Practice Management, Health Systems and Quality Improvement
Practice management, health systems and quality improvement tests how primary care teams organise access, continuity, referrals, prescribing, records, complaints and quality measurement. The exam expects system thinking: safe processes, measurable outcomes and patient experience.
Core rules
- Balance access with continuity; use triage and skill-mix appropriately.
- Clear referral criteria and closed-loop communication reduce delay and error.
- Audit cycle: define standards, collect data, compare, implement change, re-audit.
- PDSA cycles test small changes; measure outcomes, not just activity.
- Report incidents and complaints as learning opportunities; use root-cause and human-factors analysis.
- Consider cost-effectiveness and equity when designing services; define indicators for access, clinical quality, safety and patient-reported experience.
Worked example
A clinic has high no-show rates. Map the process, then run a PDSA cycle with reminder calls for one session and measure attendance. Reasoning: a small test of change gives local evidence before spread.
Traps
Changing several variables at once; measuring activity instead of outcomes; blaming staff; and ignoring patient experience.