HOW-TO GUIDE:
DESIGNING A STUDENT-RUN
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
PROJECT PROPOSAL
TMIT Student Projects QuickStart Package ™
Objectives
Create a concise vision and mission for your
project
 Set reasonable and attainable aims
 Compose a comprehensive outline for your
advisor that will encompass the project and its
goals

Outline
Project Proposal
Vision/Mission
II. Setting Aims
III. Proposal Outline
I.
Background
II. The Intervention
III. Strategy for Implementation
I.
I. Vision/Mission
Vision
 Mission

Example
The First Global Student Sprint to Improve
Healthcare
Vision
Students across the world helping to disseminate the WHO Safe
Surgery Checklist and partnering to improve healthcare quality
Mission
Engage health professions students to take part in at least one of the
three sub-aims around using the checklist:
Build Awareness
Promote Implementation
Collect Data
II. Setting Aims
State your aim clearly
2. Make sure that it identifies the population and
system to be improved
3. Set numerical goals
1.
Allows for better outcome measures

4.
Set Stretch Goals
Give yourself a timeline

○
5.
Ex: Reduce infections by 50% in 6 months
Avoid Aim Drift

Focus on your goal and try not to steer away
III. Project Proposal: Outline
1. Background
 Setting
○ Where and when will you be instituting your intervention?
 Healthcare service
○ Describe the service that you are trying to improve.
 Problem
○ What type of protocols or resources are in place?
○ Describe the deficit in this particular area.
 Barriers to quality
○ What barriers to improving quality do you anticipate?
III. Project Proposal: Outline
2. The Intervention
 Process defect
○ Where in the current system is the problem?
 Aim
○ What are your goals of improvement?
○ What results do you expect after instituting your
intervention?
III. Project Proposal: Outline
3. Strategy for Implementation
 Strategy
○ Process versus Outcome improvement
○ PDSA cycles
 Measures
○ How will you measure the change pre and post implementation?
 Barriers to change
○ How will your process or outcome intervention be hindered during
its implementation?
 Costs vs. resources vs. culture
 Cost Implications
○ Will this be more costly to the hospital?
○ Will the benefit show itself?
III. Project Proposal
Ex: Safe Surgery Student Sprint
Case Study: Karachi, Pakistan

1. Background





Setting- Karachi Pakistan
Healthcare service- Prevention of post-operative infections
Problem- surgical site infection rates 4-20%
Barriers to quality- access to antibiotics, cultural change
2. The Intervention
 Process defect – no protocol in place
 Aim- reduce surgical site infections by 33% by 6 mos.

3. Strategy for Implementation




Strategy- process improvement by implementation of checklist
Measures- compliance of use of checklist, # infections
Barriers to change-cultural change in practice
Cost Implications- No costs
III. Project Proposal
ex: Reduction in Emergency Dept. Handoff Errors
1. Background




Setting- San Francisco Emergency Dept.
Healthcare service- Inter-shift patient transfers
Problem- adverse events associated with ED handoffs
Barriers to quality- physical environment and social setting
2. The Intervention
 Process defect – no formal protocol in place
 Aim- 100% compliance with SBAR protocol in 18mos
3. Strategy for Implementation




Strategy- Process improvement using SBAR technique, PDSA cycle
Measures- compliance, provider satisfaction
Barriers to change-cultural change in practice
Cost Implications- No costs