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What you need to know• Both qualitative and quantitative data are critical for evaluating and guiding improvement• A family of measures, incorporating outcome, process, and balancing measures, should be used to track improvement work• Time series analysis, using small amounts of data collected and displayed frequently, is the gold standard for using data for improvementWe all need a way to understand the quality of care we are providing, or receiving, and how our service is performing.We use a range of data in order to fulfil this need, both quantitative and qualitative.Data are defined as "information, especially facts and numbers, collected to be examined and considered and used to help decision-making." 1 Data are used to make judgements, to answer questions, and to monitor and support improvement in healthcare (box 1).The same data can be used in different ways, depending on what we want to know or learn. Box 1: Defining quality improvement 2Quality improvement aims to make a difference to patients by improving safety, effectiveness, and experience of care by: 1.Using understanding of our complex healthcare environment 2.Applying a systematic approach 3.Designing, testing, and implementing changes using real-time measurement for improvementWithin healthcare, we use a range of data at different levels of the system:• Patient level-such as blood sugar, temperature, blood test results, or expressed wishes for care)• Service level-such as waiting times, outcomes, complaint themes, or collated feedback of patient experience• Organisation level-such as staff experience or financial performance• Population level-such as mortality, quality of life, employment, and air quality.This article outlines the data we need to understand the quality of care we are providing, what we need to capture to see if care is improving, how to interpret the data, and some tips for doing this more effectively. Sources and selection criteriaThis article is based on my experience of using data for improvement at East London NHS Foundation Trust, which is seen as one of the world leaders in healthcare quality improvement.Our use of data, from trust board to clinical team, has transformed over the past six years in line with the learning shared in this article.This article is also based on my experience of teaching with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which guides and supports quality improvement efforts across the globe.

Using data for improvement