QI for the Hospitalist

If you are a hospitalist interested in quality improvement and patient safety, where do you start looking for a curriculum to learn about the science of improvement and various methodologies and tools out there?

The following sites provide the students of the science of improvement a great place to start:

The WHO Patient Safety Curriculum, while technically designed for medical students, is a great introduction to the world of QI.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Open School also provides a structured learning opportunity. You can watch Don Berwick talking about the IHI Open School here.

The University of Toronto runs aCertificate course in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. The program is designed for program directors, faculty, clinical associates, fellows and residents  interested in academic work in patient safety and quality improvement reflecting the three promotion platforms; teaching, research and creative professional activity.

The model for improvement is an important and potent QI methodology widely used in healthcare. You can learn about this important QI tool here.

You can learn about the characteristics of "High Performing Organizations" by reading this book by Ross Baker and colleagues. It's a must read for anyone interested in learning about what makes some organizations excel.