title: An educational model to introduce staff nurses to continuous quality improvement/total quality management concepts.
abstract: A new healthcare reforms are implemented and as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization standards are revised, the demand for continuous quality improvement/total quality management in acute care settings continues to rise. In this article, the authors describe the process used to introduce nursing staff to continuous quality improvement/total quality management. A curriculum committee of staff nurses, nurse educators, and clinical specialists used the continuous quality improvement process to develop a 1-day program that included didactic and experiential activities geared toward assisting the staff nurse to participate actively in total quality management initiatives.
authors.affiliation: HMO Blue, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Kowal
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kagen-Fishkind
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sherlin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McCaffrey
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gentes
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*