title: Engaging Clinical Nurses in Quality Improvement Projects.
abstract: Clinical nurses have the knowledge and expertise required to provide efficient and proficient patient care. Time and knowledge deficits can prevent nurses from developing and implementing quality improvement or evidence-based practice projects. This article reviews a process for professional development of clinical nurses that helped them to define, implement, and analyze quality improvement or evidence-based practice projects. The purpose of this project was to educate advanced clinical nurses to manage a change project from inception to completion, using the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) Change Acceleration Process as a framework. One-to-one mentoring and didactic in-services advanced the knowledge, appreciation, and practice of advanced practice clinicians who completed multiple change projects. The projects facilitated clinical practice changes, with improved patient outcomes; a unit cultural shift, with appreciation of quality improvement and evidence-based projects; and engagement with colleagues. Project outcomes were displayed in poster presentations at a hospital exposition for knowledge dissemination.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Jaynelle F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Stichler
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D016730:Program Development; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D058996:Quality Improvement