Clinical Professor of Nursing
Healthcare Quality Improvement and Decision-Making
What You'll Learn
- Define key quality improvement theories and best practices within healthcare organizations
- Identify and use key analytical techniques commonly employed in quality science and decision-making
- Employ tools to assess the culture of safety within healthcare organizations
- Recognize the role of safety systems and improvement strategies, communication, and teamwork within healthcare organizations
4 Modules
12 Hours
3 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Healthcare Quality Improvement and Decision-Making
Driving meaningful change requires healthcare leaders who can identify the key decisions necessary to turn these goals into reality. “Healthcare Quality Improvement and Decision-Making” gives you the tools to develop quality improvement initiatives and drive a culture of safety and high reliability in healthcare organizations. You'll master key concepts around quality improvement and learn to think decisively about developments within your organization, team, and healthcare more broadly. Additional key concepts include a culture of safety, where you will dive into key methodologies to ensure that, as a leader, you are developing a welcoming and innovative environment. The course features a range of activities designed to help you apply your learning, including creating project charters, analyzing errors in a healthcare case study, exploring the most efficient project management methods, and conducting a plan-do-study-act analysis. Through applied learning, case study application, and culture of safety learning, you'll sharpen your ability to question, plan, and improve quality effectively in the healthcare sector.
This is the third course in “Leadership for Healthcare Professionals” Specialization, a course series designed to help professionals in all healthcare roles sharpen their leadership skills and advance their careers.
Skills You'll Gain
- Healthcare Quality
- Healthcare Quality Management
- Healthcare Strategy
- Outcome-Based Quality Improvement
- Patient Safety
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Healthcare Quality Improvement and Decision-Making, the third course in the Leadership for Healthcare Professionals series. This course introduces essential theories, models, and frameworks for improving quality in healthcare. You will gain hands-on experience with analytical techniques and tools to assess safety culture, optimize patient outcomes, and make data-driven decisions in healthcare organizations. By the end, you will be prepared to apply quality improvement strategies and foster a culture of safety.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Key Quality Improvement Theories and Practices
- Video: Welcome to Course 3: Healthcare Quality Improvement and Decision-Making
- Reading: Course Syllabus
- Discussion Prompt: Meet Your Fellow Learners
- Reading: Help Us Learn About You
- Reading: A Brief History of Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Video: Quality Improvement Theories
- Reading: Learning about Quality Improvement
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Video: Best Practices of Continuous Quality Improvement (Part 1): Patient-Centered Care & Protocols
- Video: Best Practices of Continuous Quality Improvement (Part 2): Data & Teams
- Video: Best Practices of Continuous Quality Improvement (Part 3): Healthcare Benchmarking
- Discussion Prompt: Tell Us, What Do You Think?
- Reading: Introduction to Module 1 Assignment: PDSA Analysis
- Reading: Introduction to the Gamut Gallery
- Reading: PDSA Cycle for Reducing Emergency Department Ambulance Diversion
- Reading: Module 1 Optional Readings & Resources
Module 2: Quality Science Decision-Making Tools
- Video: The Impact of Quality Science Decision-Making Tools
- Reading: Commonly Used Decision-Making Tools
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: The Importance of Quality Science Decision-Making Tools
- Video: Quality Science Decision-Making Tools in Practice
- Reading: Additional Tools in Quality Science Decision-Making
- Reading: Quality Science Decision-Making Tools in Practice: Lean Six Sigma
- App Item: Share Your Work with the Class
- Reading: Simulation Learning about Lean and Six-Sigma
- Reading: Module 2 Optional Readings & Resources
Module 3: Culture of Safety in Healthcare
- Video: High-Reliability Organizations: Definition, Characteristics and Historical Evolution
- Video: Project Management at a High Level
- Video: Components & Assessments of Safety Culture
- Reading: Advanced Concepts in Safety Culture Science
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Safety Culture in Healthcare
- Video: Types of Errors in Healthcare
- Video: Root Cause Analysis
- Reading: Safety Science in Healthcare
- Reading: Analyzing Errors: The Lewis Blackman Case
- Reading: Lewis Blackman’s History of Care and Treatment
- Reading: Errors That Led to Lewis Blackman’s Death Using a Cause and Effect Diagram
- Discussion Prompt: Tell Us, What Do You Think?
- Reading: Introduction to Module 3 Assignment: Project Charter for High-Reliability Organizations
- Reading: Review Project Charter for High-Reliability Organizations
- Reading: Module 3 Optional Readings & Resources
Module 4: Building a Culture of Safety
- Video: Overview of Safety Systems & Evaluation Methods
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Safety Systems and Improvement Strategies
- Video: Building a Culture of Safety: Team Dynamics & Communication
- Reading: Communication and Teamwork to Build a Culture of Safety
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Communication and Teamwork
- Discussion Prompt: Pause & Reflect: The Role of Communication and Teamwork in Building a Culture of Safety
- Video: Collecting & Analyzing Data to Build a Culture of Safety
- Video: The Role of Technology Tools in Building a Culture of Safety
- Discussion Prompt: Tell Us, What Do You Think?
- Video: Course Wrap-Up
- Reading: Module 4 Optional Readings & Resources
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
Grading Policy
Course materials and assignments are self-paced. Learners must earn an overall grade of 80% to pass and receive the certificate. Grades are based entirely on four module review quizzes worth 25% each.
Clinical Associate Professor
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
A basic understanding of healthcare practice principles and fundamentals of how healthcare organizations function
