Academic and Research Skills
Career Development Pathway
Core Curriculum for Fellows
Quality Improvement/Patient Safety
Munish Gupta, MD, MMSc
Assistant Professor in Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Heather Kaplan, MD, MSCE
Associate Professor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Alan Picarillo, MD
Assistant Professor in Pediatrics
The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, United States
Michael Posencheg, MD
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Children's Hospital of Philadelpha
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, United States
Michelle-Marie Peña, MD
Clinical Attending and Research Fellow
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
Rebecca Vartanian, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Statistical process control (SPC), pioneered in manufacturing, combines mathematical time-based data analysis with graphical data displays, and is widely recognized as an optimal method of data analysis for quality improvement (QI). While the value of SPC in health care has been increasingly recognized, its methods are not routinely taught, and clinical leaders continue to conduct QI projects without the benefit of SPC. In this workshop, we will provide a practical introduction to control charts, the most powerful time-series data analysis tool in SPC. We will briefly review how understanding variation in data is fundamental to QI, and then teach control chart theory and use through an interactive didactic presentation. Using sample data sets, we will make and analyze control charts in large and small group exercises. We will explore principles of equity-focused QI, and show how rational subgrouping with control charts can be used to identify inequities and guide improvement efforts. We will finish by showing how control charts can guide a QI initiative. A bibliography, key readings, data sets, and trial SPC software will be provided. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptops for the hands-on exercises, although participants who are not able to do this will still be able to follow along and participate extensively in the workshop.
Of note, those interested in a more introductory SPC workshop focused on the use of run charts are invited to attend Session 1100, “Introduction to Statistical Process Control: Using Run Charts to Understand Variation and Drive Quality Improvement”, on Saturday April 23rd from 8am to 9:30am.