However, research increasingly shows that meaningful quality improvement can strengthen professional purpose, improve relationships with patients, and contribute to “joy in work”. Reframing quality as something that supports clinicians in delivering care aligned with their professional values may therefore be an important lever for improving both quality of care and workforce wellbeing.

This interactive workshop invites participants to reflect on how quality is currently perceived in their own healthcare environments and to explore ways of reframing quality improvement as a driver of meaningful work. The workshop will be anchored in the WHO quality dimension of person-centred care, recognising that the needs and realities of patients, professionals, and the relationship between them are key prerequisites for sustainable quality and job satisfaction.

Aim(s):

The workshop aims to help participants rethink how quality improvement is communicated and implemented in primary care,

Participants will:
ꟷ analyse common sources of resistance or misunderstanding related to quality initiatives in their professional environments
ꟷ reflect on how person-centred care can align quality improvement with clinicians’ professional values and everyday practice
ꟷ explore how quality improvement can strengthen relationships between patients, families, and healthcare teams
ꟷ develop narrative tools and practical starting points for promoting person-centred quality improvement in their own contexts.

Programme:

Introduction (15 minutes)
A short presentation will introduce evidence linking quality improvement, job satisfaction, and “joy in work”, as well as insights from prior discussions among EQuiP members.

Plenary reflection (20 minutes)
Participants will reflect on experiences from their own healthcare environments, discussing:

ꟷ situations where quality initiatives generate resistance or misunderstanding
ꟷ everyday professional decisions made when external monitoring is absent
ꟷ organisational and cultural dynamics influencing attitudes towards quality
ꟷ intrinsic drivers that motivate clinicians to pursue quality improvement.

Group task: reframing quality (25 minutes)
Participants will work in small groups to produce two outputs:

ꟷ a metaphor that communicates how quality improvement contributes to meaningful work
ꟷ two or three practical quality improvement actions related to person-centred care.

Plenary sharing (10 minutes)
Groups present their outputs. The results will be collected and may serve as the basis for a practical follow-up resource within EQuiP.