The Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) is launching a new edition of the course on Continuous Improvement in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety, aimed at professionals from subsystems that make up the Ecuadorian healthcare system. This course begins September 14 and runs until December 22, 2026. In its previous edition, more than 1,050 professionals underwent training.

In the first edition, the high number of applications and the impossibility to admit all interested participants highlighted the need to offer a second edition. As such, the 2026 call for applications presented a continuation of the program and expands access to training designed to strengthen professional competencies and promote a shared culture of quality care and patient safety.

This initiative remains committed to international collaboration and knowledge transfer, with the goal of helping to strengthen quality and safety across many areas of the Ecuadorian healthcare system.

2023 Edition

The first edition of the program took place in 2023 and it consisted of two complementary phases. The first phase was an in-person event held on March 1 & 2, with higher-than-expected participation and representation from Ecuador’s nine regional coordination offices and various health subsystems.

The second phase expanded upon a course entitled, Continuous Improvement in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety. The program began April 10 and, following a few deadline extensions, concluded June 15, 2023.

The materials, activities, and certifications were managed through a platform specifically set up for training. This facilitated access to the contents and centralized the entire training process.

Although the project was initially intended for a group of professionals at the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health, collaboration with that Ministry’s National Directorate of Quality, Patient Safety, and Health Oversight later made it possible to expand its reach. Furthermore, this collaboration helped identify training needs across the entire Ecuadorian healthcare system.

As a result, the call for applications was well received by professionals. Consequently, more than 1,050 managers and technical staff from various levels of healthcare throughout the South American country ultimately completed the training program and obtained the corresponding certification. The program was also rated highly by its participants, as the average satisfaction rating upon completion of the program scored 8.84 out of 10 points possible.

The organizations represented included the Ministry of Public Health, Ecuadorian Social Security Institute, Armed Forces Social Security Institute, National Police Social Security Institute, and the Private Complementary Network.

The program combined live sessions, mentoring, online training, reading materials, self-assessment exercises, knowledge quizzes, and the progression of a continuous improvement project. In total, the program consisted of 80 hours of training and independent study.

The previous edition was made possible thanks to joint efforts by the Miguel Hernández University, with financial support from the Valencian Regional Government, as part of 2021 University Development Cooperation projects (SOLCIF/2021/0005), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health of the Government of Ecuador. The academic and technical coordination brought together professionals from these institutions and specialists in healthcare quality, patient safety, methodology, evaluation, and research.

To address inquiries regarding training resources or certifications from the previous edition, the email address remains functional, as does the platform set up for the training program: https://www.calidadecuador.com/.