Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a deliberate, defined process that is focused on improving the efficiency, effectiveness, performance, accountability, outcomes, and other indicators of quality for state and local program levels. It is a quality management process that encourages all health care team members to continuously ask the questions, "How are we doing?" and "Can we do it better?". CQI is a philosophy that anything can be improved and it encourages contribution, trust, respect, communication, collaboration, responsibility, empowerment, and recognition between employees at all levels of an organization and management while discouraging fear and blame.

CQI was first used in manufacturing, and it was expanded to other business areas by Joseph Juran, Brian Joiner, and Philip Crosby. In healthcare, quality measurements were originally based on how well an organization followed given standards. Today, CQI is used in healthcare to improve patient care, safety, and outcomes. It recognizes that most problems are related to how things are done (process) and not a faulty individual effort.

CQI project development commonly includes defining the problem, benchmarking, setting a goal, then iterative quality improvement projects. The goal of CQI may include improvement of operations, outcomes, systems processes, improved work environment, or regulatory compliance. CQI provides a means to measure consistency and success in private and public hospitals, health programs for specific ailments, and for specific industries in both the public and private sectors.

In summary, CQI is a quality management process that encourages all team members to continuously ask how they are doing and how they can do better. It is a philosophy that anything can be improved and it is used in healthcare to improve patient care, safety, and outcomes.