216 ■ II: ROLES FOR DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
improvement change management processes, creating a culture of safety and quality,
creating a culture of non- punitive reporting of errors, and translating evidence into
practice— to name a few. In referring back to the chapter, this is the role of the “health
reformer,” and it is the one that apparently is not well associated with nurses, but one
that seems tailor- made for a DNP.
So we return to Dr. Johnson’s points about the need for specialized curriculum in
quality improvement and patient safety in DNP programs, as well as experienced faculty
and direct clinical experiences working with these measures and in conducting quality
improvement initiatives in health care settings. Regardless of practice setting or spe-
cialty of the DNP, this understanding of quality and safety and how to both measure and
improve are critical skills that will ensure that we will be the “health care reformers” that
are so needed in this new world of evidence- based, value- based, pay- for-performance
care. DNP- prepared nurses should be and can be the “health care reformers” of the
future with the appropriate knowledge and skills in quality and safety. It is incum-
bent upon doctoral faculty to include this content in DNP curricula and require these
competencies as the requisite skill set for DNP- prepared nurses irrespective of clinical
specialty or focus.
■ REFERENCES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014a). Effective health care. Retrieved from http://
effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014b). Working for quality. Retrieved from http://
http://www.ahrq.gov/workingforquality
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2015). History, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.ihi.org/
about/Pages/History.aspx
Leapfrog Group. (2010). The leapfrog group announces top hospitals of the decade. Retrieved from
http://www.leapfroggroup.org/news/leapfrog_news/4784721
National Quality Forum. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.qualityforum.org/Home.aspx