Fundamentals of Health Care Improvement: A Guide to Improving Your Patients' Care, Second Edition

"The complex journey of care requires new skills for all of us. It requires that we know how to, and do, deliver the best evidence- based care in accordance with the individual patient's circumstances and preferences, and that we work cross- professionally to make the care system safer. This book is your guide to becoming a complete health care professional, a strong caregiver, and an effective improver." --Maureen Bisognano, CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, from the Foreword to the second edition Research is proving that quality improvement (QI) initiatives are more successful when implemented with an interprofessional approach. Authored by a team of physicians and nurses, the second edition of Fundamentals of Health Care Improvement is grounded in this principle. Charting a course for future health care professionals, the book provides a single source for nursing students, medical students, and resident physicians to learn and practice the basics of QI. The following special features of this updated edition prepare readers to be advanced beginners in QI: * Methods for identifying and closing the "quality gap" and improving patient safety * Instruction on how find, evaluate, and apply scientific evidence for improving care * Discussion of communication, teamwork, and an interprofessional approach * Description of process literacy and a variety of process modeling/mapping procedures * Comparisons between and practical applications of types of measurement * Interviews with well-respected change agents about their QI success stories * Educator's Guide chapter with activities for medical and nursing students