Measuring the Success of a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety VI) (Coursera)

Measuring the Success of a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety VI) (Coursera)

How will you know if your patient safety and quality project is meeting its objectives? Peter Drucker once said “What gets measured, gets managed.” In this course, students will learn why measurement is critical to quality improvement work. Equally important, they will learn which data sources provide the most meaningful information and tools for how and where to locate them. Finally, students will learn how to interpret data from their patient safety and quality projects to guide and modify them during implementation to maximize their chances of making a difference for patients.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

What You Will Learn

  • Describe why measurement is important to quality improvement work.
  • Locate external sources of quality and safety measures and associated performance data.
  • Identify those data that are useful for monitoring and evaluating quality improvement projects.

Course 6 of 7 in the Patient Safety Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Performance Measurement in Patient Safety and Quality
In this module, learners will develop an understanding of what is performance measurement in healthcare, what constitutes a “good” performance measure, and basic frameworks that have been used for categorizing measures. Learners will become familiar with some of the well-known entities involved in performance measurement in healthcare and key challenges in the field.

WEEK 2
Public Reporting of Performance Measures
In this module, learners will gain knowledge of the primary audiences for publicly reported performance measure sand some of the key measures that are currently reported. Learners will be exposed to some of the key websites that publicly report performance data and hear from a health system leader about some of the benefits and challenges of having a hospital’s quality and safety performance publicly available.

WEEK 3
Interpreting Data and Telling Data's Story
In this module, learners will develop an understanding of the different tools that are available to analyze data used in quality and safety improvement work and how the data can be visualized for different audiences.Two case studies will be shared to demonstrate how these data analysis and visualization tools can be used in a real-life setting.

WEEK 4
From Data to Action and Iteration
In this module, learners will be exposed to how mixed-methods research, which includes integrating qualitative and quantitative data together, can be used successfully in quality improvement projects.Learners will also become familiar with how data and measures are used to evaluate the success of a quality improvement project. Two case studies will be shared to demonstrate how these concepts have been used in real-life quality improvement projects.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera)

Improving health care for veterans has become a matter of national attention and has gained increasing attention from the medical community. With the current surge of veterans reintegrating into civilian society it is critical to improve the training of the next cadre of providers who will provide care for our veterans. It is widely known that veterans receive care in all aspects of the health system, thus providers in veteran focused care facilities, military health serves and civilian locals must be aware of the unique needs of veterans. It is perhaps even more important to educate civilian providers who may be unfamiliar with the unique physical, mental and emotional needs related to military service.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach (Coursera)

Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the entire world! Every human being suffers from feeling depressed at some point or other, but only about one fifth of the population will experience an episode of depressive disorder over the course of their lives.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera)

The New Nordic Diet is a new food culture developed in 2009-13 with key emphasis on gastronomy, health, and environment. Major research in its effect on acceptability, behaviour and learning skills, and disease prevention have been conducted by the OPUS centre at the University of Copenhagen and the people behind the award-winning restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. This course will give the participants the opportunity to experience a healthy and palatable new food and eating concept diet “The New Nordic Diet” and an understanding of how food and diets can affect mental and physical health and ensure the foundation for a healthier life style for future generations with a regional based diet and food culture.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Anatomy of the Abdomen and Pelvis; a journey from basis to clinic. (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University,Leiden University Medical Center

Anatomy of the Abdomen and Pelvis; a journey from basis to clinic. (Coursera)

In this anatomy course you will explore the organs involved in our food digestion and discover the common causes of abdominal and pelvic pain. The latest graphics and animations will help you to find new insights and understanding of this part of the body, that has been the focus of anatomical research for centuries and presently arouses renewed scientific interest. You will explore the 3D anatomy of the organs from a basic level, providing thorough anatomical understanding, to its advanced application in surgical procedures.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Health Concepts in Chinese Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Health Concepts in Chinese Medicine (Coursera)

Chinese Medicine and Modern Medicine are two distinct medical systems, yet they both aim at the prevention and treatment of human diseases. With this in mind, we should understand the practice of Chinese Medicine in the context of Modern Medicine. In this course, we explore the basic theories underlying the practice of Chinese Medicine, compare and contrast the use of Chinese Medicine and Modern Medicine in Preventive Health, and discuss how to restore a healthy condition and understand the pharmacological basis of different types of Chinese tonifying herbs.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Reproduction (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Introduction to Reproduction (Coursera)

Do you have questions about sex hormones or menstrual cycles? This is a crash-course in human reproductive health through fact and biology-based information on a variety of topics. "Sex 101" will cover reproductive anatomy, key biological changes during puberty, sexual biology and contraceptive methods, reproductive disorders, and a special introduction to the exciting field of Oncofertility. Specific lecture titles are as follows: 1) Reproductive Anatomy & Hormones, 2) Menstrual Cycle, Oocyte Maturation, & Sperm Activation, 3) Sexual Biology, Fertilization, & Contraception, and 4) Reproductive Health & Disorders.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Financial Reporting Capstone (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Financial Reporting Capstone (Coursera)

The Capstone is the culminating project in the Financial Reporting Specialization. You will have the opportunity to combine the concepts and techniques obtained through all the courses in this specialization (Accounting Analysis I: The Role of Accounting as an Information System, Accounting Analysis I: Measurement and Disclosure of Assets, Accounting Analysis II: Measurement and Disclosure of Liabilities, and Accounting Analysis II: Accounting for Liabilities and Equity) and apply them to a real world accounting project.

Nov 2nd 2026
3 Weeks
Engineering Health: Introduction to Yoga and Physiology (Coursera) Coursera
New York University Tandon School of Engineering

Engineering Health: Introduction to Yoga and Physiology (Coursera)

This course gives you access to an exploration of physiological systems from the perspective of overall health and wellness. In particular, a focus on yoga, meditation and mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention in chronic illness and long term treatment. This course is intended for yoga practitioners and teachers, as well as college students and medical practitioners looking for a deeper understanding of the physiological benefits of yoga.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera) Coursera
George Washington University

Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera)

Ensuring patient safety and healthcare quality is critical and should be a key focus of everyone in healthcare practice. This course provides healthcare practitioners and others with an introduction to the knowledge and skills needed to lead patient safety and quality improvement initiatives at the micro and macro levels. Participants will explore the foundations of health care quality and the science underlying patient safety and quality improvement, design and select effective health care measures, analyze patient safety problems and processes using tools such as human factors analysis, apply systematic approaches including the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to address quality improvement challenges, and learn strategies to lead a culture of change

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks