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Matt Austin

How will you know if your patient safety and quality project is meeting its objectives? Peter Drucker once said “What gets measured, gets managed.” In this course, students will learn why measurement is critical to quality improvement work. Equally important, they will learn which data sources provide the most meaningful information and tools for how and where to locate them. Finally, students will learn how to interpret data from their patient safety and quality projects to guide and modify them during implementation to maximize their chances of making a difference for patients.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Performance Measurement in Patient Safety and Quality
In this module, learners will develop an understanding of what is performance measurement in healthcare, what constitutes a “good” performance measure, and basic frameworks that have been used for categorizing measures. Learners will become familiar with some of the well-known entities involved in performance measurement in healthcare and key challenges in the field.
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on performance measurement in patient safety and quality, which is crucial for healthcare improvement
Provides practical tools and guidance on locating and using meaningful data sources, which is valuable for students seeking to improve their patient safety and quality projects
Leverages insights from real-life quality improvement projects through case studies, enhancing the applicability of the course content
Covers public reporting of performance measures, providing knowledge about transparency and accountability in healthcare
Involves the interpretation and visualization of data, equipping students with essential skills for effectively communicating data-driven insights
Emphasizes the use of mixed-methods research to enhance the robustness of quality improvement projects

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Reviews summary

Measuring healthcare quality improvement success

According to learners, this course provides a clear and practical understanding of how to measure the success of patient safety and quality improvement projects. Students appreciated the focus on why measurement is critical and learning about meaningful data sources and useful tools for analysis and visualization. The real-life case studies were frequently highlighted as particularly helpful for demonstrating concepts. While some learners noted that the course fits within a larger series and may be enhanced by prior knowledge, overall feedback points to a highly relevant and applicable learning experience for healthcare professionals.
Benefits from previous courses in series.
"This course builds upon previous courses in the Patient Safety series, which is helpful."
"Taking other courses in the series beforehand enhanced my learning here."
"Understanding this course is easier if you have the foundational knowledge from earlier modules."
Case studies enhance understanding.
"Two case studies will be shared to demonstrate how these data analysis and visualization tools can be used in a real-life setting."
"The case studies really helped in understanding how to apply the concepts."
"Real-life examples made the theoretical concepts much clearer."
"I found the case studies to be a highlight of the course."
Explains key measurement concepts effectively.
"Develop an understanding of what is performance measurement in healthcare, what constitutes a 'good' performance measure..."
"I now truly understand why measurement is critical to quality improvement work."
"The course clearly explains the importance of performance measurement."
"It helped solidify my understanding of key performance measurement concepts."
Focuses on practical tools and data sources.
"Learned about meaningful data sources and tools for locating and interpreting them."
"Gained practical tools and strategies I could apply immediately to my work."
"The content on data analysis and visualization tools was particularly useful."
"I now understand which data sources provide the most meaningful information."

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 Measuring the Success of a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety VI) with these activities:
Attend a healthcare conference
Engage with healthcare professionals and learn about the latest advancements in patient safety and quality.
Show steps
  • Find a relevant healthcare conference.
  • Register for the conference.
  • Attend sessions related to patient safety and quality.
  • Network with other attendees.
Review epidemiology
Refresh your knowledge of epidemiological concepts and methods to strengthen your understanding of the course material.
Browse courses on Epidemiology
Show steps
  • Review basic concepts of epidemiology, such as incidence, prevalence, and risk factors.
  • Review methods for conducting epidemiological studies, such as case-control studies and cohort studies.
Explore data visualization tools
Learn about different data visualization tools and techniques to effectively communicate insights.
Browse courses on Data Visualization
Show steps
  • Explore online tutorials on data visualization tools.
  • Experiment with different visualization types, such as bar charts, scatterplots, and dashboards.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Create a data dictionary
Develop a data dictionary to ensure consistency and accuracy in data collection and interpretation.
Browse courses on Data Quality
Show steps
  • Identify the data elements that will be collected.
  • Define the data type, format, and allowable values for each data element.
Collaborate on a case study
Work with peers to analyze a case study and develop recommendations for improving patient safety or quality.
Browse courses on Case study
Show steps
  • Find a group of peers to collaborate with.
  • Identify a relevant case study.
  • Analyze the case study and discuss your findings.
  • Develop recommendations for improving patient safety or quality.
Develop a quality improvement plan
Craft a comprehensive quality improvement plan to address a specific patient safety issue or improve healthcare quality.
Browse courses on Quality Improvement
Show steps
  • Identify a patient safety or quality issue.
  • Develop a plan to address the issue, including specific interventions and evaluation criteria.
Analyze healthcare data
Practice analyzing healthcare data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
Browse courses on Data Analysis
Show steps
  • Use statistical software to analyze data.
  • Interpret the results of your analysis and draw meaningful conclusions.
  • Apply your findings to improve patient care.
Participate in a healthcare hackathon
Collaborate with other students or professionals to develop innovative solutions to healthcare challenges.
Browse courses on Innovation
Show steps
  • Find a healthcare hackathon to participate in.
  • Form a team and develop your idea.
  • Code and develop your solution.
  • Present your solution to a panel of judges.

Career center

Learners who complete Measuring the Success of a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety VI) will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Quality Improvement Specialist
Quality improvement specialists work to improve the quality of care within healthcare organizations. This course would help you to build a foundation in quality improvement, which is essential for this role.
Patient Safety Manager
Patient safety managers are responsible for developing and implementing programs to improve patient safety. Your understanding of healthcare quality, performance measurement, and data analysis would be extremely helpful in this role.
Healthcare Quality Manager
Healthcare quality managers work in hospitals or healthcare systems to improve the quality of patient care. This role works to collect, analyze, and interpret data from a variety of sources. The skills that you would learn in this course would help to provide you with a strong foundation in quality improvement, which is an essential part of healthcare. healthcare quality management.
Data Analyst
Data analysts use their skills to link data to valuable business insights. In this role, you may work with structured or unstructured data that is both qualitative and quantitative. Your technical knowledge of statistics and data cleaning would be highly valued. You may also be asked to lead on creating dashboards or other visuals that help translate complex data into more accessible information.
Health Policy Analyst
Health policy analysts use their understanding of data and statistics to perform research that can inform policy decisions. Skills in performance measurement, interpreting data, and telling a data's story are all essential components of being a successful health policy analyst.
Epidemiologist
Epidemiologists study the distribution and causes of health-related events and conditions in populations. The skills learned in this course would provide you with a foundation in measurement, data analysis, and interpretation, which are all essential to epidemiology.
Biostatistician
Biostatisticians use their knowledge of statistics to solve problems related to health and medicine. This role could help you to develop the skills needed to find meaningful information from data.
Performance Improvement Manager
Performance improvement managers work to improve the performance of healthcare organizations. This role often requires a deep understanding of data and measurement. The skills learned in this course could help you to develop the foundation needed for a career in performance improvement.
Data Manager
Data managers are responsible for the collection, storage, and analysis of data. This role would help you to develop the skills needed to manage and analyze large datasets.
Medical Writer
Medical writers create written content about medical and health-related topics. The skills that you would learn in this course could help you to effectively communicate complex data and information to a variety of audiences.
Health Informatics Specialist
Health informatics specialists work to improve the use of information technology in healthcare. The skills that you would learn in this course would help you to understand the importance of data and measurement in healthcare.
Clinical Research Coordinator
This role works with investigators and research teams to design and conduct clinical research studies. The knowledge that you would gain in this course would help you to understand the importance of measurement and data analysis in clinical research.
Healthcare Consultant
Healthcare consultants work with healthcare organizations to improve their performance. As a consultant, you may work on projects related to quality improvement, patient safety, or data analysis. The knowledge that you would gain in this course would be helpful in several ways.
Healthcare Administrator
Healthcare administrators plan, direct, and coordinate healthcare services. The skills that you would learn in this course could help you to understand the importance of quality and performance management in healthcare.
Research Scientist
Research scientists conduct research to advance scientific knowledge. This course would provide you with the skills needed to design and conduct research studies.

Reading list

We've selected nine books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Measuring the Success of a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety VI).
Provides a comprehensive overview of performance measurement and improvement in healthcare, including key concepts, frameworks, and tools. It valuable reference for healthcare professionals and students.
Provides a practical guide to healthcare performance improvement, including tools and techniques for planning, implementation, and evaluation. It valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students.
Provides a comprehensive guide to performance measurement in healthcare, including key concepts, frameworks, and tools. It valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students.
Provides a practical guide to quality improvement in healthcare, including tools and techniques for planning, implementation, and evaluation. It valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students.
Provides a foundation in statistics for healthcare professionals, including key concepts and applications in healthcare research and practice. It valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students.
Provides a comprehensive overview of health services research, including key concepts, methods, and applications. It valuable resource for health services researchers and students.
Provides a comprehensive overview of statistical methods for health care research, including key concepts, methods, and applications. It valuable resource for health care researchers and students.

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