Includes bibliographical references and index.

The global evolution of continuous quality improvement : from Japanese manufacturing to global health services -- Factors influencing the application and diffusion of CQI in health care -- Measurement, variation, and CQI tools -- Understanding and improving team effectiveness in quality improvement -- The outcome model of quality -- Measuring consumer satisfaction -- The role of the patient in continuous quality improvement -- A social marketing approach to continuous quality improvement initiatives -- Assessing risk and harm in the clinical microsystem : a systematic approach to promote patient safety -- CQI, transformation, and the learning organization -- The human face of medical error : classification and reduction -- The role of health information technology in quality improvement: from data to decisions -- Preparing health professionals : harnessing the power of the clinical microsystem to improve quality and safety of care -- Quality improvement in primary care : the role of organization, systems, and collaboratives -- Quality improvement organizations and continuous quality improvement in medicare -- Continuous quality improvement in U.S. public health organizations: moving beyond quality assurance -- Quality improvement in nursing -- Accreditation : a regulatory mechanism to promote quality and safety in health care organizations -- Quality improvement in resource-poor countries -- A call to action for transforming healthcare in the future.