PROPOSAL EXPECTATIONS
QUALITY
IM PROVEM EN T
PROJECT
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONSULT YOUR RESIDENT HANDBOOK & QUICK GUIDE
How to write a proposal for an PGY-2 QI
project
Specifications – these are mandatory
Residents’ proposals must adhere to the following specifications:
-
-
Title Page with author’s name(s) – see attached form
Preceptor signature – see attached form
SECTIONS:
o Introduction, Background/literature review, Context
o Methods/design section
o Ethical Considerations – ARECCI Screening Tool
o Timeline
o References
Font: Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Times New Roman
Font Size: 11 or 12 point font
Margins: 1 inch margins all around
Page numbering: expressed as X of Y
If more than one resident is working on a project, the “Team Charter” must be completed
and included as an appendix
Sections that your proposal will contain 1:
Introduction
There are two streams for this project:
A) You continue your R1 QI project
B) You start a new QI project
If you are continuing your QI project, your introduction section will serve to refresh us on your project.
Talk about what you did, the results you achieved, what went well with your previous QI project, what
did not go so well and how you could fix it, and justify why your project needs to be continued. This last
point is very important because there has to be a real need for continuing your project.
NOTE: If you have any questions or concerns, you should contact Nathan Turley and Grace Perez at rrtc@ucalgary.ca. If you
are looking for additional information, please go to the Department of Family Medicine Research Webpage:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/familymedicine/research
1
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If you are starting a new QI project, your proposal introduction must contain the following elements:
I.
II.
Context
a. Where will your QI project take place? In a clinic or a microsystem?
i. Describe the location where you will complete your QI project
Topic
a. What is your topic?
b. Who came up with this topic?
c. How will this topic help your clinic?
d. Relevant literature – used to justify your project and emphasize why it is important
III.
People involved  The topic of your project should come from discussions with the entire
clinical staff (MDs, RNs, Admins, etc.) of your clinic, not from your personal observations or
opinion on what needs to be changed. The direction of your QI project should be based on the
consensus of your clinic.
a. Which clinical staff members are involved?
i. What role will each of these staff members play? List the players and what they
will do for the QI project
IV.
Aim statement  You know how to do this 
a. Write the aim statement for your QI project
i. Your aim statement should be time-specific, location-specific, state what you
are trying to improve, and indicate your measurable goal for improvement.
Example: “By March 31st, 2014, 95% of patients at the Springfield clinic will
have an accurate list of medications.”
Method and Design – how will you do your project?
If you are continuing your QI project: how are you going to start your next PDSA cycle? Describe a stepby-step plan for conducting your next PDSA cycle, starting with a consideration of your previous
findings, what they mean, and how you are going to use them as the basis for the next PDSA cycle of
your project. What materials, people, and actions are involved in the next phase of your project?
Big Questions: How will you incorporate clinical staff into your project? How will you keep them
engaged in your project?
For the new QI project stream: How will you measure your baseline?
For this section, detail how you are going to quantify the problem, so you know that it is a recurring
issue for the clinic  you want to compare “apples to apples”
You will use this exact measurement after you run your intervention to assess whether your
intervention made a difference or not
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Quality Improvement Ethics
For both streams: Since you will be completing a quality improvement project, you do not need to
submit your project to the research ethics board (REB). If you do submit your project to the REB, you will
delay your project because the REB does not review QI projects, it reviews research projects. However,
you will have to determine the level of risk for your QI project by using Alberta Innovates Health
Solutions’ ARECCI Screening Tool. As part of your proposal, it is a requirement that you send the printout
and score to your resident research training coordinator.
For the ARECCI screening tool, go to: http://www.aihealthsolutions.ca/outreach-learning/areccia-project-ethics-community-consensus-initiative/tools-and-resources/
Timeline
Both streams of the project type: Propose a timeline for your project and chart out the
various tasks you will complete in the time you are working with. The remainder of your
residency will go by quickly, so it is important that you plan ahead. You should propose
a timeline that is consistent with the flowcharts in your resident Quick Guide.
Please bear in mind that both streams of the QI project type entail the rigorous
completion of multiple PDSA cycles.
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References
Both streams of the project type: This section of your proposal contains the list of works you used to
write, among other things, your introduction, QI context, and methods section. Your references may
include materials that you can refer to when writing the discussion section of your research paper or
provide you with guidance while conducting your research. This is a preliminary list of articles that you
have found and should grow as you get further into your project.
Here are some examples and resources to help you with your citing and bibliography:
a. List all of your references and provide in-text citations where needed. Here are a couple
examples:
i. In-text citation: “The road was asphalt now; it shimmered in the heat, and
whenever it fell away before you, a mirage made it look like water. It was lined
with orange-groves; dark shiny trees, golden with a part of last year’s crop, and
snowy white with the new year’s blossoms” (Sinclair, 1927:30).
ii. Reference: Sinclair, U. (1927). Oil! New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
iii. More info: The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent resource for
information on formatting references and writing. This website can be found
at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
iv. Appendices – surveys, figures, tables, etc. Again, OWL has information about
appendices - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/670/05/
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Department of Family Medicine
Title of Project
Author’s/Authors’ Name(s)
(in alphabetical order)
R2 Scholarly Research Project
Proposal
Date
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PRECEPTOR APPROVAL
I
, acknowledge that the resident(s) listed above has/have
spoken with me about this research project and I support this research project’s completion.
Signature
Date
NOTE: If you have any questions or concerns, you should contact Grace Perez and Nathan Turley
at rrtc@ucalgary.ca .
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