Quality - Module 3

The Ministry of Defense oversees 22 hospitals throughout Saudi Arabia. Ministry leaders sought to strengthen quality and patient safety functions within their hospitals, based on a gap analysis that showed weak quality leadership even within large urban facilities.

After a thorough evaluation of other programs, the Ministry chose to sponsor the Health Care Quality Management & Patient Safety Diploma Program created by Joint Commission International (JCI). In December 2012 the inaugural class graduated and received diplomas in Quality Management and Patient Safety from Prince Sultan Military College, which offers a concentration in health care careers.

Sponsor: Ministry of Defense, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Affiliated academic institution: Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran The college certified the diploma program, appointed a program coordinator, provided housing to students, and served as the venue for all multimedia class work.

Program champion: Dr. Noura AlNowaiser Director of Continuous Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Department Medical Services General Directorate, Ministry of Defense

Goals: - Enhance the quality management skills of selected professionals - Improve the quality and safety performance within health care facilities - Build a long-term infrastructure for quality leadership throughout the Ministry of Defense’s hospitals

Number of graduates: 62 completed the program and earned diplomas. Graduates included physicians, nurses, engineers, and other specialties.

Criteria for student selection: - Full-time hospital employees - Hold a bachelor of science degree - English proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking

Developing quality leaders in Saudi Arabia

“We deliberately chose young, highly motivated individuals because we want to prepare them for quality leadership roles throughout our hospitals. They were attracted by the promise of enhanced knowledge and career advancement.” Dr. Noura AlNowaiser

Practical skill-building: Students praised the curriculum and gave high marks to the stakeholder analysis, decision metrics, and data interpretation. They gained confidence in public speaking and presenting case studies and storyboards to their fellow students.

Some individuals, challenged by the data exercises, were provided with additional tutoring in Excel and data analytics. Others struggled with Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) but mastered the tool to analyze risks and spot failures before they occur.

“Our students worked incredibly hard to identify and solve quality problems. Their progress was amazing and one of the faculty members commented that their written work was better than what he typically sees within hospitals.” Dr. Noura AlNowaiser

Lively student interaction: Students worked in groups and enjoyed many opportunities to share ideas. As the program progressed, students were assigned to different groups to become familiar with each other and their organizational challenges. Most of them were comfortable with mixed-gender groups, but one all-male and one all-female group were maintained to respect cultural preferences.

Intense faculty involvement: Experienced JCI faculty members were very involved in the group exercises and available for questions. They coached the students in ways to bring best practices back to their hospitals and provided them with the right tools to drive improvements.

“One of the reasons we chose the JCI program was because they offered an experienced yet friendly faculty. Their approach was nonthreatening and they focused on practical solutions beyond pure theory.” Dr. Noura AlNowaiser

CASE STUDY

Participants enjoyed meeting colleagues from other hospitals and sharing ideas for performance improvement.

Positive response from hospitals: Hospital leaders understand that the graduates are well-equipped to expand and improve vital quality activities within their organizations. These leaders look forward to sending additional employees to future programs.

“One graduate (a family physician) has done an exceptional job of introducing a culture of safety into his hospital, an organization with a very weak track record. Through his leadership and use of data and storyboarding skills, he is having a real impact in turning things around.” Dr. Noura AlNowaiser

Post-graduation activities: Students bonded so well during the program that they have continued to connect with each other after graduation through email and conference calls. An in-person refresher course is in development to provide a forum for graduates to share progress and lessons learned.

Next steps for growth: The diploma program will be repeated September 2013 –June 2014 at Prince Sultan Military College. The curriculum has been modified from 10 modules to eight and classes will be clustered into four sessions (two modules covered per session). The compressed schedule is more convenient and honors Ramadan. Enrollment for the next session filled quickly; hopeful students were wait-listed for future classes.

“The program has proven to be very popular with many high-achieving employees. They see it as a strong credential for their careers.”

Dr. Noura AlNowaiser

Recommendations to prospective sponsors: For organizations considering the diploma program, Dr. Noura AlNowaiser suggests that decision makers:

- Define clear objectives

- Lobby for and obtain financial support

- Secure a classroom environment that provides internet access and supports multimedia learning

- Market anticipated results to health care organizations within the system

- Market anticipated benefits to eligible students, including enhanced knowledge, skills, and recognition accompanied by potential promotions and salary increases

Paula Wilson, president and CEO of JCI, congratulates a graduate of the program.

Dr. Noura (center) with graduates ready to return to their health care organizations and put leading-edge quality tools to work.