WCM141 - Building the Foundation for Safer Care

Course Description

Organizations frequently struggle with persistent mistakes and inefficient processes, which carry substantial financial and human costs. In healthcare settings, these challenges pose even greater risks as they may compromise patient safety and outcomes. Quality improvement tools and the Model for Improvement provide powerful frameworks to create sustainable, systems-level solutions.

In this course, you will be guided through the initial phases of quality improvement (QI) projects: developing a detailed system model, identifying intervention targets, and selecting appropriate metrics to measure impact. You’ll practice using visual representation tools, including process maps and driver diagrams. With the aid of these models, you’ll draft concise aim statements that define QI project goals, assess root causes of existing challenges, and determine changes most likely to produce measurable outcome improvements.

For the most valuable hands-on practice, you will analyze a real-world medical office case study. By the end of this course, you'll have built vital skills to implement QI strategies in healthcare settings.

Faculty Author

Benefits to the Learner

• Explore the role of quality improvement processes in generating team-based, systems-level solutions to organizational challenges
• Identify process breakdowns to determine necessary quality improvement changes
• Select appropriate intervention targets that address root causes of organizational challenges
• Determine appropriate data types to assess whether a desired change has been accomplished

Target Audience

• Healthcare professionals responsible for leading or contributing to quality improvement and patient safety initiatives
• Clinical leaders, physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers seeking practical quality improvement skills
• Healthcare managers, administrators, and operations leaders responsible for improving clinical and operational performance
• Quality, patient safety, and performance improvement professionals looking to strengthen their knowledge of the Model for Improvement and data-driven change

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Quality Improvement and Patient Safety : Core Courses