Continuous Quality Improvement

Excerpt

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a progressive incremental improvement of processes, safety, and patient care. The goal of CQI may include improvement of operations, outcomes, systems processes, improved work environment, or regulatory compliance. Process improvement may be "gradual" or "breakthrough" in nature. CQI project development commonly includes defining the problem, benchmarking, setting a goal, then iterative quality improvement projects. Through the iterative process, improvements are made, the effect of the improvements is measured, then the process is repeated until the desired outcome is achieved. Common methodologies for improvement include Lean, Six Sigma, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, and Baldrige Criteria.