Health Care Quality and the Health Workforce

This guide brings together all the Resources, Organizations, Funding, Events, and News we've discovered related to Health Care Quality.

Here are some top picks to get you started:

Frequently Requested Information

• Interested in Health Care Quality for a particular profession?
  Please see Health Care Quality by Profession

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• Browse some of the most common topics related to Health Care Quality:
  Education and Training (149) Hospitals (122) Care Coordination (111) Supply and Demand (94) Primary Care (90) Health Care Access (82) Best Practices and Model Programs (81) Policy (66) Recruitment and Retention (62) Compensation (53) Rural (45) Residency Programs (43) Health Information Technology and Telehealth (42) Trends and Emerging Issues (34) Medicare and Medicaid (31)

Overview

• What is health care quality?
• What types of skills should be fostered in the workforce to support quality health care?
• What are some workforce-related safeguards to help ensure patients receive good care?

What is health care quality?

The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines quality as: “The degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.” In its 2001 report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, the IOM identified six aims for the health care system related to quality, that health care should be:

• safe
• effective
• patient-centered
• timely
• efficient
• equitable

A well-trained and adequately staffed health workforce is critical to meeting these aims and thereby ensuring patients receive appropriate care.

What types of skills should be fostered in the workforce to support quality health care?

A report from the 2002 Health Professions Education Summit, Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality, identifies these core competencies for the health professions:

• providing patient-centered care
• working in interdisciplinary teams
• employing evidence-based practice
• applying quality improvement
• utilizing informatics

What are some workforce-related safeguards to help ensure patients receive good care?

• Licensure and certification, to verify that providers have the appropriate qualifications
• Scope-of-practice acts, which are intended to ensure that the each provider type is prepared to provide particular types of care
• Maintaining adequate staffing levels, particularly nurse staffing in a hospital setting
• Limits on working hours, such as the 80-hour weekly work limit for residents

Page last updated October 15, 2012