Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.
The Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers the concepts and methodologies used in process improvement within healthcare. Successful participants will develop a system’s view of safety and quality challenges and will learn strategies for improving culture, enhancing teamwork, managing change and measuring success. They will also lead all aspects of a patient safety and/or quality improvement project, applying the methods described over the seven courses in the specialization.
Patient Safety Specialization
Become a Leader in Patient Safety. Master the strategies and tools to implement effective patient safety and quality initiatives.
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About this Specialization
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What you will learn
Identify the core aspects of a strong patient safety culture.
Describe the attributes of systems and processes that support a strong patient safety culture and a culture of continuous learning.
Analyze safety and quality measures to identify areas for improvement as well as to monitor and sustain improvement projects.
Develop a patient safety or quality improvement strategic plan.
Skills you will gain
Patient CarePatient SafetyComprehensive Unit-Based Safety Program (Cusp) ToolkitQuality Improvement
How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
There are 7 Courses in this Specialization
Course1
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement: Developing a Systems View (Patient Safety I)
4.8
278 ratings
In this course, you will be able develop a systems view for patient safety and quality improvement in healthcare. By then end of this course, you will be able to: 1) Describe a minimum of four key events in the history of patient safety and quality improvement, 2) define the key characteristics of high reliability organizations, and 3) explain the benefits of having strategies for both proactive and reactive systems thinking.
Course2
Setting the Stage for Success: An Eye on Safety Culture and Teamwork (Patient Safety II)
4.8
112 ratings
Safety culture is a facet of organizational culture that captures attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and values about safety. A culture of safety is essential in high reliability organizations and is a critical mechanism for the delivery of safe and high-quality care. It requires a strong commitment from leadership and staff. In this course, a safe culture is promoted through the use of identifying and reporting patient safety hazards, accountability and transparency, involvement with patients and families, and effective teamwork.
Course3
Planning a Patient Safety or Quality Improvement Project (Patient Safety III)
4.7
47 ratings
This course provides students with a set of tools and methodologies to plan and initiate a Problem Solving or Quality Improvement project. The first module presents methods for selecting, scoping and structuring a project before it is even initiated. It also introduces the project classifications of implementation and discovery. The second module describes the A3 problem solving methodology and the tool itself. Further in that same module, the student is shown tools to identify problems in flow, defects, and waste and to discover causes, brainstorm, and prioritize interventions. Module 3 shows a methodology within the implementation class. These methods are designed to overcome emotional and organizational barriers to translating evidence-based interventions into practice. The fourth and last module looks at one more way to approach improvement projects in the discovery class. These tools are specifically for new, out-of-the-box design thinking.
Course4
Designing for Sustainment: Keeping Improvement Work on Track (Patient Safety IV)
4.4
21 ratings
Keeping patient safety and quality improvement projects on track, on time, and on budget is critical to ensuring their success. In this course, students will be introduced and given the opportunity to apply a series of tools to guide and manage patient safety and quality initiatives. These include tools for defining what success looks like, developing a change management plan, and conducting a pre-mortem to identify risks for project failure. This course will also provide tools for engaging stakeholders to ensure key players are invested in your project’s success.
Instructors
Matt Austin
Assistant ProfessorAnesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
David Thompson DNSc, MS, RN
Associate ProfessorArmstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality/Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Lisa H. Lubomski, PhD
Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
David Schwartz
Instructional Design Technology ManagerArmstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
Melinda Sawyer
Director, Patient SafetyArmstrong Institute for Patient Safety
About Johns Hopkins University
The mission of The Johns Hopkins University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the refund policy?
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Can I take the course for free?
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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