Looking to Improve Your Practice? Consider the Science of Quality Improvement to Get Started

Abstract

Quality improvement in health care is the responsibility of everyone (eg, patients, families, health providers, and administrative staff) to work toward delivering high-quality patient care, advancing professional knowledge and skills, and creating effective and efficient processes of care. Those involved in athletic health care, similar to other health care professionals, should strive to create patient care experiences that are safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient centered. Exploring the differences between quality improvement and research will help define the focus of improvement sciences on the health of systems, which is to identify quality gaps and evaluate processes of care, as opposed to filling knowledge gaps. Furthermore, considering the principles of quality improvement will set the foundation for quality initiatives in health care to focus on patients, value teams, emphasize systems and processes of care, appreciate variability, and require data. With a greater understanding of the principles of the quality improvement sciences, athletic trainers will be better positioned to create a culture of quality improvement and to take the initiative in leading improvement efforts so that local systems support the delivery of high-quality patient care.