Quality Improvement Project Checklist
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student is responsible for complying with the site’s policies and requirements regarding the
DNP project. The DNP student must follow the steps in the 2021 DNP Project Process Guide for students following the 2021 DNP
Program of Study while working on the DNP project. The resources for the DNP Project are located on the Office of Research and
Doctoral Studies DNP Doctoral Study page.
The DNP student must be actively enrolled in the doctoral mentoring study course shell (NURS 8702 or 8703) to participate in any
activities related to the project.
Principles of Quality Improvement
Quality is directly linked to a site's service delivery approach or underlying systems of care. To achieve a better performance and
improve quality, a site's current system often needs to change. While each quality improvement (QI) program may appear different, a
successful program always incorporates the following five key principles:
QI works across systems and processes.
QI focuses on patient outcomes.
QI focuses on the healthcare team.
QI focuses on use of data: both quantitative and qualitative.
QI uses specific tools to collect data, often called “tools of the quality process.”
Definition of Quality Improvement Projects
DNP QI projects are scholarly projects that focus on one or more clinical or nonclinical areas with the goal of improving healthcare
outcomes, site processes, and workplace and patient satisfaction. A variety of clinical or administrative topics may fall under this
broad category of QI, including projects related to policy, cost reduction, information management, patient satisfaction, discharge
planning, and improving clinical outcomes across chronic and acute conditions. The commonality across all these projects is that
they use the analysis of existing site data to address the question and complete the evaluation.
Purpose of Quality Improvement Projects
The purpose of the QI project is to evaluate a practice change within a site and gain insight into the effectiveness of the initiative by
examining, analyzing, and synthesizing data (results of the outcome measures) associated with the QI initiative.
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The evaluation summarizes the goals and objectives of the site’s specific Quality Improvement Plan for the project; the QI activities
conducted, including targeted processes, systems, and outcomes; the performance indicators utilized; the findings of the
measurement, data aggregation, assessment, and analysis processes; and the QI initiatives taken in response to the findings.
No direct contact with patients is permitted for this DNP QI evaluation project because de-identified data can be downloaded or
otherwise secured for analyses from an electronic health record (EHR) or other de-identified datasets in any setting (e.g., a private
practice, a primary care or specialty clinic, an acute care hospital, or a long-term care setting).
Ethical Requirements for Quality Improvement Evaluation Doctoral Projects
In the doctoral project documents, the doctoral student must change the name of any partner sites and generalize the location(s) so
that the site(s) is not identifiable. The student must redact any information that will lead a reader to identify the site. The site must
decide if the project should be publicized. The doctoral student is required to change the name of the site in all materials (including
drafts shared with peers and faculty members) to protect the site’s identity. In some cases, the doctoral student will need to maintain
confidentiality by removing key pieces of evidence and/or data that might give away the site’s identity.
The DNP student
may not collect any type of data from patients or patients’ family members for this type of project;
is responsible for ensuring that no proprietary, sensitive, or confidential information is disclosed in the doctoral project
document; and
is responsible for complying with all of the site’s policies. This includes, but is not limited to, site QI policies and site resource
use policies (pertaining to copying/printing materials, etc.).
DNP Action Planning Tool
Using this checklist, identify critical milestones and tasks on the Action Planning Tool. All milestones and tasks must be
written as SMART objectives. Review the chapters below for assistance with developing milestones and tasks. This checklist
should be submitted into MyDR with the Action Planning Tool.
Resources
o Dang, D., Dearholt, S., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2022). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice: Model
and guidelines (4th ed.). Sigma.
o Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.) Springer.
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o White, K., Dudley-Brown, S., & Terhaar, M. (2021). Translation of evidence into nursing and healthcare (3rd ed.)
Springer.
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Quality Improvement Action Planning Tool Checklist
Student’s Name: Student ID:
Committee Members
Faculty Advisor:
Member:
University Research Reviewer:
Completed Steps Committee Comments
Phase 1: Design
Site has been approved by the program director.
Question Development Tool and Synthesis
Process and Recommendations Tool have been
completed and reviewed by the faculty advisor.
Phase 2: Plan
Identify outcome variable(s) for the evaluation.
Identify method of obtaining de-identified data.
Include the time prior to the implementation of the
evaluation and the time post evaluation.
Identify method of data analysis that will be used
in the evaluation.
The Work Breakdown Structure plan or GANTT
chart reflects a realistic timeline for project.
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