SafetyQuest: Level One - QI Basics from edX

Overview

Internet Enduring Material Sponsored by the Stanford University School of Medicine. Presented by the Department of Graduate Medical Education at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Modern healthcare is complex and has many opportunities for error. To ensure patient safety, hospitals and healthcare systems must continually strive to work together as a team, create a culture of patient safety, and identify and mitigate risks.

SafetyQuest is a sequential series of online CME gaming modules (levels 1 - 4) that provide an innovative and immersive experience to understanding the underlying causes of patient safety issues. This unique educational program emphasizes a problem-solving approach to preventing errors in all healthcare settings and seeks to ensure that patients are provided with care that supports the key quality aims of the Institute of Medicine. Throughout the series, learners will work to save patients from preventable harm and will errors and will gain problem solving quality improvement and safety tools to approach these issues. Case-based scenarios using multiple game modalities will be used to put these principles into practice and save future lives.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for physicians across all specialty areas.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. ****

Credit Designation American Medical Association (AMA)

The Stanford University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. ****

If you would like to earn CME credit from Stanford University School of Medicine for participating in this course, please review the information here prior to beginning the activity.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Integrate best practice patient safety and goals of care (goc) communication techniques (e.g. ipass handoffs, sbar communication, stop the line/cus words/call for help early, debriefing, goc documentation) into practice with teams to reduce the risk of adverse events and increase patient safety.
Utilize principles from the joint commission’s national patient safety goals to reduce the risk of adverse events and increase patient safety.

Apply qi tools and concepts such as pdca, a3, high reliability, and the swiss cheese model to improve the quality of care for your patients.

Integrate best practice patient safety and goals of care (goc) communication techniques (e.g. ipass handoffs, sbar communication, stop the line/cus words/call for help early, debriefing, goc documentation) into practice with teams to reduce the risk of adverse events and increase patient safety.
Utilize principles from the joint commission’s national patient safety goals to reduce the risk of adverse events and increase patient safety.
Apply qi tools and concepts such as pdca, a3, high reliability, and the swiss cheese model to improve the quality of care for your patients.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Suitable for physicians across all specialty areas who want to improve patient safety across all healthcare settings

Taught by Lisa Shieh, Laurence Katznelson, and Nivedita Suvarna Srinivas, established figures in their respective fields

Meets CME requirements for physicians, demonstrating its alignment with professional standards for medical education

Emphasizes a problem-solving approach to preventing errors, which aligns with best practices in patient safety

Covers core patient safety topics such as communication techniques, Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals, and quality improvement tools

Utilizes a sequential series of online CME gaming modules, which may provide an engaging and interactive learning experience

Reviews summary

Foundational qi for clinicians

According to learners, SafetyQuest: Level One - QI Basics provides a well-designed and impactful introduction to patient safety and quality improvement. Students consistently praise its gamified and interactive approach, which makes complex topics accessible and engaging. The course is highly regarded for its practical, real-world applicability, delivering crucial concepts like SBAR, IPASS, and PDCA directly relevant to daily clinical practice. While some found the gaming aspect simplistic or preferred traditional lectures, it is broadly viewed as an excellent way to fulfill CME requirements and gain fundamental QI knowledge, especially for those new to the field.

Valuable for earning continuing medical education credits efficiently.

"The CME credits are a huge bonus, and the time commitment was very manageable."

"Good for fulfilling CME requirements."

"The accreditation and CME are extremely valuable."

Provides a solid, concise overview of essential QI and patient safety principles.

"A good introductory module for patient safety. It covered the essentials like the Swiss cheese model and PDCA cycles clearly."

"Excellent overview of quality improvement principles."

"Solid foundational knowledge in QI. The course covers key concepts like handoffs and debriefing effectively."

Gamified modules make learning patient safety concepts interactive and digestible.

"The gamified approach made learning about QI basics and patient safety engaging and easy to digest."

"The SafetyQuest format was innovative and kept me focused."

"I loved how it broke down crucial patient safety concepts into digestible parts using the interactive modules."

Focuses on immediately actionable strategies and real-world tools for practice.

"I particularly appreciated the real-world scenarios and how directly applicable the concepts like SBAR and CUS words were to my daily practice."

"I learned practical tools like A3 thinking and how to integrate GOC communication."

"It made complex topics very accessible and provided immediately actionable strategies for patient safety."

The interactive 'game' elements received mixed reception from learners.

"The 'gaming' aspect felt a bit forced and didn't add much value for me. I prefer traditional lectures."

"The interactive elements were a nice touch, though sometimes a bit simplistic."

"It's an okay course for quick CME. The gaming part isn't really a 'game' in the fun sense, more like interactive quizzes."

More beneficial for those new to QI, less so for experienced practitioners.

"For someone with some prior QI experience, it might feel a little basic, but as a 'Level One', it serves its purpose perfectly."

"I felt this 'Level One' was *too* basic for me as an experienced physician. I was hoping for more advanced applications."

"If you've been in practice for a while and have any QI background, it might feel like a rehash. Good for beginners though."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in SafetyQuest: Level One - QI Basics with these activities:

Patient Safety Advocacy Volunteer

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Contribute to the broader patient safety movement by volunteering your time and efforts to organizations dedicated to promoting patient safety.

Browse courses on Patient Safety

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Identify patient safety organizations in your community or online.
Contact the organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
Attend trainings and participate in activities related to patient safety advocacy.
Raise awareness about patient safety issues and promote best practices.

Create a Patient Safety Communication Protocol

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Develop your own protocol for an aspect of patient safety discussed in this course and share it with others for feedback to reinforce your learning.

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Research and identify the best practices and guidelines for your chosen aspect of patient safety communication.
Develop a draft protocol based on your research.
Share your draft protocol with peers or colleagues for feedback.
Revise and finalize your protocol based on the feedback received.

Scenario-Based Patient Safety Drills

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Engage in realistic scenarios where you will practice applying the principles of patient safety to improve your decision-making skills and reinforce the importance of patient safety.

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Identify a scenario that you would like to practice.
Gather a group of peers or colleagues to participate in the drill.
Assign roles to each participant and clearly define the goals of the drill.
Run the drill and allow participants to practice applying the principles of patient safety.
Debrief the drill and discuss the lessons learned.

Three other activities

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Patient Safety Journal Club

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Participate in discussions to critically evaluate and apply research findings related to patient safety, reinforcing your understanding of the latest developments in the field.

Browse courses on Patient Safety

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Identify a relevant research article or study related to patient safety.
Prepare a brief presentation summarizing the key findings and implications of the research.
Join a journal club meeting and present your findings to peers and colleagues.
Engage in a group discussion to critically evaluate the research and its applicability to practice.

Patient Safety Case Study Competition

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Demonstrate your understanding of patient safety principles and showcase your problem-solving skills by participating in a competition where you will analyze and develop solutions for complex patient safety cases.

Browse courses on Patient Safety

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Identify a patient safety case study.
Analyze the case study and identify the key patient safety issues.
Develop a comprehensive patient safety improvement plan.
Prepare a presentation of your plan to the competition judges.
Present your plan to the judges and respond to their questions.

Develop and Implement a Patient Safety Improvement Project

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Apply your knowledge and skills by designing and implementing a project aimed at enhancing patient safety in a real-world setting.

Browse courses on Patient Safety

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Identify a specific patient safety issue or area for improvement.
Develop a project plan that outlines your goals, objectives, and methods.
Implement the project and collect data to track your progress.
Analyze the data and evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention.
Disseminate your findings and share your project with others.

Career center

Learners who complete SafetyQuest: Level One - QI Basics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Quality Improvement Manager

Quality Improvement Managers use quantitative tools and data analysis to improve quality and efficiency and reduce risk. This course can help build a foundation in QI tools and concepts, such as PDCA, A3, high reliability, and the swiss cheese model. The course also covers tools and techniques for improving communication and teamwork, which are essential for QI initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Improvement Manager

Patient Safety Analyst

Patient Safety Analysts use data to identify and mitigate risks to patient safety. They work with healthcare providers to develop and implement patient safety programs. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Patient Safety Analyst

Risk Manager

Risk Managers identify, assess, and mitigate risks to an organization, including patient safety risks. This course provides a foundation in risk management principles and tools, such as risk assessment, risk mitigation, and risk communication.

See salaries and explore the career path for Risk Manager

Healthcare Consultant

Healthcare Consultants provide advice and support to healthcare organizations on a variety of topics, including patient safety, quality improvement, and risk management. This course provides a foundation in patient safety, quality improvement, and risk management principles and tools, which are essential for success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Healthcare Consultant

Patient Advocate

Patient Advocates work with patients and their families to ensure that they receive safe and high-quality care. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Patient Advocate

Medical Director

Medical Directors are responsible for the overall quality and safety of care provided by a healthcare organization. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles, quality improvement, and risk management, which are essential for success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Medical Director

Chief Medical Officer

Chief Medical Officers are responsible for the overall quality and safety of care provided by a healthcare system. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles, quality improvement, and risk management, which are essential for success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Medical Officer

Quality Improvement Specialist

Quality Improvement Specialists work to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. This course provides a foundation in QI tools and concepts, such as PDCA, A3, high reliability, and the swiss cheese model.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Improvement Specialist

Healthcare Administrator

Healthcare Administrators oversee the day-to-day operations of healthcare organizations. This course provides a foundation in patient safety, quality improvement, and risk management principles, which are essential for effective management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Healthcare Administrator

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical Nurse Specialists provide advanced nursing care to patients with complex or chronic conditions. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Clinical Nurse Specialist

Physician Assistant

Physician Assistants are licensed healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of a physician. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Physician Assistant

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioners are licensed healthcare professionals who provide a wide range of healthcare services. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Nurse Practitioner

Pharmacist

Pharmacists are responsible for dispensing medications and providing drug information to patients and healthcare providers. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Pharmacist

Social Worker

Social Workers provide support and assistance to patients and their families during times of illness or stress. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Worker

Healthcare Educator

Healthcare Educators develop and deliver educational programs that promote health and well-being. This course provides a foundation in patient safety principles and communication techniques, which are essential for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Healthcare Educator