UF W. Martin Smith Interdisciplinary Patient Safety Awards-3

Please watch for upcoming announcements regarding the proposal subject focus for the next Smith Awards cycle.

Introduction:

The UF College of Medicine Continuing Medical Education and the UF Self-Insurance Program cosponsor an Interdisciplinary Patient Safety Awards Program. This Awards program provides start-up support for staff to design and implement projects focused on reducing the likelihood of adverse events or claims and/or patient safety and clinical process improvements. The projects selected for funding may also address national initiatives such as the Partnership for Patients, CMS improvement programs, and IHI and NQF initiatives. During designated award cycles, topic specific calls for project proposals may be made by the program.

Project requirements:

Applicants must complete a “Letter of Interest” form (located in the upper left hand corner under Smith Awards Forms) and send it to the Awards Program Administrator at least 30 days in advance of the submission due date. Awards application forms, which can be accessed at the Forms tab above, must be completed and submitted to the Awards Program Administrator by 5 p.m. on the submission due date.

Smith Awards-funded projects must plan and implement clinical education and process improvement initiatives designed to directly improve patient safety and clinical processes that enhance the delivery of care and minimize the opportunity for claims and litigation. Proposals should focus on projects directed at improving performance related to measures that are publicly reported or part of national campaigns. However, during designated Awards cycles, specific calls for project proposals may be made by the program.

Supported projects should have a strong improvement implementation plan. Primary data gathering or hypothesis-generating proposals are unlikely to be funded.

Project proposals should include a plan for evaluating the impact of the educational intervention and process improvement effort on the relevant measure. Projects must include a UF CME-accredited educational program. It is also requested that a copy of any published material resulting from the project be provided to the Smith Awards program.

Additional consideration will be given to applications that include the following features:

1. Project has interdisciplinary components, including physicians, residents, nurses, and other health care workers.
2. Initiative is applicable across the educational continuum, including faculty, resident, student, and post-graduate continuing medical education components.
3. Project is expected to result in publication, poster presentation, or other scholarly activity.
4. Demonstration of how the project will be sustained after completion of the support and spread successful processes to other locations.
5. Project is likely to serve as a foundation for further funded research.

Award amounts:

Most Smith Awards projects will be in the amount of $25,000 or less over the life of the project. In special circumstances, consideration may be given to requests for larger amounts.

Project duration:

Up to 18 months.

Award cycles:

Applications are received twice per year, in December and June, with Awards announcements in January and July.

Award agreement:

Awardees are required to sign a grant agreement prior to commencing the approved project.

Eligible applicants:

All University of Florida College of Medicine faculty in Gainesville and Jacksonville, UF Health Shands and other Health Science Center faculty and staff, and medical students and residents.

Award submission form:

Awards proposals must be submitted using the Smith Awards application. Click here to download the application.

Budget information:

Smith Awards may be used to support a variety of project-related items, including consumables, data analysis, and limited FTE support. They may not be used to offset capital budget expenses or support expenditures which should be submitted through the regular budget process, such as clinical equipment.  Awards monies may not be used to support new FTE lines, existing FTE salaries, or ongoing expense commitments that extend beyond the grant period. The use of Smith Awards funds will be limited to those expense items listed in the Awards request budget. Proposed Travel budget expenses to conferences should only be budgeted for purposes of poster or lecture presentations on completed project results, with total amount restricted to $5,000 or less. It is also important to follow State and UF Travel requirements, which can be found at:  http://www.fa.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/TravelBrochure1.pdf

IRB submission:

Smith Awards projects will frequently require data collection involving human subjects (e.g., students, residents, faculty, patients, etc.). Human subject research is subject to review and approval by the UF Health Science Center IRB. Unless your submitted proposal meets the definition of a CQI project, Smith Awards projects approved for funding must be reviewed and approved by the IRB prior to initiating the project. For answers to common questions about “When is CQI Research?” click here: http://irb.ufl.edu/irb01/researcher-information/quality-improvement-projects-vs-research.html

Many projects will likely qualify for either exempt or expedited review by the IRB, which means they can be reviewed by the Chair or Vice Chairs and do not have to be reviewed by the full Board.

To avoid federal regulation compliance issues, we suggest that the Gainesville campus contact Peter Iafrate, Chair of the IRB, at 352-273-9600 and in Jacksonville contact Sheila Austin, Administrative Coordinator of the IRB, at 904-244-9427 who will advise you about which IRB category your project falls into, the proper IRB forms you need to complete, and to whom to submit it to. It is highly recommended that you contact the IRB Chair when you have completed your award proposal, or even before, to get a head start on the IRB process and minimize any potential for delay.

Project reports:

Awardees must provide brief quarterly progress reports and a final project report at the end of the project support period. Due dates for progress reports will be determined once IRB approval is obtained. IRB approval is required prior to release of funds (see IRB Submission). Progress report schedules will be provided to you by the Awards Program Administrator once notification has been received that funds are released and available for access. Ongoing funding is contingent on the receipt of these progress reports. Principal Investigators may be required to present project progress at various UF Health enterprise forums. Please submit completed quarterly progress reports and any final reports to the contact person noted below.

Contact:

For more information, please contact Rebecca Graves, Awards Program Administrator,  at (352) 273-7006, or  email SIPHELP@mail.ufl.edu.

Principal Investigator: Azra Bihorac, MD MS, her project is titled “Automated algorithm identifies and communicates risk of acute kidney injury among health care providers and patients

Principal Investigator:  Mariam Louis, MD, her project is titled “Minimizing Post-Operative risk in Patients with Moderate-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea”