Certificate in Patient Safety & Quality Improvement

For registration and further information please visit the Centre for Patient Safety Website at:
www.patientsafetytoronto.ca

Introduction

Evolving from the success of the Quality Partners Program, the Department of Medicine introduced the Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Certificate Program in September 2008 under the leadership of Drs Kaveh Shojania, Edward Etchells and Chaim Bell with the support of two co-Directors; Drs. Anne Matlow and Chris Hayes. The program encourages physicians to become engaged in quality improvement and patient safety efforts by enhancing their knowledge and skills and supporting the development of infrastructure for measurement. Participants will develop and implement proposals that outline potential benefits to the hospitals and health care system, methods and measures for improvement, effects of and strategies for change that lead to improvement, as well as dissemination and knowledge transfer plans.

Curriculum

The program focuses on key concepts such as core definitions and epidemiology in patient safety; Quality measurement and performance indicators; Basic quality improvement and knowledge translation; Methods for assessing quality/safety problems; Unique methods in patient safety (such as human factors, root cause analysis and failure mode and effect analysis); Evaluating interventions (experimental & quasi-experimental designs); Quantitative analysis; Qualitative methods in safety/quality; Core concepts in studying and improving communication, discontinuities in care, and teamwork; Health informatics; Making change happen; Research ethics in quality assurance.

Sessions include didactic lectures (experts from UofT community and Visiting Professors) and interactive small group activities. Spring sessions include time dedicated to the presentations of work in progress by participants. Projects are formally presented at the Annual UofT Patient Safety Day.

Enrollment

The program is designed for program directors, faculty, clinical associates, fellows and residents interested in academic work in patient safety and quality improvement reflecting the three promotion platforms; teaching, research and creative professional activity. Enrollment reaches out beyond the borders of the Department of Medicine with 39 participants joining us in 2008 from the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery, Family & Community Medicine and Radiology as well as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Last updated:8/4/2010 2:49:38 PM