Enhancing Healthcare Quality Research Efforts at UNTHSC: A Three-Phase Plan for Interprofessional, Student-Driven Projects

Background: According to recent epidemiological studies, medical error is the third leading cause of patient death in the United States. There are also many factors independent of delivery that prevent access to healthcare altogether, including lack of health insurance coverage, the financial burden of healthcare, and having a usual source of care. In order to fully optimize patient health, the practical implementation of care must be addressed. On May 17, 2016, in collaboration with Texas Christian University, John-Petersmith Health Network, and Cook Children’s Medical Center, the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) launched its Institute for Patient Safety (IPS). This institute aims to improve healthcare throughout the nation, by patient-centered, interprofessional initiatives that directly impact healthcare safety, delivery, and accessibility. Aim: The UNTHSC Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Chapter seeks to fortify IPS efforts by increasing student involvement in quality improvement projects. Methods: To achieve this aim we propose a three phase plan, utilizing students from a variety of academic and healthcare professional track backgrounds. In Phase 1, interprofessional teams will collaboratively generate a Needs Assessment Survey (NAS) to determine needs within a chosen target population. In Phase 2, subgroups will use NAS results to drive design and implementation of quality improvement measures from multiple healthcare professional levels. In Phase 3, all students will contribute to establishing a new NAS group, thus ensuring the stable growth and sustainability of new quality improvement at UNTHSC. Conclusions: We believe this plan is uniquely suited for UNTHSC, utilizing the breadth of healthcare specialties present on campus in a mission towards substantial improvement for target populations in North Texas.