Quality and Patient Safety

Activities in Quality and Patient Safety may occur in different settings.

The Center for Quality for Patient Safety Science is also available for support and guidance. 

The Quality and Patient Safety area of focus includes the following:

• Process improvement
• Clinical outcome analysis
• Novel applications or synthesis

Evidence of this area of focus should demonstrate involvement and impact of work in quality improvement and/or patient safety activities, teaching and/or research.  

Academic activities may include:

• Documented effectiveness of impact of work, including new workflows, improvement in systems or processes of care
• Enhanced evidence-based decision support tools and evaluation
• Improved patient outcomes by clear quantitative or qualitative metrics
• Evidence of decreased medical errors by clear quantitative or qualitative metrics
• Development or implantation of community-based initiatives to enhance quality and safety of health care delivery
• Education of trainees, patients and/or the community related to quality and/or patient safety are also considered in this category

Evidence of professional accomplishment and recognition may include:

• Scholarly products to enhance the awareness and understanding of the methodology for designing, implementing and/or evaluating initiatives in quality and patient safety
• Invited lectures (internal and/or external) or teaching peers, students, clinical trainees or other health professionals
• Training (e.g. simulation) learners or health professionals on the concepts, design, implementation, evaluation of quality and patient safety programs 
• Demonstration of service on local, regional or national professional organization committees or regulatory/oversight bodies and/or by meaningful participation on departmental, university, hospital committees

Advancement to Associate Professor 

For advancement from the Assistant to Associate Professor rank in the Quality and Patient Safety area of focus, faculty must be able to demonstrate expertise beyond their department at the CUIMC and emerging regional levels.

Educational Activities

Quality improvement and/or patient safety teaching activities may occur in a variety of educational settings and formats, including didactic presentations, lectures, seminars, conferences, tutorials, grand rounds, simulations, hospital and clinic rounds, continuing education, root cause analyses and morbidity and mortality meetings.

Advancement to Full Professor 

For advancement to the Full Professor rank, faculty must be able to show evidence of national presence. Faculty should show sustained administrative, academic scientific, scholarly, and professional achievements beyond that accomplished for promotion to Associate Professor. Additional accomplishments might include:

- significant institutional leadership accomplishments leading quality improvement and/or patient safety projects with evidence of institutional or regional impact or recognition

- sustained productivity either as an impactful quality improvement and/or patient safety leader, investigator, or key collaborator

Visit the Center for Quality for Patient Safety Science for more information.