Campus:
Liverpool
Module Overview:
Key concepts that highlight the need for quality improvement, including understanding quality from different perspectives within a health system, different quality frameworks (e.g. Donabedian’s ‘structures, processes, and outcomes’) and the application of quality improvement for health systems strengthening. This module will then explore, through detailed case studies, different quality improvement approaches (e.g. plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles, standards-based/clinical audit, maternal death surveillance and response) in practice, reflecting on their relevance, strengths and limitations such that students can identify which approach should be used and when and how to optimally implement that approach, drawing from the skills developed.
The module will introduce and develop practical skills that underlie most quality improvement approaches among students, including: Identifying and prioritising problems and root cause analysis, Creating and implementing solutions, Collection and analysis of local data to drive and evaluate quality improvement, Leadership, team-building and establishing a ‘culture of quality improvement’, and Group work will be utilised throughout in order to give ‘hands on’ experience of using these skills.