Hospital & Specialty Training
Quality Improvement (PDCA/RCA)
Quality tools in practice - PDCA cycles, root cause analysis, indicators and participation in hospital QI projects.
- track
- Hospital & Specialty Training
- format
- Self-paced
What this module covers
Quality tools in practice - PDCA cycles, root cause analysis, indicators and participation in hospital QI projects.
This is a self-paced training module that maps to NABH Accreditation Standards - CQI chapter / hospital QI policy. It is delivered inside the MedNext app so clinicians and hospital staff can work through it between shifts, with no live sessions or fixed deadlines.
What it covers in detail
Quality Improvement (PDCA/RCA)
- The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle as a structured method for testing and embedding an improvement.
- Root cause analysis (RCA) for adverse events, using tools such as the five whys and fishbone diagram to find systemic causes.
- Choosing and using quality indicators to know whether a change is an improvement.
- Distinguishing common-cause from special-cause variation before reacting to data.
- Running or contributing to a hospital quality-improvement project from problem to sustained change.
Who should complete this, and why
Quality improvement is a shared responsibility across clinical and support departments, with quality and safety teams leading and front-line staff supplying the insight and the change. NABH's continuous-quality-improvement standards expect the hospital to run structured QI activity and involve staff in it.
What you will be able to do after this module
On completion you should be able to
- Run a PDCA cycle to test an improvement.
- Facilitate or contribute to a root cause analysis.
- Select indicators to measure whether a change works.
- Take part effectively in a hospital QI project.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between PDCA and RCA?
PDCA is a forward-looking cycle for planning, testing and embedding an improvement. RCA is a backward-looking investigation into why an adverse event happened, so that the underlying cause, not just the symptom, is fixed.
Why look for a root cause instead of blaming the person involved?
Most errors arise from system weaknesses that make mistakes likely. Fixing the system prevents recurrence, whereas blaming an individual usually leaves the same trap in place for the next person.
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Learn moreStart Quality Improvement (PDCA/RCA) in the MedNext app
Explore clinician-written learning resources, structured revision and practice across the MedNext platform.
Open in the MedNext appSee plans