Adverse Event

An undesirable and usually unanticipated event, such as a death or patient, an employee, or a visitor in a healthcare organization.

Aggregate Data

Data collected and reported by organizations as a sum or total over a given time period, for example, monthly or quarterly.

Analysis

The process of preparing the results or conclusions of a study. An analysis usually is performed by doing mathematical calculations known as statistics.

Analytic Data

Used to study the functioning of a process.

Benchmarking

Continuous measurement of a process, product, or service compared to those of the toughest competitor, to those considered industry leaders, or to similar activities in the organization in order to find and implement best practices.

Collaborative Culture

An organizational culture characterized by a shared vision, shared leadership, and empowered workers, cooperation among organizational units as they work to improve processes, a high degree of openness to feedback and data, and optimization of the organizational whole versus its many parts.

Data

Raw facts and figures.

Evidence Based Practice

Applying the best available research results (evidence) when making decisions about health care. Health care professionals who perform evidence-based practice use research evidence along with clinical expertise and patient preferences. Systematic reviews (summaries of health care research results) provide information that aids in the process of evidence-based practice.

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)

A systematic way of examining a design prospectively for possible ways in which failure can occur. It assumes that no matter how knowledgeable or careful people are, errors will occur in some situations and may even be likely to occur.

Incident Report

The documentation for any unusual problem, incident, or other situation that is likely to lead to undesirable effects or that varies from established policies and procedures or practices. Synonym: occurrence report.

Indicator

A measure used to determine, over time, performance of functions, processes, and outcomes.

Information

An interpreted set of data; organized data that provides a basis for decision-making.

Integrity

The accuracy, consistency, and completeness of data

Mean

The sum of all the scores or values divided by the total number of function or process.

Measure

To collect quantifiable data about a dimension of performance of a function or process.

Measurement

The systematic process of data collection, repeated over time or at a single point in time.

Monitoring

A planned, systematic, and ongoing process to gather and organize data and aggregate results.

Outcome

The result of the performance (or nonperformance) of a function or process(es).

Patient Safety

Freedom from accidental or preventable insures produced by medical care.

Performance

The way in which an individual, group, or organization carries out or accomplishes it important functions and processes.

Performance Measure

A measure, such as a standard or indicator, used to assess the performance of a function or process of an organization.

Plan

To formulate or describe the approach to achieving the goals related to improving the performance of the organization.

Plan-Do- Study-Act (PDSA)

A four-part method for discovering and correcting assignable causes to improve the quality of processes.

Process

A goal-directed, interrelated series of actions, events, mechanisms or steps.

Process Improvement

Mechanisms utilized to make improvements to a process through the use of continuous quality improvement methods

Proximate Cause

An act or omission that naturally and directly produces a consequence. It is the superficial or obvious cause for an occurrence.

Root Cause

The most fundamental reason for the failure or inefficiency of a process.

Root Cause Analysis

Processes for identifying the basic or causal factor(s) that underlie variation in performance, including the occurrence or possible occurrence of a sentinel event.

Safety of Culture

A commitment to safety that permeates all levels of an organization from frontline personnel to executive management

Sample

A finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole.

Standard

Statement of structure and process expectations necessary to enhance quality care.

Sentinel Event

An unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof. A systematic way of examining a design prospectively for possible ways in which failure can occur. It assumes that no matter how knowledgeable or careful people are, errors will occur in some situations and may even be likely to occur.

Triggers

Signals for detecting likely adverse events

Validity

The degree to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure

Variance

A measure of the differences in a set of observations.

Variation

The differences in results obtained in measuring the same phenomenon more than once.