Evaluation means making CQI collaborative (E = MC²): Lessons learned from implementing a new continuous quality...

The NIH's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program has placed greater emphasis on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in recent years. Our institution's CTSA-supported Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) implemented a novel CQI process in response. This manuscript shares lessons learned from our implementation, reflecting a paradigm shift from managing an "evaluation program" to creating a process whose central goal is CQI. Our objective is to share these reflections to support other CTSA hubs' efforts to successfully implement CQI programs. Key elements of our implementation included (1) establishing a shared understanding about CQI's purpose; (2) leveraging a centralized management approach while addressing barriers to implementation; and (3) creating structures that foster collaboration. The CQI framework we chose, FACE (Focus, Analyze, Change, Evaluate), enabled us not only to improve the activities of ICTR modules but also, over time, to refine the CQI process itself. Through regular convenings of module leaders, the ICTR has sought to cultivate a culture of CQI as a dynamic, participatory process that supports mutual learning and collective problem-solving.