Insights

Quality Improvement 101: The Fundamentals of Real Change

Quality improvement (QI) is at the heart of how NICHQ drives real change within children’s and population health. In each initiative, this methodology helps participants reach specific goals, while also developing cultures of continuous improvement and innovation. 

Healthcare providers, community organizations, hospital systems, government agencies and all other stakeholders in children’s health can use QI to address current challenges in serving their communities. To help future change agents develop and implement successful strategies, NICHQ has developed Quality Improvement 101, a digital course that explains the fundamentals of improvement. The lessons include a look at:

  • Aim Statements: A summary of the goals and expected change. 
  • Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles: The process for creating, testing and adapting ideas. 
  • Driver Diagrams: A breakdown of large factors and the small influences that play into them. 

The training will give users a robust understanding of QI so they can start leading change initiatives in their communities. The interactive tool shows how to complete the earliest stages of a QI process with hands-on activities, examples and quizzes. By the end of the session, users should feel comfortable creating their own change ideas and starting to test small changes on their own.