Quality Improvement in Health Care: Tips and Tools
Written by:
Appalachian State University
• Jul 23, 2025
As of 2024, Americans’ view of health care quality in the United States has declined to a 24-year low. Although this statistic was trending upward between 2005 and 2012, according to Gallup, 2013 brought about a steep decline that’s never fully corrected. From 2020 until 2024, Americans’ view of health care quality has only continued to plummet.
This trend demonstrates the need for quality improvement in health care throughout the United States, which begins with understanding what factors are at play that are affecting said quality. With a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management, students can learn what affects health care quality and develop the skills necessary to put American health care on a better path.
What Is Quality Improvement in Health Care?
To understand this topic, it’s important to know what quality is in terms of health care. According to the National Academy of Medicine, quality is “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.”
Quality improvement sets up the framework to improve this care. Through quality improvement, professionals in different health care administration careers optimize and standardize processes and structures to provide better health outcomes for patients and populations.
4 Tips for Quality Improvement in Health Care
To improve the quality of care, entities should prioritize standardization. Health care professionals need to set up a framework for improvement that guides their organizations in better treating and caring for patients. The ultimate goal is to improve the health outcomes for all. These tips for quality improvement in health care focus on developing that framework.
1. Set Expectations and Desired Outcomes
The first step to building this framework is to think about its goals. To measure the success of the framework, it’s important to first establish metrics to measure against. A health care organization might consider using the six domains of care quality set forth by the Institute of Medicine:
-
Safe: Avoiding causing harm to patients through care that is intended to help or heal them.
-
Effective: Providing care services rooted in scientific knowledge to those who need it, reducing underuse or misuse.
-
Patient-centered: Being respectful of patient needs, preferences and values.
-
Timely: Reducing wait times and potentially harmful delays.
-
Efficient: Avoiding waste, including materials and resources.
-
Equitable: Consistently providing quality care to all patients.
2. Measure Current Health Care Quality
The next step is to measure current health care quality against these metrics, identify gaps and areas for improvement and start building a framework that addresses these issues. Record findings and provide feedback to health care providers. Keep this information organized and accessible to measure the success of the quality improvement framework against previously recorded quality.
3. Encourage Higher-Quality Care
A potential issue that arises during quality improvement in health care is the focus solely on numbers and measurements. Consider if a hospital sets up a system in which it does more regular inspections and sets forth more strict regulations on care for providers. While this process may improve the quality of care in some aspects, it may accidentally reduce the quality of care in others. Research shows that when employees are under increased scrutiny, their morale and productivity decrease.
While implementing a quality improvement framework, it’s important to find ways to motivate health care professionals and get them onboard with the new processes. Some ideas might be to offer awards or rewards to celebrate providers’ accomplishments or ask for provider input when creating frameworks.
4. Protect Improved Quality
The next goal after standardizing quality improvement frameworks is maintenance. Set aside time throughout the year for professional development, and consider developing a committee to oversee and adjust the quality improvement framework according to new knowledge. Be sure this information is properly disseminated so all providers have insight into the changes.
4 Quality Improvement Tools in Health Care
The following quality improvement tools in health care come courtesy of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. These tools are designed to support building your health care quality improvement framework.
Cause-and-Effect Diagrams
A cause-and-effect diagram, also known as an Ishikawa diagram, is used to determine how to reach a desired effect. First, establish a desired effect. Then, draw a horizontal line from the effect to the left-hand side of the page. Draw diagonal lines above and below the horizontal line and label them Materials, Methods, Equipment, Environment and People. For each category, generate a list of causes that lead to the effect.
Driver Diagrams
A driver diagram is a shared resource for teams to visualize what “drives” the achievement of a quality improvement project. The left-hand side of the page lists the project’s aim. To the right are the primary drivers, which are the project’s most significant influences. Then, further right, list secondary drivers that influence the primary ones. To the right of each secondary driver, there are ideas to change each secondary driver.
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
The Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool allows health care organizations to proactively analyze processes wherein harm may occur. It essentially helps health care providers prepare for the potential of failure and preemptively address issues. To use FMEA, first record all steps in the quality improvement framework. Then, record what could go wrong, why something might go wrong and what the consequences would be if something did go wrong.
Pareto Charts
The Pareto principle states that about 80 percent of effects come from 20 percent of causes. With a Pareto chart, health care organizations can list the factors of a specific effect, arranged from the most significant to the smallest contribution. This chart helps providers visualize the most important factors on which to focus their improvement efforts.
Learn How to Improve Health Care Quality with a Health Care Management Degree
The U.S. health care system needs more people who are prepared to make vital changes and build frameworks for quality improvement in health care. With App State Online’s Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Care Management, students can develop the skills to help make a meaningful impact.
Throughout the eight-week courses, students learn health care systems and policies, health care economics, ethics in health care and other facets of management that can improve health care outcomes for all. The program can prepare graduates to work in settings such as hospitals, public health departments and government agencies.
Learn how you can help improve quality health care with App State Online.
Recommended Readings
How to Become a Health Care Executive
6 Essential Health Care Administration Skills
Health Care Management vs. Health Care Administration
Sources:
BetterUp, “Become a Better Leader by Learning How to Stop Micromanaging”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), “Quality Measurement and Quality Improvement”
Gallup, “View of U.S. Healthcare Quality Declines to 24-Year Low”
Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Quality Improvement Essentials Toolkit