IHI Open School

IHI Open School
Name	IHI Open School
Formation	2008
Type	Nonprofit educational program
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Parent organization	Institute for Healthcare Improvement

IHI Open School The IHI Open School is a global learning initiative providing competency-based training for healthcare improvement and patient safety delivered through online courses, local chapters, and collaborative projects; it connects learners across academic, clinical, and policy environments and aligns with major quality movements. The program interfaces with institutions and initiatives in Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Medical School, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other prominent bodies to disseminate best practices and cultivate improvement leaders.

Overview

The program offers modular curricula that integrate content from Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Institute of Medicine, The Joint Commission, World Health Organization Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Kaiser Permanente frameworks while promoting skills relevant to Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Plan–Do–Study–Act, Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, and Human Factors Engineering. It serves trainees across Harvard School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and community hospitals, connecting with accreditation bodies like Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education to support competency requirements. Content emphasizes patient safety recommendations from Donald Berwick, Peter Pronovost, Lucian Leape, Atul Gawande, and links to initiatives such as 100,000 Lives Campaign and Triple Aim.

History and Development

Founded in 2008 by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement leadership during an era shaped by reports from the Institute of Medicine including To Err Is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm, the initiative expanded from a single course offering to a global network of chapters affiliated with universities like University of Toronto, University of Oxford, University of Cape Town, University of Melbourne, and National University of Singapore. Early pilots involved collaborations with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, Veterans Health Administration, and World Health Organization Patient Safety units, influenced by leaders such as Maureen Bisognano and Don Berwick. Subsequent growth paralleled international quality efforts including Global Patient Safety Challenge and large-scale programs from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Courses and Curriculum

The curriculum comprises courses on topics including patient safety, quality improvement, leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and population health, drawing on evidence from Cochrane Collaboration, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and methodologic principles from IHI Open School partners. Specific modules adapt guidance from Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Lean Enterprise Institute, Six Sigma Academy, and standards referenced by The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum. Learning pathways support trainees in nursing programs at Sigma Theta Tau International, medical students at Association of American Medical Colleges, pharmacy learners connected to American Pharmacists Association, and allied health trainees aligned with World Federation of Occupational Therapists recommendations.

Global Reach and Partnerships

The network includes local chapters at institutions such as Yale School of Medicine, Stanford Medicine, King's College London, University of São Paulo, Makerere University, Peking University Health Science Center, and Seoul National University Hospital, and partners with global agencies including World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, World Bank, and philanthropic organizations like Gates Foundation. Collaborative projects have linked the program with large-scale quality campaigns like 100,000 Lives Campaign, regional improvement efforts coordinated by European Commission, and educational consortia such as Global Health Workforce Alliance. Partnerships extend to accreditation and certifying bodies including Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and professional associations like American Medical Association and Royal College of Physicians.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations draw on methods used by Cochrane Collaboration systematic reviews, RAND Corporation studies, and program assessments modeled after Donabedian frameworks; reported outcomes include increased learner competency in safety tools, documented project improvements in clinical settings such as reduced central line–associated bloodstream infections paralleling work by Peter Pronovost and reductions in medication errors consistent with Lucian Leape-informed strategies. Impact assessments have been published in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, and Health Affairs, and cited in policy reviews by Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization reports on patient safety. External evaluations reference collaborations with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and implementation science frameworks from National Implementation Research Network.

Governance and Funding

Governance is administered through the parent Institute for Healthcare Improvement board and managerial teams coordinating academic affiliates including Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and partner universities; advisory input has come from leaders represented by Donald Berwick and Maureen Bisognano. Funding sources include grants and philanthropic support from organizations such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, and contract relationships with health systems including Kaiser Permanente and Veterans Health Administration. The initiative also receives in-kind support from academic partners like Johns Hopkins University and corporate educational technology vendors engaged with Coursera-style platforms and global health funders.

Category:Patient safety Category:Medical education