Recommendations for enhancing collaboration between the Canadian emergency department quality improvement and research communities

Abstract

Objectives While quality improvement (QI) and clinical research embody two distinct scientific approaches, they have the same ultimate goal-to improve health and patient care outcomes. By leveraging their respective strengths there is a higher likelihood of achieving and sustaining health improvements. Our objective was to create recommendations to enhance the collaboration of the Canadian emergency medicine QI and clinical research communities. Methods An expert panel of eight ED clinicians with diverse QI and clinical research expertise drafted a list of recommendations based on their professional expertise and a scoping review of the literature. These recommendations were refined through consultation with national stakeholders and reviewed at the 2020 CAEP Virtual Academic Symposium, where feedback was received through several virtual platforms. Results The final six recommendations include that all emergency medicine providers should: (1) understand the role and application of both clinical research and QI science; that academic emergency medicine physicians should: (2) contribute to both local adoption and broad dissemination of project findings, (3) leverage QI methodologies in research projects to improve knowledge translation, and (4) ensure that project outcomes prioritize patient care; and that academic leaders should: (5) enhance the infrastructure for oversight of research and QI projects, and (6) encourage collaboration between researchers and QI experts by ensuring that academic and operational infrastructures align and support both. Conclusion Six recommendations are presented to help the Canadian emergency medicine community achieve greater collaboration between researchers and QI experts with the ultimate goal of improving patient care outcomes. Keywords Emergency medicine • Quality improvement • Research methods • Patient oriented Résumé Objectifs Bien que l'amélioration de la qualité (AQ) et la recherche clinique représentent deux approches scientifiques distinctes, elles ont le même but ultime: améliorer la santé et les résultats des soins aux patients. En tirant profit de leurs atouts respectifs, les chances d'obtenir et de soutenir des améliorations de santé sont plus élevées. Notre objectif était de créer des recommandations pour renforcer la collaboration entre les communautés d'AQ et de recherche clinique en médecine d'urgence canadienne. Méthodes Un groupe d'experts de huit cliniciens des services d'urgence dotés d'une expertise diversifiée en matière d'AQ et de recherche clinique a rédigé une liste de recommandations basées sur leur expertise professionnelle et un examen de la revue de littérature. Ces recommandations ont été affinées en consultation avec les parties prenantes nationales et examinées lors du Symposium académique virtuel de ACMU 2020, où des commentaires ont été reçus via plusieurs plateformes virtuelles. Résultats Les six recommandations finales incluent que tous les prestataires des services de médecine d'urgence devraient: (1) comprendre le rôle et l'application de la...

A blueprint for building an emergency department quality improvement and patient safety committee

“… Encourage and support baseline QIPS professional development for all members of the department. This will serve to: (1) enlist interested individuals to join the QIPS committee; (2) empower members with newfound skill sets and confidence to create positive change; and (3) ensure that the broader team understands the rationale for change [ 26 ]. Select promising individuals for additional coaching and mentorship, including supporting them to pursue courses or certificates/degrees to increase their expertise [ 27 ].…”

“…Encourage and support baseline QIPS professional development for all members of the department. This will serve to: (1) enlist interested individuals to join the QIPS committee; (2) empower members with newfound skill sets and confidence to create positive change; and (3) ensure that the broader team understands the rationale for change [ 26 ].…”

“…(3) ensure that the broader team understands the rationale for change [26]. • Select promising individuals for additional coaching and mentorship, including supporting them to pursue courses or certificates/degrees to increase their expertise [27].…”