By Amy Campbell, PhD, RN, CPHQ, LSSBB
After more than 17 years in healthcare quality, I have seen it all, projects that soared and projects that stumbled. Some of my biggest “fails” turned out to be my first attempts at learning, and those lessons shaped how I approach improvement today. Too often, we make quality work harder than it needs to be. My passion has always been teaching, whether it is guiding executives through complex systems or mentoring graduate nursing students who are just beginning their quality journey. But I have struggled to find a resource that feels approachable, something you could pick up quickly, enjoy, and return to whenever you need guidance.
That is why I wrote Influencing Healthcare Quality: Modifying Behaviors for Reliable Systems of Care.
This book is designed for those new to quality improvement in healthcare, but it is equally valuable for seasoned leaders who want a fresh perspective. It blends personal anecdotes with actionable guidance, making improvement feel less like a daunting theory and more like something you can start today. Because the art of improvement is about not waiting, we do not want to delay getting better. It is a short read with lots of great information, a true pocket guide for anyone who wants to influence healthcare quality right now.
Inside, you will find:
- A framework for quality action plans that align with organizational priorities. Practical steps to improve patient outcomes immediately, without waiting for the next committee meeting.
- Insights into the intersection of mental health and patient safety, a critical but often overlooked area.
- Leadership and team dynamics explained through relational quality, showing how culture drives results.
- The power of storytelling as a tool to sustain staff engagement and make quality personal.
Whether you are a hospital executive, a nurse leader, or a student in healthcare management, this book offers a roadmap for continuous improvement that is both accessible and inspiring. It is not just theory, it is your Quality Companion, a resource you can read quickly and return to whenever you need practical solutions. Quality improvement does not have to be complicated. It can be practical, human, and even enjoyable. My hope is that this book becomes the companion you have been waiting for, something you will finish with new ideas and the confidence to act immediately.
Influencing Healthcare Quality is available now and is an ideal supplementary resource for courses in healthcare management, nursing, and public health administration. More importantly, it is a resource for anyone who believes that better systems lead to better care.
Amy R. Campbell, Ph.D., RN, CPHQ, LSSBB is a healthcare quality expert, educator, and quality coach with over 25 years of nursing experience and 17 years specializing in quality and performance improvement. She has taught graduate-level courses in healthcare quality and safety and has supported emerging healthcare leaders through coaching programs focused on system thinking, improvement science, and leadership development. Her work spans clinical practice, academic instruction, and strategic consulting. She has expertise in Lean Six Sigma, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration coupled with a passion for empowering teams to drive sustainable, patient-centered change.