Quality Systems and Improving Health Care Outcomes ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course provides an overview of quality improvement (QI) and quality assurance (QA) in health care and public health settings. The focus of this course will be on the methods implemented to ensure patient safety and healthcare quality that is critical to all healthcare practices. The course focus will provide direct care practitioners and support team members involved with patient care an introduction to the knowledge and the skills to develop a patient safety plan and monitor an ongoing quality improvement plan. Students will build a foundational knowledge of healthcare quality to provide patient safety and improve patient outcomes by understanding how to use, develop, and track key metrics that are indicative of successful outcomes. The course will review those metrics tracked by regulatory agencies and students will evaluate how to develop self-imposed facility specific measurements that are aimed to improve patient outcomes. Throughout the course, students will learn information and systems that will aid them in the evaluation of identifying the need, designing, and implementation of quality improvement plans as they will learn to assess situations from a quality improvement perspective. A course in statistics is recommended prior to taking this course.