Explanation & Elaboration

1. Title

1. Indicates the article concerns the improvement of quality (broadly defined to include the safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity of care)
2. States the specific aim of the intervention
3. Specifies the study method used (for example, “A qualitative study,” or “A randomized cluster trial”)

Example

• Outcomes of a quality improvement project integrating mental health into primary care [13]
• Improving newborn preventive services at the birth hospitalization: a collaborative, hospital-based quality improvement project [14]

Elaboration

The title of a quality improvement or patient safety paper should indicate that its primary focus is quality improvement or patient safety.  The literature on quality improvement and patient safety also includes papers which are primarily theoretical and some which are large scale studies about improving quality, so it is helpful for the title to indicate that the paper is a report of a specific intervention.  The titles cited above refer to a “quality improvement project” indicating that it is report of a specific intervention.  Including the words “quality,” “quality improvement,” or “patient safety” is important for readers to identify the content and for the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE database to apply the correct keyword classification in the medical subject headings (MeSH) for the article.  Current MeSH headings include health care quality, access, and  evaluation; quality assurance, health care; quality control; quality indicators, health care; quality of health care; and total quality management.

The title may also describe the aim of the intervention and, if possible, give some indication of the type of setting and approach. Each of the above examples does this very well.  While the title cannot convey all the information about the article, it will provide the first exposure of the material to the readers.  A concise and complete title entices readers to continue reading into the body of the article.

References

13. Watts BV, Shiner B, Pomerantz A, Stender P, Weeks WB. Outcomes of a quality improvement project integrating mental health into primary care. Quality & safety in health care. 2007;16(5):378-381.

14. Mercier CE, Barry SE, Paul K, et al. Improving newborn preventive services at the birth hospitalization: a collaborative, hospital-based quality-improvement project. Pediatrics. 2007;120(3):481-488.

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