You have begun your journey to better understand how to use quality improvement (QI) to improve your processes and programs. Before embarking on this journey, you first need to acquire new terminology and tools, discover data sources, learn from success stories, establish outcome-oriented targets, and learn how using QI can transform public health practice.

Define Quality Improvement

• Defining Quality Improvement in Public Health
• Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia

Set Targets and Identify Data Sources

• Driver Diagrams for Population Health
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics
• Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce (PHPartners) Health Data Tools and Statistics

Learn From Success Stories

• Increased Immunization Rates in Three Ohio Counties
• National Public Health Improvement Initiative QI Stories
• Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange stories
• Improving the Quality of Adult Asthma Care in East Tennessee
• Quality Improvement in Public Health: It Works! Brochure

Identify Resources to Help You Get Started

• Public Health Improvement Resource Center
• Performance Management Toolkit
• Ready, AIM, Problem Solve
• Applying QI Techniques to Analyze Problems and Find Solutions

Improve Processes and Programs

• Developing a Health Department Quality Improvement Plan
• Modular kaizen: Dealing with Disruptions
• Quality Improvement is Not Just for Problems: Success and Effect Diagram
• Rapid Cycle PDCA
• Employee Introduction to Quality Improvement, a presentation from Frederick County Health Department

Measure Success

• Assessing and Building a Culture of Quality Improvement in Your Organization
• Performance Measurement in the Performance Management Toolkit
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement Successful Measurement for Improvement
• QI Leads to Health Outcomes

To help you move from learning to application, PHF offers consultation services in addition to a number of basic to advanced QI courses that can be tailored to your organizational needs. Click here for more information.