Using a Logic Model to Design and Evaluate a Quality Improvement Leadership Course

Strong leadership is an essential factor in the success of quality improvement (QI) initiatives that generate and sustain improvements in patient outcomes. Notably, there is a rising need for frontline clinicians, who are often charged with leading QI efforts, to receive training in blended QI and leadership methods and skills. The Leading Healthcare Improvement (LHI) course is a longitudinal leadership course embedded within the Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars (VAQS) program, a multisite interprofessional QI fellowship program. The LHI course was developed to provide frontline clinicians who are emerging QI leaders with the skills to lead and advance improvement efforts at their institutions. It consists of eight 60-minute online sessions and was implemented and delivered to a cohort of interprofessional fellows at 9 sites during the 2017-2018 academic year. This article describes the use of a logic model as a framework to guide the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the LHI course. The authors developed 5 logic model components: inputs, activities, outputs, short-term outcomes, and long-term outcomes. They defined the short-term outcomes using feedback from fellows and an evaluation of the fellows' abstract submissions to the VAQS Summer Institute. Submissions were reviewed to identify how fellows applied the LHI course concepts to QI projects at their respective sites. The authors also collected preliminary impact data from fellows to determine long-term outcomes. Finally, they used the logic model to inform changes to the LHI course based on the evaluation data they collected and developed plans to measure the impact of the course on learners, patients, and the health care system. The authors conclude with lessons learned to guide others who are implementing similar QI efforts.