The Improvement Science Research Network (ISRN) invites hospitals and academic partners to submit notification of interest in participating in a one-year multi-site research study. The study, which represents a partnership of acute care hospitals and academic scientists across the country, is entitled “Small Troubles, Adaptive Responses (STAR-2): Frontline Nurse Engagement in Quality Improvement.” In this study, frontline nursing staff will use specially-designed pocket cards to detect small problems (also known as operational failures) that prompt work inefficiencies and suboptimal care quality.
This study will report the types and frequency of first order operational failures that nurses self-detect during their work shifts, and will evaluate whether the self-detected failures correlate with failures that are observed by others. Nurses on participating units will use specially-designed (index sized) pocket cards to record — in real time — the small operational failures that they encounter. Data will be analyzed to determine a rate of small failures per patient per day.
For more information on this study, click on STAR-2 in the left hand navigation menu.
If your hospital is interested in participating in this study, please contact Frank Puga, PhD at pugaf@uthscsa.edu.