| About the ProgramMaster of science degree in healthcare quality and patient safety | Background of the Program | In 1999, The Institute of Medicine released the groundbreaking report “To Err is Human,” revealing that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die each year from medical errors. Medical errors are the 5th to 8th leading cause of death, above motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. Two years later the IOM published “Crossing the Quality Chasm,” which called for fundamental change in the healthcare system. In the report, the committee on the Quality of Health Care in America makes several recommendations for the redesign of the American health system in order to close the quality gap. Among these recommendations, the committee states that health care should have six aims: Safety - Effectiveness - Patient-centeredness - Timeliness - Efficiency - Equity | | These reports increased the breadth and complexity of information related to the sciences of managing healthcare quality and patient safety. There is a great need for clinical and administrative healthcare professionals to develop expertise and leadership in these fields. The goal of this program is to educate healthcare professionals to become effective healthcare quality and patient safety leaders, practitioners, and researchers. | About the Program
| The Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety will focus on the knowledge, skills, and methods required for improving healthcare delivery systems. The topics covered include: Healthcare quality context and measurement, changing systems of care delivery, healthcare disparities, accountability and public policy, safety interventions and practices, health information technology, simulation and the science of teamwork, human factors, risk assessment methods, and leadership and governance. Additionally, students will learn about the external environment that shapes health policy, particularly in regard to quality and safety.
| Opportunities for Graduates | 
| After completing this degree program, graduates will have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to be competitive for leadership positions in healthcare and research institutions, governmental and policy bodies, careers in academia. Graduates will be well prepared to be leaders in the next generation of quality and safety specialists, designing and implementing quality and safety initiatives across health care plans, hospitals, state and federal agencies, and voluntary organizations throughout the country. |
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