Partnering with healthcare organisations to teach pre-registration health professions students about quality improvement: A systematic review

A Multisite Study of a Quality Improvement Teaching Strategy to Build Competency

BACKGROUND

Quality improvement (QI) is an essential part of nursing education. Although there are robust examples of teaching strategies for QI, there is a distinct lack of research on effective strategies for teaching QI in nursing education.

METHOD

This multisite study included students from six nursing programs. A treatment fidelity plan was developed and followed to ensure consistency for implementation of the study and data collection. A quasiexperimental, nonpaired, pre- and posttest study design was used to examine changes in student perspectives of QI after participating in a QI teaching strategy. Pre- and posttest questions were mapped to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials subcompetency statements for QI.

RESULTS

A total of 254 pre- and 116 posttest responses were included for analysis. Significance (p = .05) was found at the beginning level within three questions.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study indicate beginning-level students can benefit from a competency-based QI learning activity. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(1):38-42.].

How, and under what contexts, do academic-practice partnerships collaborate to implement healthcare improvement education into preregistration nursing curriculums: a realist review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Internationally, healthcare improvement remains a clinical and educational priority. Consensus in Europe, Canada and the USA to implement quality improvement (QI) education into preregistration nursing curricula ensures students become equipped with the skills and knowledge required to improve practice. Now, New Zealand and Australia are beginning to implement QI education into their nursing curricula. However, QI education is complex; comprising multiple components, each influenced by the contexts under which they are developed and implemented. Evaluation studies of QI education unanimously acknowledge that academic and practice partnerships (APPs) are essential to optimally embed QI into preregistration curricula, yet it is not understood how, and under what contexts, APPs collaborate to achieve this.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A realist review to determine how, and under what contexts, APPs collaborate to implement QI education in pre-registration nursing will be conducted using the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards Guidelines. International stakeholders will be consulted at each stage which includes (1) clarifying the scope of the review through empirical literature and tacit expert knowledge, (2) searching for evidence in healthcare and social science databases/grey literature, (3) appraising studies using the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre weight of evidence framework and extracting data using Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence in Education Publication Guidelines, (4) synthesising evidence and drawing conclusions through the creation of context, mechanism and outcome configurations and (5) disseminating findings through conferences and peer-reviewed publications.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was not required for this study. Findings will be disseminated to international nurse educators, leaders and front-line staff implementing QI education within their own academic and practice contexts through conferences and peer-reviewed publications.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021282424.