QI Foundations: Take the Lead on Healthcare Quality Improvement

This foundational-level QI course is comprised of a series of six (6) online, self-paced modules prepared by Case Western Reserve University and offered through Coursera.

The modules are designed for individuals at the beginner level with no prior experience in quality improvement.

Needs Assessment and Target Audience

The overall educational goal of this self-paced course is to provide beginner-level learners (working healthcare professionals) with knowledge and skills in the science of quality improvement for the purpose of empowering and enabling them to take action in their own clinical setting to improve the quality of care for their patients and patients' families.

Objectives

By the end of the course, the learner should be able to:

1. Provide an overview of the importance of quality in healthcare
2. Recognize how they can contribute to quality by implementing a quality improvement (QI) project to improve processes of care and patient outcomes
3. Apply learned QI tools to the implementation of a QI project in their own practice setting or an area of personal improvement
4. Share their QI project success with others through the their prepared storyboard

Content and Delivery

The course is comprised of a series of six (6) online modules, organized across a 6-week period.

Learners may complete the modules at their own pace, and the estimated completion time for each module is as follows:

• Module 1: Getting Started (1 hour)
• Module 2 (5 hours)
• Module 3 (5 hours)
• Module 4 (5 hours)
• Module 5 (5 hours)
• Module 6 (5 hours)

In this course, participants will learn about the importance of quality in healthcare and how they can contribute by implementing a quality improvement (QI) project to improve processes of care and patient outcomes. They will learn about powerful tools to add to their QI ‘toolbox’ during short lectures and reflective exercises. They will apply these tools to the implementation of a QI project in their own practice setting or an area of personal improvement. At the completion of the course, they will have a storyboard that captures their QI project success to share with others.

The QI project will be considered within the context of interprofessional teams and from a systems perspective.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Performance Management and Quality Improvement
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - Resources for Quality Improvement
• Public Health Foundation (PHF) - Quality Improvement Resources