221.722.01
Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries
Location
East Baltimore
Term
1st Term
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
M, W, 1:30 - 3:20pm
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Presents the principles and practice of total quality management methods for health systems in developing countries. Emphasizes integrated district-level health systems management; fostering a genuine team approach in the face of an authoritarian tradition; central importance of community governance; interventions performed according to standards and in an equitable fashion; introducing a measurement-based approach to problem solving, emphasizing analysis of service delivery process and outcome; and developing operational research as an integral component of the management system.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the principles, concepts and methods for developing quality initiatives and explain how these can be used to improve essential public health and clinical services services
- List ways to understand patient or user perceptions of quality and to address deficits in services as perceived by patients,
- Define quality from the perspective of all stakeholders, particularly in diverse socioeconomic contexts and populations, particularly where socieconomic equity is a challenge for population segments
- Explain how quality assurance principles can identify health access barriers and how findings can be utilized to build equity in access and improve population health
- Discuss how quality assurance re-design tools can lead to behavioral changes in populations as a result of improved health programming
- Measure a performance gap and conduct a gap analysis to determine root causes
- Apply team-based problem-solving methods to address poor performance of public health services
- Assess the costs of poor quality and of quality improvement
- Develop performance monitoring systems and indicators to manage healthcare performance
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 40% Assignments
- 50% Project(s)
- 10% Participation