Strategies for successfully updating and improving health care organizations of all kinds Health care is always evolving and improving. However, the rapid speed of medical advancement can make the adoption of new technologies and practices a challenging process - particularly in large organizations and complex networks. Any projected impact upon quality and outcomes of care must be carefully evaluated so that changes may be implemented in the most efficacious and efficient manner possible. Improving Patient Care equips professionals and policymakers with the knowledge required to successfully optimize health care practice. By integrating scientific evidence and practical experience, the text presents a cohesive and proven model for practice change and innovation, complete with analysis of innovation, target group and setting; selection and application of strategies; and evaluation of process, outcomes and costs. This new third edition also includes: Newly written chapters on clinical performance feedback, patient engagement, patient safety, evaluation designs, and methods for process evaluation Increased emphasis on the role of contextual influences in implementation and improvement New research examples from across the world and updated scientific literature throughout Designed to help promote safer and more efficient, patient-centered care and better outcomes, Improving Patient Care is an essential resource for healthcare providers, quality assessors, and students of health services research, health management, and health policy.

Inspired by the remarkable locomotion capabilities illustrated by animals across land, sea and air, robotics engineers have strived for decades to achieve similar dynamic locomotion capabilities in legged machines. Learning from animals' compliant structures and ways of utilizing them, engineers have developed numerous novel mechanisms that allow for more dynamic, more efficient legged systems. These newly emerging robotic systems possess distinguishing mechanical characteristics in contrast to manufacturing robots in factories and pave the way for a new era of mobile robots to serve our society. Realizing the full capabilities of these new legged robots is a multi-factorial research problem, requiring coordinated advances in design, control, perception, state estimation, navigation and other areas. Design of Dynamic Legged Robots focuses on the mechanical design of legged robots. It introduces the topic by looking at the history of legged robots, taking us up to the dynamic legged machines that are today pushing the boundaries of speed and performance through advances in materials, design, and control. It goes on to discuss some of the main challenges to actuator design in legged robots and discusses a recently developed technology called proprioceptive actuators in order to meet the needs of today's legged machines. It proceeds to discuss philosophical perspectives on designing for energetic efficiency, a critical aspect of legged robot design. The penultimate chapter discusses trends in leg design and presents a case study using principles from observations in biology to design a leg for the MIT Cheetah robot, and concludes with a summary of future directions and applications.