Quality Management
Quality Management is a continuous, systematic process with four main components:
Quality planning: identifying standards and determining how to meet them. This proactive approach ensures meeting stakeholder requirements and expectations.
Quality assurance: activities to monitor processes, compare with standards, and implement a feedback loop to prevent errors.
Quality control: ensures deliverables meet standards.
Continuous process improvement: systematic and continuous actions leading to measurable service improvement using a quality improvement framework.
Credentialed Practitioners (CPs) in nutrition and dietetics can play a vital role in quality management and process improvement across all practice areas. Quality Management can be both a practice area and a career path for credentialed practitioners.
For more on careers in quality, see the Quality Forum: Career Advice from RDN Quality Experts (FNCE 2021) recording for a showcase of credentialed practitioners that specialize in quality, insights from their career journeys, and job advice and guidance on quality specific certifications.
This Careers in Quality handout also highlights the role of CPs can have in the quality sector.
National Quality Strategies
Launched in 2022, the National Quality Strategies (NQS) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enhances healthcare quality and safety of health care, emphasizing equitable care, while utilizing all of CMS' programs. The handout Understanding NQS and Its Impact in Nutrition and Dietetics can support further understanding of the NQS. The Health Equity in Nutrition and Dietetics Practice can also guide CPs in how they can further support equitable care.
Quality Offerings and Resources
Are you a dietetics student looking to meet quality-based standards?
- The Applying Quality Improvement, the Nutrition Care Process & Terminology (NCP/T), and Interoperability Standards to Practice is a guide that supports learning about quality management and interoperability skills, with application to the NCP and terminology.
New to Quality and Process Improvement?
- Download a handout to assess where to start.
Searching for resources in quality in nutrition and dietetics?
- View a list of available free CPE resources
- Below is a list of quality related resources from CDR for your professional development:
Free Education Resources
Enduring Activities from the Academy
- Quarterly Spotlight on Malnutrition: Advancing Quality and Strengthening Interdisciplinary Collaboration (Part I)
- Value of Nutrition and Dietetics Credentialed Practitioners in Optimizing Quality Outcomes from the Interdisciplinary Team Perspective
- Quarterly Spotlight on Quality: Measuring Nutrition Practice Outcomes by Demonstrating Value in the Real World
- Quarterly Spotlight on Quality: Enhancing Malnutrition Care in Post-Acute Care Settings
- Quarterly Spotlight on Quality: Harnessing the Power of Data by Elevating Documentation to Enhance Patient Care
- Quarterly Spotlight on Quality: Malnutrition Optimization in Acute Care Settings: Evidence-Based Practices, Documentation, and Reimbursement Insights
- Recording - Quarterly Spotlight on Quality: Transforming Care: Leveraging Nutrition EHR Integration to Improve Clinical Outcomes
- Enduring Activity Quarterly Spotlight on Quality - Food Insecurity: How Can Credentialed Practitioners Support the Community
References
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