Quality, Patient Safety and Outcomes Research
Overview
The certificate program is designed for graduate students from the Johns Hopkins Schools of Public Health, Medicine, and Nursing and health-related professionals interested in quality, patient safety, and outcomes research.
Educational Objectives
Those who complete the certificate program will gain competencies in quality, patient safety, and outcomes research; however the program does not provide training in conducting research. Students completing the certificate program will be able to:
Quality
- Describe several frameworks and theories for assessing and improving the quality of medical care
- Describe current key policy and programmatic areas in quality of care
- Understand how to assess quality of care for a medical condition
- Describe key elements of published quality assessment and improvement studies
- Understand how to develop a workable quality improvement and evaluation plan
Safety
- Recognize the extent of problems in patient safety in medical care
- Describe the role of various systems and factors in creating safety and in causing errors and adverse events
- Discuss problems and issues in measuring and reporting safety
- Demonstrate knowledge of the basics of conducting an incident investigation and disclosing an adverse event
- Design solutions to improve patient safety
- Understand the ethical, legal, and regulatory implications related to patient safety
Patient Outcomes Research
- Argue for the importance and challenges of using patient and consumer reported measures in research, clinical practice, and program evaluation
- Compare the different types of instruments available to measure health related quality of life
- Critique the use of commonly used patient reported outcomes in specific applications
- Plan the development of a new questionnaire
- Understand the role of patient-centered outcomes research in improving health, including its place in the U.S. research portfolio; the importance of stakeholders in the research process, and policy implications related to implementation
- Identify study designs and methodologies unique to patient outcomes research
Eligibility
The certificate program is open to currently enrolled masters and doctoral students at The Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, with the exception of JHSPH MAS students, who are not eligible to apply until they have completed their degree program. It is also offered to non-degree students who have at least a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, a strong record of successful academic performance, and a minimum of three years (full-time equivalent) of professional experience in a related health care field.
Admissions Process
Applicants must review the How to Apply page for important deadlines and information about the application process, including links to the declaration of intent forms that current JHSPH students must complete.
The certificate program's review committee will review the applications and notify each applicant of their admissions decision. Only those approved and notified by the certificate admissions committee may earn the certificate.
Requirements for Successful Completion
The certificate program requires a minimum of 21 term credits, including four required courses, and at least six credits of elective courses. All required and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade; a minimum grade of C is required in all certificate coursework and students must maintain a 2.75 or better overall GPA for all certificate coursework. The certificate program length is flexible; it varies from student to student, however, the program must be completed within three years.
The student should review the section of the website that addresses completion before completing certificate program requirements.The student's transcript will not indicate that the certificate was earned until the Notification of Completion has been submitted, verified by the certificate program and processed by the Registrar.
Course of Study
Students should check the course catalog to confirm when the courses are offered. The term and time may change from what is listed in the table below and some courses are only offered every other year. Students should also check for pre-requisites and whether instructor consent is required.
Course No. | Course Title | No. Credits | Online Term | Campus Term |
| Introduction to Online Learning All students are required to complete this free course before taking other online courses. | 0 | 1,2,3,4 Summer | - |
Academic and Research Ethics at JHSPH All students are required to complete this free online course during their first term of study | 0 | 1,2,3,4 Summer | - | |
Required Courses: Students must complete the following required courses | ||||
Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | 3 | 2 | - | |
Patient Safety and Medical Errors | 3 | 3 | - | |
Quality of Medical Care | 3 | 1 | SI | |
Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research | 3 | 1 | 3 | |
Elective Courses: Students must complete at least nine credits from the following elective courses. Students may wish to concentrate on one domain or select courses from several domains | ||||
Elective Courses: Domain 1: Quality of Care | ||||
Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
Palliative and Hospice Care: Quality of Care and Health Policy | 2 | - | WI | |
390.678 | Introduction to Quality Improvement & Knowledge Translation Research | 3 | - | 1 |
Elective Courses: Domain 2: Patient Safety | ||||
309.600 | Evaluating Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Programs | 3 | 1 | WI |
Patient Safety in Developing Countries | 2 | - | - | |
Human Factors in Patient Safety | 3 | - | 4 | |
Introduction to Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety: A Management Perspective | 2 | - | 3 | |
Elective Courses: Domain 3: Health Economics & Economic Evaluation | ||||
Economic Evaluation I | 3 | 4 | - | |
Economic Evaluation II | 3 | - | 3 | |
Economic Evaluation III | 3 | - | 4 | |
313.641 | Introduction to Health Economics | 3 | 3 | - |
313.790 | Introduction to Economic Evaluation | 3 | 4 | - |
Elective Courses: Domain 4: Health Care Management and Informatics | ||||
309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 | 2 | - |
Managing Health Services Organizations | 4 | 3 | - | |
312.620 | Performance Measurement | 2 | - | SI, WI |
312.633 | Health Management Information Systems | 3 | - | 3,4 |
Elective Courses: Domain 5: Methods | ||||
340.606 | Methods for Conducting Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis | 4 | - | SI |
340.686 | Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis | 2 | - | SI |
Elective Course: Domain 6: Practicum | ||||
309.864 | Quality, Patient Safety and Outcomes Research Practicum | 3 | - | 2,3,4 |
SI= Course is offered in the Summer Institute held in June and July in Baltimore
WI= Course is offered in the Winter Institute held in January in Baltimore/Washington, DC
Contact Information
Sponsoring Department
Health Policy and Management
Certificate Program Contact
Name: Pamela Davis
Phone: 410.614.1580
Email: HPM_Certificates@jhu.edu
Faculty Sponsor
Name: Albert Wu, MD, MPH
Program Co-Director
Name: Lilly Engineer, MD, DrPH, MHA
Gainful Employment Program Information
In accordance with US Department of Education regulations, the JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health is required to disclose graduation rate data, median loan debt data, and other select information for all Title IV eligible gainful employment programs. To see the most recent data available for this gainful employment program, please view the attached disclosure.