Includes bibliographical references and index.

The global evolution of continuous quality improvement : from Japanese manufacturing to global health services -- Factors influencing the application and diffusion of CQI in health care -- Measurement, variation, and CQI tools -- Understanding and improving team effectiveness in quality improvement -- The outcome model of quality -- Measuring consumer satisfaction -- The role of the patient in continuous quality improvement -- A social marketing approach to continuous quality improvement initiatives -- Assessing risk and harm in the clinical microsystem : a systematic approach to promote patient safety -- CQI, transformation, and the learning organization -- The human face of medical error : classification and reduction -- The role of health information technology in quality improvement: from data to decisions -- Preparing health professionals : harnessing the power of the clinical microsystem to improve quality and safety of care -- Quality improvement in primary care : the role of organization, systems, and collaboratives -- Quality improvement organizations and continuous quality improvement in medicare -- Continuous quality improvement in U.S. public health organizations: moving beyond quality assurance -- Quality improvement in nursing -- Accreditation : a regulatory mechanism to promote quality and safety in health care organizations -- Quality improvement in resource-poor countries -- A call to action for transforming healthcare in the future.

Through a unique interdisciplinary perspective on quality management in health care, this text covers the subjects of operations management, organizational behavior, and health services research. With a particular focus on Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement, the challenges of implementation and institutionalization are addressed using examples from a variety of health care organizations, including primary care clinics, hospital laboratories, public health departments, and academic health centers. New to the Fourth Edition: - All chapters have been updated to reflect recent trends in healthcare including the more global focus of CQI. - New introductory chapters summarize the evolution of CQI and discuss the factors influencing the application and diffusion of CQI. - Several new chapters cover ‘hot’ topics such as the role of the patient in CQI, social marketing as an approach to CQI, assessing risk and harm in patient care, CQI in public health organizations, quality improvement in nursing, and quality improvement in resource-poor countries. - A new companion volume of case studies.