1. Data Analysis and Quality Improvement Initiative Proposal
Prepare an 8-10 page data analysis and quality improvement initiative proposal based on a
health issue of interest. Include internal and external benchmark data, evidence-based
recommendations to improve health care quality and safety, and communication strategies
to gain buy-in from all interprofessional team members responsible for implementing the
initiative.Health care providers are perpetually striving to improve care quality and patient
safety. To accomplish enhanced care, outcomes need to be measured. Next, data measures
must be validated. Measurement and validation of information support performance
improvement. Health care providers must focus attention on evidence-based best practices
to improve patient outcomes.Health informatics, along with new and improved technologies
and procedures, are at the core of all quality improvement initiatives. Data analysis begins
with provider documentation, researched process improvement models, and recognized
quality benchmarks. All of these items work together to improve patient outcomes.
Professional nurses must be able to interpret and communicate dashboard information that
displays critical care metrics and outcomes along with data collected from the care delivery
process.For this assessment, use your current role or assume a role you hope to have. You
will develop a quality improvement (QI) initiative proposal based on a health issue of
professional interest. To create this proposal, analyze a health care facility’s dashboard
metrics and external benchmark data. Include evidence-based recommendations to
improve health care quality and safety relating to your selected issue. Successful QI
initiatives depend on the support of nursing staff and other members of the
interprofessional team. As a result, a key aspect of your proposal will be the communication
strategies you plan to use to get buy-in from these team members.Demonstration of
ProficiencyBy successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your
proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide
criteria:Competency 1: Plan quality improvement initiatives in response to adverse events
and near-miss analyses. Determine whether any adverse event or near-miss data needs to
be factored in to outcomes and recommendations.Competency 2: Plan quality improvement
initiatives in response to routine data surveillance. Develop a QI initiative proposal based
on a selected health issue and supporting data analysis.Competency 3: Evaluate quality
improvement initiatives using sensitive and sound outcome measures. Analyze data to
identify a health care issue or area of concern.Competency 4: Integrate interprofessional
perspectives to lead quality improvements in patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and work-
life quality. Communicate QI initiative proposal based on input of the interdisciplinary team

2. to improve patient safety and quality outcomes and work-life quality.Competency 5: Apply
effective communication strategies to promote quality improvement of interprofessional
care. Determine communication strategies to promote quality improvement of
interprofessional care.Communicate QI initiative proposal in a professional, effective
manner, writing clearly and logically, with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and
spelling.Integrate relevant sources to support arguments, correctly formatting citations and
references using APA style.PreparationTo develop the QI initiative proposal required for
this assessment, you must analyze a health care facility’s dashboard metrics. Choose Option
1 or 2 according to your ability to access dashboard metrics for a QI initiative
proposal.Option 1If you have access to dashboard metrics related to a QI initiative proposal
of interest to you, complete the following:Analyze data from the health care facility to
identify a health care issue or area of concern. You will need access to reports and data
related to care quality and patient safety. For example, in a hospital setting, you would
contact the quality management department to obtain the needed data. It is your
responsibility to determine the appropriate resource to provide the necessary data in your
chosen health care setting. If you need help determining how to obtain the needed
information, consult your faculty member for guidance.Include in your proposal basic
information about the health care setting, size, and specific type of care delivery related to
the identified topic. Please abide by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) compliance standards.Option 2If you do not have access to a dashboard or metrics
related to a QI initiative proposal:Use the hospital data set provided in Vila Health: Data
Analysis. You will analyze data to identify a health care issue or area of concern.Include in
your proposal basic information about the health care setting, size, and specific type of care
delivery related to the identified topic.InstructionsUse your current role or assume a role
you would like to have. Choose a quality improvement initiative of professional interest to
you. Your current organization is probably working on quality improvement initiatives that
can be evaluated, so consider starting there.To develop your proposal you will:Gather
internal and external benchmark data on the subject of your quality improvement initiative
proposal. Analyze data you have collected.Make evidence-based recommendations about
how to improve health care quality and safety relating to your chosen issue. Remember,
your initiative’s success depends on the interprofessional team’s commitment to the QI
initiative. Think carefully about these stakeholders and how you plan to include them in the
process, as they will help you develop and implement ideas and sustain outcomes. Also,
remember how important external stakeholders, such as patients and other health care
delivery organizations, are to the process. As you are preparing this assessment, consider
carefully the communication strategies you will employ to include the perspectives of all
internal and external stakeholders in your proposal. The following numbered points
correspond to grading criteria in the scoring guide. The bullets below each grading criterion
further delineate tasks to fulfill the assessment requirements. Be sure that your proposal
addresses all of the content below. You may also want to read the scoring guide to better
understand the performance levels related to each grading criterion.Analyze data to identify
a health care issue or area of concern.Identify the type of data you are analyzing from your
institution or from the Vila Health activity.Explain why data matters. What does data show

3. related to outcomes?Analyze the dashboard metrics. What else could the organization
measure to enhance knowledge?Present dashboard metrics related to the selected issue
that are critical to evaluating outcomes.Assess the institutional ability to sustain processes
or outcomes.Evaluate data quality and its implications for outcomes.Determine whether any
adverse event or near-miss data needs to be factored in to outcomes and
recommendations.Examine the nursing process for variations or performance failures that
could lead to an adverse event or near miss.Identify trends, measures, and information
needed to critically analyze specific outcomes.Specify desired outcomes related to
prevention of adverse events and near misses.Analyze which metrics indicate future quality
improvement opportunities.Develop a QI initiative proposal based on a selected health
issue and supporting data analysis.Determine benchmarks aligned to existing QI initiatives
set by local, state, or federal health care policies or laws.Identify any internal existing QI
initiatives in your practice setting or organization related to the selected issue. Explain why
they are insufficient.Evaluate external national or international QI initiatives on the selected
health issue with existing quality indicators from other facilities, government agencies, and
nongovernmental bodies on quality improvement.Define target areas for improvement and
the processes to be modified to improve outcomes.Propose evidence-based strategies to
improve quality.Analyze challenges that meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose for a
health care organization and the interprofessional team.Communicate QI initiative proposal
based on interdisciplinary team input to improve patient safety and quality outcomes and
work-life quality.Define interprofessional roles and responsibilities relating to data and the
QI initiative.Explain how to ensure all relevant interprofessional roles are fully engaged in
this effort.Identify how outcomes will be measured and data used to inform
interprofessional team performance related to specific tasks.Reflect on the impact of the
proposed initiative on work-life quality of the interprofessional team.Describe how the
initiative enhances work-life quality due to improved strategies supporting
efficiency.Determine communication strategies to promote quality improvement of
interprofessional care.Identify interprofessional communication strategies that will help to
promote and ensure the success of the QI initiative.Identify communication models, such as
SBAR and CUS, to include in your proposal. SBAR stands for Situation, Background,
Assessment, Recommendation.CUS stands for “I am Concerned about my resident’s
condition; I am Uncomfortable with my resident’s condition; I believe the Safety of the
resident is at risk.”Consult this resource for additional information about these fundamental
evidence-based tools to improve interprofessional team communication for patient
handoffs: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (n.d.). Module 2:
Communicating change in a resident’s condition. Retrieved from
https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/long-term-
care/resources/facilities/ptsafety/ltcmod2ap.htmlCommunicate QI initiative proposal in a
professional, effective manner, writing clearly and logically, with correct use of grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.Integrate relevant sources to support arguments, correctly
formatting citations and references using APA style.Example Assessment: Refer to QI
Initiative Proposal Exemplar [PDF] for an idea of what an assessment given a proficient or
higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.Additional RequirementsSubmission

4. length: 8–10 typed, double-spaced pages of content plus title and reference pages.Font:
Times New Roman, 12 points.Number of references: Cite a minimum of 5 current scholarly
and/or authoritative sources to support your QI initiative proposal. Current means no older
than 5 years unless a seminal work.APA formatting: Citations and references need to adhere
to APA style and formatting guidelines. Consult these resources for an APA refresher: APA
Style & Format.APA Module.American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA style. Retrieved
from https://www.apastyle.org/