Emory University
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing]
Guide and Grading Rubric for Quality Improvement Exercise
NRSG 471: Professional Development IV 2008
Overview: Students complete the Quality Improvement Exercise in the final 6 weeks
of the Professional Development course in the second semester of the senior year.
Classroom lectures cover several of the QSEN knowledge competencies including
those related to national quality and safety initiatives and the quality improvement
process (PDSA). During a two-hour seminar period following class, students work
through the exercise in teams. An example of the seminar guidelines provided to the
student teams each week also has been posted on the QSEN website.
Contact for more information:
Gerri Lamb, PhD, RN, FAAN
glamb@emory.edu
----ASSIGNMENT 2: QUALITY IMPROVEMENT EXERCISE
In this exercise, your seminar group will be a quality improvement team. The goals are to
experience a quality improvement process and to try out and evaluate some of the
common tools you’ll see used in QI teams in your nursing practice.
Each week in class and seminar, we will talk about and apply quality improvement
principles, processes, and tools to guide your QI team (your seminar group) through the
steps of this exercise. We will follow a standard Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) process. In
class, we will try to place your quality exercise in the context of what’s going on
nationally on the quality scene and the link to healthcare policy.
The schedule for classes, seminars and related clinical questions related to this
assignment may be found on your revised syllabus on blackboard (Schedule Posted on
QSEN website) We will supplement with specific seminar guides.
Grading Criteria:
This Exercise is worth 40% of the course grade and consists of a written paper and
presentation. Both the paper and presentation are group activities. Each member of your
QI team (your seminar group) will receive the same grade for the paper and the
presentation. The Grading Rubric for the exercise is attached.
2
Quality Improvement Exercise Paper (1 paper and 1 presentation for each group).
I. Written paper – Due on or before April 28
1. Problem Statement – what problem did you work on; what were you trying to
improve? Why did your group select this problem? (no more than 1
paragraph; no citations required)
2. National Context:
- State whether your problem is linked to a national quality or safety
indicator for JCAHO, NQF, NCQA, or Healthy People 2010; if yes, state
which indicator is included in one or more of these databases that is
similar or the same to yours.
- State whether your problem is linked to a national nurse-sensitive quality
indicator. If yes, which one?
You may bullet point your answers to both of these.
3. Background Information about the problem
Each group member summarizes 1 evidence-based article relevant to your
problem and clearly states exactly how your group used this information in
your QI process. (no more than 2 paragraphs for each person). Provide the
full citation using APA format for each article.
4. Your group’s completed Cause and Effect/Fishbone diagram
5. Your group’s completed Run Chart with your group’s baseline data and data
following two small tests of change.
6. Narrative summary of your outcomes. What happened? Did your outcome
change? What would you do next? (No more than 2 paragraphs)
II. Presentation of your QI project
Each group will prepare and present a maximum of 10 powerpoint slides. Each group
will have 15 minutes for their presentation and 5 minutes for questions and answers.
Your slides must be easy to read and interpret. There should be 1 slide for
each of the following. You have the option of adding 3 more slides.
1. Your problem
2. Highlights of your background information
3. Your completed Fishbone diagram
4. Your completed run chart
5. One other QI tool you tried
6. Your outcomes
7. Your conclusions
Your goal for the presentation should be to “tell the story” of your QI exercise clearly and
succinctly. Tell us: What did you do, why, how did you use available information, what
data did you track, what changes did you make, did these changes make a difference, why
or what not, what would you suggest as your next steps. Your method for completing
these slides and presenting them is up to your group.
3
NRSG 471 Professional Development IV: Politics and Policy
ASSIGNMENT 2: QI EXERCISE GRADING RUBRIC
GROUP: _______________________
Criteria
Paper (Group)
1. Problem Statement
2. National Context: Answers
two questions
3. Background Information
Summary of 1 evidencebased article for each group
member; states how
information used in team’s QI
process
4. Completed Fishbone
diagram
5. Completed Run Chart with
baseline data and data
following 2 small tests of
change.
6. Summary of outcomes
7. Follows guidelines for
length of each section
Section Total
Presentation (Group)
1. Maximum 10 slides
2. Completed in 15 minutes or
less
3. Slides are clear, easy to
follow and include the
required 7 slides:
- your problem
- highlights of background
info
- Fishbone
- Run chart
- One other QI tool
- Outcomes
- Conclusions
4. Presentation tells the story
and the steps in your QI
process are evident
Section Total
Assignment Total
Points Possible
5
5
10
10
10
5
5
50
5
5
30
10
50
100
Points Earned
4