Case Study: Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

Catalog description

The 1999 Institute of Medicine Report "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System" called national attention to the shocking crisis of patient injury and death in the United States health care systems. This case study examines errors in health care and how nurses, working inter and intra-professionally, contribute to and/or lead quality improvement efforts in health care settings to make care safer. Through classroom discussion, clinical observations and special quality improvement project experience, the student will become familiar with the Science of Improvement grounded in W. Edwards Deming's body of knowledge called a "System of Profound Knowledge." The student will also learn patient safety strategies, behaviors and practices that reduce or eliminate the risk of patient harm and develop an appreciation for attributes of an organization that contribute to a strong patient safety culture. Prerequisite: Completion of sophomore year nursing requirements