how to write a quality report

Quality Report

Report generator.

From manufacturing factories to hospitals , every organization wants to avoid the poor quality of their products and services. With the help of a quality report, they can manage, determine, and identify the extent to which its methods are maintaining the quality of it all. In this article, we will be learning more about how to write a quality report.

18+ Quality Report Examples

Internal quality audit report template.

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Construction Weekly Quality Report Template

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Construction Daily Quality Report Template

Quality Audit Report Template

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Monthly Quality Management Report

Free Quality Non conformance Report Template

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Quality Performance Report

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What Is a Quality Report?

A quality report is a type of report that shows the quality of a product or process. It also serves as an executive summary of quality management covering three methods— quality control , quality assurance, and quality planning. It contains data organized with infographics to help readers understand and interpret the results of the inspection.

How To Create a Quality Report

Whether it is daily work or for a project, writing a quality report is necessary for every business report . Because this report helps improve the quality of its products or service and prevent the cost of poor quality. To get started, check out these tips for more ideas on how to make one.

1. Know Your Audience

Give your audience relevant information. You should be able to present the report that has the appropriate level of information that they should be able to understand your words. For example, if you are reporting to those of executive status, then that will give you an idea to write your report catered to their concerns.

2. Note Everything Down Beforehand

Before you start writing a quality report, you should first take down notes of the process, how to implement the product and the product’s inspection report . This will help you understand the process a lot more and give you an easy time to create the report.

3. Include Background Information

Include the process analyzed and the people who are responsible. That way, it will help your readers fully understand what you have written. For example, if you are writing a quality report for a construction company, make sure to include the construction project involved and the equipment and the processes done.

4. Double Check Your Report

Once you have completed your draft take some time to double-check your report. Any mistake could lead to a lot of problems for the business, so you must check it for any errors. Make sure your data is correct and that your statements are all accurate as well.

Why are quality reports needed in call centers?

Using quality reports in call centers can gauge whether the agents are useful in resolving their caller’s issues. The quality analysts determine this by the efficiency of the process and the length of the call, among other things.

What does product quality mean?

Product quality refers to incorporating features that can meet what the customers need and satisfy them at the same time. This ensures that these customers will continue using the product in the future.

What does quality assurance mean?

Quality assurance refers to maintaining an ideal level of quality when providing a service or product. This applies to every stage of the process, from delivery to production.

A Forbes article states that while marketing reports are vital in understanding and strengthening client relations, a quality report ensures that these relations are satisfactory. This provides that products and services are at a high standard. If you need more guidance on creating a quality report, feel free to check out our quality management and service report examples .

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Quality – Quality report format

Here's the right quality report format for your projects

What is a quality report.

Quality is a central function to all construction and industrial projects. While many professional services and product companies in the world have version of quality control in the form of management and checks and balances, the industries (amongst other industries including manufacturing, aerospace etc.) really do stand alone when it comes to quality.

A large part of maintaining quality control and building quality into your every day processes is the quality report.

A quality report is a report which documents a specific quality process or outcome (or both), such as an inspection test plan, quality communications plan or non-conformance report.

The purpose of these reports is to make your quality management process and quality control procedures concrete - and to make sure you are measuring - both quantitatively and qualitatively - the outputs of these processes so as to ensure that your project is maintaining the quality standards set out in official quality assurance and quality control guidelines, as well as the specifications set out by the client and/or contractor.

Why is the format of my quality reports important anyway?

Because quality reports are important to the functioning and overall success of your projects; naturally, the format of your quality reports is important too. Your quality reports will be touching the hands and attracting the eyes of a number of important stakeholders, who are associating your quality reports (and their formatting) with the quality of your work and the likely outcome of their asset or project.

Messy and poorly formatted quality reports indicate to other parties that your quality processes and controls will be sloppy - even if they are not.

Outside of the poor impression your quality reports may set, properly reporting on quality inputs and outputs are to be reported on in accordance with the quality standards you have agreed to, such as the ISO9000 and it's variations. The type and extensiveness of your quality reports will depend upon which guidelines you have agreed to follow, as well as the strictness and processes of the other parties involved in your project.

These parameters, as well as your own internal tools like the quality management system you use or the size of your quality teams will also effect what and how extensive your quality reports are.

Ultimately, the 'quality' of your quality reporting and work will impact how much work you get and what your reputation is. If you maintain high quality project delivery with high quality reporting, then you can always point to your records in the case of unfair disputes or claims, as well as lean on the objective data such as the number of defects on your jobs or speed to corrective actions. This protects your reputation, and protects you bank account as well. A quality reporting app can help streamline processes to keep track of submitted reports and detailed analytics to improve performance.

All of these reports and clean data will help you improve the quality of your work and over time, help you win more work too.

The different types of quality report formats

As mentioned, the quality guidelines set out prior to the project commencing will impact the types and frequency of quality reporting you conduct, as will what you communicate to and agree with your other parties.

We'll outline some of the more popular quality reports below, along with some proven formatting tips and guidelines to help you steer your quality reports into the clear.

Defect report format

The defect report is a staple quality report. Defects occur regularly on projects, with heavy machinery, lots of transportation and moving parts resulting in a lot of surface imperfections and 'defects'.

Your defect report should follow this simple format:

• An automated form ID or number for record keeping purposes and audit control
• The date the defect was identified
• A lot reference (which is typically how jobs are organised for the purposes of breaking down an asset into digestible lots)
• Select the party or parties involved (the subcontractor, supplier etc.)
• Give a defect description and attach the proof of defect
• Sketch (if applicable)
• Proposed action/rectification
• Signoff when the rectification or corrective action is scheduled and finally, a reference photo once the defect is resolved

This is the type of formatting very common amongst quality reports. You outline the defect and who or more importantly what was responsible for the defect; you document and describe the defect with supporting evidence; then you draft or create an action for resolving this defect.

As you can derive from this report, the better contractors and subcontractors are at following this format and communicating the format fields, the faster defects move from defect to resolved.

Use and edit this defect report.

Non-conformance report format

A non-conformance report is another mainstay in the quality reporting space, and will deployed across any and every project when there is a non-conformance.

You can see the correct formatting for your non-conformance report below, which looks very similar in format to the defect report:

• Project information (for record keeping)
• Contractor and supplier information (who and what did the non conformance arise from)
• Description and photos/videos of the non-conformance
• Recommendation for the nonconformance
• Delay information and causes associated with the non conformance

As you can see, the format is very similar. The major difference between the two is that the non conformance can often have greater impacts on the project in terms of delays and issues. Defects are typically surface level problems, which means you non conformance report format will have space for documenting delays and other financial and project level information.

Use and edit this non-conformance report.

Snag list or construction punch list formatting

Punch lists and snag lists are the result of defect and in some cases non conformances (although mostly defects).

On a number of projects, defects arise as the project progresses, or some defects are missed while the subcontractor or team is conducting work. At the end of a project or often before a client walk-through, a quality team or engineer will walk through and document a number of outstanding defects which form a lunch list or snag list for a specific subcontractor. This list is an itemised list which the subcontractor must get through and tick-off in order for their work to be considered complete.

As you can imagine, the format for a snag or punch list is quite straightforward, as are a number of quality checklists you will see and use while conducting your quality jobs.

See below for an example snag list.

Use and customise this snag list report.

Get started with the right quality format for your job

Working in the industries comes with a lot of reporting, data entry, communicating changes and general admin.

• How they are created - the source of the document)
• How they are completed - are they paper, excel, word doc, app based etc.
• How they are organised - what happens when a document is filled in i.e does it go into the cloud or does it stay on paper
• How they are analysed - how is the data from your quality reports aggregated and understood so to be able to draw conclusions from your data

While there platforms to deal with these problems and give you full document assembly, automation and analytics controls - such as Sitemate's Dashpivot - getting your quality reporting right can start with single documents.

If you are looking for any of the above quality reports such as a snag or construction punch list, inspection or ITP or quality management plan, take a look at the templates below.

These templates are entirely digital, meaning you can edit and customise them online, as well as complete them on computer, tablet or mobile.

Once completed, your completed quality reports are stored in the cloud, where they can be accessed and collaborated on in real-time - and then downloaded, printed or shared in the perfect PDF or excel format, making all of your quality reports and work look and feel more professional.

Improving your quality reports starts with the right format, and we've built that format for you below.

Snag list template

Defect Report template

Non-conformance report (NCR) template

See how you can easily streamline your systems and processes with sitemate today.

About Lance Hodgson

Lance is VP of Marketing at Sitemate. His aim is to bring awareness to a brighter future for the Built World where industrial workers and companies work smarter.

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Top 5 Quality Report Templates with Samples and Examples

The articulation of key quality-related data, discoveries, and performance is made easier with quality report templates. These serve as indispensable instruments in the field of successful corporate communication. These templates provide a well-organized and aesthetically pleasing framework that makes it possible to present data on quality measures, inspection findings, and analytical insights. Information is conveyed clearly and completely using a well-designed quality report template. A quality report helps stakeholders quickly understand and act on the offered insights. Thus, these templates act as key building blocks that let experts organize and graphically portray information about quality for a range of audiences.

SlideTeam, renowned for its sizable collection of expertly created PowerPoint templates, takes pride in providing a selection of high-quality report templates and delivery. We provide completely editable premium templates that help you easily make an efficient quality inspection report.

Don't want to make a quality dashboard from scratch? We have just the thing for you! Check out the top 10  quality dashboard templates here !

Let’s begin!

Template 1: Quality Inspection Report PowerPoint PPT Template Bundle

This is a ready to use PPT Template that includes parts specifically dedicated to explaining the inspection procedure, results, problems found, and suggested solutions. The template ensures a thorough overview of the inspection results and helps stakeholders comprehend the quality evaluation by utilizing several visual components, such as charts, graphs, and tables. The Template is divided into several categories: pharmaceutical products, quality control, production, apparel, electronics, industrial quality, and many more. Some major quality control reports that are extremely important include the quality control for factory maintenance, construction quality, and project inspection. It also includes icons and a pre-made dashboard, which makes the entire job faster and easier.

Click here to download.

Template 2: Account Data Quality Report Dashboard Snapshot

This dashboard Template was created keeping the quality of the account data in mind. This Slide has an interactive dashboard layout that enables real-time evaluation of data quality metrics. The use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and visualizations is crucial for providing a quick understanding of the state of data quality. It is simpler to monitor and analyze data quality metrics with the dynamic dashboard layout. It also includes graphs and pie charts, which help to restrict the various data quality scores of the products. The graphics in the Template make understanding easier for the audience.

Template 3: Project Test Summary Quality Report

The project tests and their results are briefly summarized in the project test summary quality report form. It includes parts to address the goals, procedures, findings and any deviations found during the testing stage. The Template ensures that all stakeholders know the project's quality assurance efforts and results to facilitate efficient decision-making. This Template has a bar graph and a pie chart, each representing different data. The bar graph represents the defects' severity and the issue's current status. The pie chart depicts the distribution of these defects in the quality.

Template 4: Quality Report With Product Inspection

This pre-designed Template is created for quality evaluations that center on products. It includes sections with titles such as "Product Specifications," "Inspection Results," "Defects Found," and "Improvement Suggestions." The product inspection section includes a detailed chart that shows the characteristics and ratings of the product in comparison to other similar products. The other half of the Template helps the user track the number of items you have inspected. To maintain and raise product standards, the preset enables a systematic approach to product quality assessment and reporting.

Template 5: Daily Assurance Quality Report with Root Cause Analysis

Here is another PPT Template that focuses on daily quality assurance activities. It comprises sections to report on daily quality checks, issues identified, and root cause analysis for effective problem-solving. By facilitating real-time tracking of quality assurance measures and improvements, the template encourages a proactive approach to quality management, enabling timely corrective actions. You can inspect the quality of the raw materials first. Then you can settle the bill for the product quality. Next, you can check the quality requirements in the entire process of production and the necessary equipment. Finally, you can check the customer complaints related to your product's quality.

For every business, customer feedback is an integral part.  Check out this blog  to learn more about customer reviews and feedback templates!

Template 6: Internal Audit Quality Report for the Financial Year

For audits in the financial area, use this PPT Template to outline the findings of internal audits carried out throughout the fiscal year. This thorough Template includes sections for the objectives, techniques, conclusions, and recommendations of the audit, giving a thorough account of the financial auditing procedure and its results. It is a detailed chart that reflects the entire audit for a year and allows the entering of all required minute details. 

The correct and thorough communication of crucial quality-related data is made possible using quality report Templates. The reporting process is greatly streamlined by their organized and visually appealing formats, making the information presented simple and useful for taking action. Improve your organizational quality management procedures using these Templates to help them make decisions based on solid insights.

If you want more information and professional templates for quality inspection,  click here !

FAQs on Quality Report

What is a quality report.

A quality report is a thorough and organized document that provides key information, conclusions, analysis, and results about the quality of a certain good, service, or procedure. It provides information on how well quality standards are being followed, highlights areas for improvement, and provides a basis for wise decision-making.

How do you write a quality report?

Writing a high-quality report entails acquiring pertinent data, organizing it into useful sections (such as an introduction, methodology, findings, and recommendations), presenting the material visually, evaluating it, and coming to a conclusion with takeaways and suggestions for improvement. A well-written, high-quality report must have three main components: clarity, concision, and a well-organized presentation.

What is the purpose of the quality report?

A quality report's objectives are to explain the state of quality-related operations clearly, assess adherence to established standards, pinpoint areas for development, aid in decision-making, and guarantee that stakeholders are aware of the quality issues in a given situation. In order to facilitate effective interpretation and action, a quality report tries to deliver information in a structured and visually appealing manner.

What are the key elements of a quality report?

An introduction, methodology, data presentation, analysis, findings, suggestions, and a conclusion are crucial components of a high-quality report. Charts and graphs are examples of visual aids that improve data comprehension and engagement. The report should be organized, clear, and concise to facilitate effective decision-making and action by stakeholders. Each component is essential in providing thorough and meaningful knowledge about quality-related topics.

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Quality Assurance Reports

Quality assurance reports are an essential tool for businesses that want to ensure their products and services meet the highest standards of quality. These reports provide a comprehensive analysis of various quality metrics, including defects, errors, and failures, and enable businesses to identify areas of improvement in their products, processes, and systems. In this article, we will explore the importance of quality assurance reports, the basics of creating effective reports, different types of quality assurance reports, and best practices for conducting QA reporting.

Table of Contents

Why Quality Assurance Reports are Important for Business

Quality assurance reports play a vital role in helping businesses meet and exceed customer satisfaction and retention goals. By identifying and correcting quality issues, businesses can improve the overall quality of their products and services, reduce costs associated with rework and returns, minimize the risk of liability and legal claims, and enhance their competitive advantage. Quality assurance reports also help businesses comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Another important benefit of quality assurance reports is that they provide valuable insights into the performance of a business’s processes and systems. By analyzing data from quality assurance reports, businesses can identify areas for improvement and implement changes to optimize their operations. This can lead to increased efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

Furthermore, quality assurance reports can also serve as a tool for communication and collaboration within a business. By sharing quality assurance reports with employees and stakeholders, businesses can foster a culture of continuous improvement and encourage everyone to work together towards common quality goals. This can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce, as well as improved relationships with customers and suppliers.

Understanding the Importance of Quality Assurance Reports

Quality assurance reports help businesses implement a systematic approach to quality management. They enable businesses to establish quality objectives, measure performance against those objectives, and continuously improve their processes and systems to meet those objectives. Quality assurance reports provide an objective assessment of the effectiveness of a business’s quality management system and enable businesses to monitor progress over time. They also provide a basis for making informed decisions about quality-related issues and allocating resources for improvement initiatives.

Moreover, quality assurance reports are essential for businesses to comply with industry standards and regulations. These reports provide evidence that a business is meeting the required quality standards and can be used to demonstrate compliance during audits or inspections. Quality assurance reports can also help businesses identify areas where they may be falling short of regulatory requirements and take corrective action to address those issues.

Additionally, quality assurance reports can be used as a tool for communication with stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, and investors. By sharing quality assurance reports, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to quality and transparency, which can help build trust and confidence in their products or services. Quality assurance reports can also provide valuable insights into a business’s quality performance, which can be used to inform stakeholders about the business’s strengths and areas for improvement.

The Basics of Creating Effective Quality Assurance Reports

The key to creating effective quality assurance reports is to ensure they are comprehensive, timely, accurate, and actionable. Effective reports should provide a clear picture of the quality status of the product or process under review, highlight areas of improvement, and provide recommendations for remediation. Effective reports should also be concise, well-structured, and easy to understand.

Here are some general tips for creating effective quality assurance reports:

• Clearly define the scope and objectives of the report
• Gather and analyze relevant data using appropriate methodologies
• Ensure the accuracy and validity of the data
• Choose appropriate metrics and benchmarks to measure performance
• Provide clear and concise descriptions of the methods used for data collection and analysis
• Highlight areas of improvement and provide recommendations for remediation
• Include a summary of key findings and conclusions
• Ensure the report is well-structured and easy to understand

Types of Quality Assurance Reports and Their Uses

There are many different types of quality assurance reports, each of which is designed to address different quality-related issues and objectives. Some of the most common types of QA reports include:

• Quality control reports
• Product quality reports
• Process quality reports
• Quality gap analysis reports
• Supplier quality reports
• Internal audit reports
• External audit reports

Quality control reports focus on identifying defects and errors in products and services. Product quality reports provide an overview of the quality status of a specific product or service. Process quality reports focus on analyzing and improving the quality of a specific business process. Quality gap analysis reports are used to identify discrepancies between a business’s current quality status and desired quality goals. Supplier quality reports evaluate the quality of a business’s suppliers. Internal and external audit reports provide an independent assessment of the effectiveness of a business’s quality management system.

The Key Elements of a Comprehensive Quality Assurance Report

A comprehensive quality assurance report should include the following key elements:

• Executive summary
• Introduction and background
• Scope and objectives
• Data collection and analysis methods
• Key findings and conclusions
• Recommendations for improvement
• Summary of results and status
• Appendices and supporting documentation

The executive summary should provide a high-level overview of the report’s key findings and recommendations. The introduction and background should provide context and background information about the product or process under review. The scope and objectives should clearly define the scope of the report and its intended objectives. The data collection and analysis methods should describe the methods used for data collection and analysis. The key findings and conclusions should summarize the report’s main findings and conclusions, and the recommendations for improvement should provide specific recommendations for how to address identified quality issues. The summary of results and status should provide a snapshot of the quality status of the product or process at the time of the report’s creation.

How to Analyze and Interpret Quality Assurance Reports

Analyzing and interpreting quality assurance reports can be challenging, particularly for those who are not familiar with the metrics and terminology used in the report. It is essential to understand the report’s objectives, scope, and methodology, as well as the significance of the metrics and benchmarks used to evaluate performance. It is also important to evaluate the report’s conclusions and recommendations in the context of the business’s objectives and quality goals.

Best Practices for Conducting Quality Assurance Reporting

Effective quality assurance reporting requires the use of best practices throughout the reporting process. Here are some essential best practices for conducting QA reporting:

• Define clear and measurable quality objectives
• Use appropriate statistical methods to analyze the data
• Communicate the report’s findings and recommendations clearly and effectively
• Follow up on identified quality issues and monitor progress over time
• Continuously evaluate and improve the quality management system

Common Challenges in Quality Assurance Reporting and How to Overcome Them

Quality assurance reporting can be challenging due to various factors such as data quality issues, inadequate resources, lack of expertise, and inability to measure performance accurately. One way to overcome these challenges is to establish clear quality objectives and develop a well-structured reporting process that involves the use of appropriate metrics and tools. It is also important to ensure the accuracy and validity of the data, provide appropriate training and resources for those involved in the reporting process, and continuously monitor and evaluate the quality management system.

Tips for Improving the Accuracy and Reliability of Your Quality Assurance Reports

Improving the accuracy and reliability of your quality assurance reports requires a systematic approach that includes the following tips:

• Ensure data accuracy and validity
• Use appropriate metrics and benchmarks
• Monitor and evaluate performance regularly

The Role of Technology in Enhancing Quality Assurance Reporting

Technology can play a crucial role in enhancing quality assurance reporting. Data analytics and visualization tools can help businesses gather and analyze data more efficiently and accurately, while automated reporting tools can simplify and streamline the reporting process. It is important to choose the right technology tools and ensure they are aligned with the business’s quality objectives and goals.

Examples of Successful Quality Assurance Reporting in Different Industries

Quality assurance reporting is essential in various industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, software development, and finance. The following are some examples of successful quality assurance reporting initiatives:

• In healthcare, quality assurance reporting has helped improve patient safety, reduce medical errors, and enhance patient outcomes.
• In manufacturing, quality assurance reporting has helped improve product quality, reduce defects and waste, and enhance customer satisfaction.
• In software development, quality assurance reporting has helped improve software quality, reduce bugs and errors, and enhance user experience.
• In finance, quality assurance reporting has helped improve compliance, reduce the risk of fraud and financial loss, and enhance customer trust.

Leveraging Data Analytics for Better QA Reporting

Data analytics can help businesses gather and analyze quality-related data more efficiently and accurately, identify trends and patterns, and generate insights that enable informed decision-making. Some of the key data analytics techniques that businesses can use to enhance QA reporting include descriptive analytics, diagnostic analytics, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. It is important to choose appropriate data analytics tools and techniques based on the business’s specific quality objectives and goals.

Ensuring Compliance through Effective QA Reporting

Effective QA reporting can help businesses ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards. By identifying and addressing quality-related issues, businesses can minimize the risk of legal claims and liability and demonstrate their commitment to quality and safety. It is important to ensure that the QA reporting process is aligned with relevant regulations and standards and that the report’s findings and recommendations are consistent with those requirements.

The Future of Quality Assurance Reporting: Trends and Predictions

The future of quality assurance reporting is likely to be shaped by various trends such as the increasing use of data analytics and automation, the growing importance of customer experience and satisfaction, and the need for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. Future QA reports are likely to be more data-driven, automated, and interactive, with a greater focus on predictive analytics and real-time monitoring.

In conclusion, quality assurance reporting is an essential tool for businesses that want to ensure their products and services meet the highest standards of quality. Effective QA reporting requires a systematic approach and the use of best practices throughout the reporting process. By leveraging appropriate technology and data analytics tools, businesses can enhance the accuracy and reliability of their QA reporting and continuously improve their quality management system to meet their quality objectives and goals.

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• Effective Quality Audit Reports

** Unlock Your Full Potential **

A quality audit report should include enough detail so that the client or the audit report users can understand what was done, why it was done, and whether it achieved the objective. The report should also provide sufficient information for the organization being audited (auditee) to correct any problems identified.

What Should Be in an Audit Report?

An audit report should be written with these three goals in mind:

• To identify and prioritize areas for improvement within the scope of the audit

• To communicate those findings clearly and succinctly

• To elicit action from the organization being audited

The following elements are common to most quality audits:

Executive Summary – A concise statement summarizing the key points of the audit. It is usually written at the beginning of the report and provides context for the rest of the report.

Scope and Objective – Describes which aspects of the organization's operations were examined, and why this audit is being conducted. This section provides a context for the report.

Methodology – Describes how the audit was conducted. Auditors use this section to explain their approach to gathering data and performing analysis.

Results – Provides details on the observations made by the auditor.

Recommendation(s) – An action plan that summarizes recommendations for improving the organization's processes.

Conclusion - This section highlights critical takeaways.

The following sections are optional but may help you organize your report better and make more sense to readers:

• Prioritization section that identifies the most critical issues and potential areas for improvement

• Recommendation section that explains how the organization can address the issue(s) found in the audit

• References section that lists sources used in preparing the report

Tips for Writing an Effective Executive Summary

Executive summaries are one of the first things a reader sees when they open your report. They summarize the key points of the report. To write an effective executive summary, consider the following tips:

• Write an executive summary that is no longer than one page long. This will allow the reader to quickly scan the document and get the gist of its contents. A shorter length also allows the writer to focus on the key points without getting bogged down by unnecessary details.

• Include only the most essential information in the executive summary. If there's too much content, the reader might lose interest before reading through all of it.

• Auditors typically find flaws because they want to see improvements made. However, if you focus on the negatives, you could discourage the organization from making changes. Instead, emphasize the positive aspects of the audit.

• Make sure the executive summary has a clear call to action. What do you want the organization to do after reading the report?

• Keep the executive summary simple and easy to read. Avoid using jargon or technical language that would intimidate the average person.

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How to Write a Quality Improvement (QI) Report | An Ultimate Guide

Quality Improvement, or QI, is a big thing in the healthcare industry. Healthcare systems always have opportunities to optimize, test, develop, and streamline processes. QI is a continuous process and is done through a QI team.

 According to AAFP , quality improvement refers to the systematic and formal approach to analyzing practice performance using various quality assessment tools and using different models to improve performance in healthcare settings. Quality improvement is a proven and effective way to improve the care of patients, clients, and residents and practice for staff.

Quality improvement directly impacts patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes. It ensures Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and Patient-Centered Care (STEEP).

As a nursing student, you will be assigned to write a quality improvement paper or report. If you are not conversant with what to include in your paper, this guide will take you through the step-by-step process of creating a good quality improvement project paper or report. You should not confuse original research with a quality improvement report.

Steps of Creating a Quality Improvement Project Report

Healthcare sciences, Medical, or nursing students write quality improvement reports or papers to document the problems in their practice areas and develop appropriate interventions, evaluation measures, timelines, and implementation plans to improve healthcare quality. It is a rich document that helps hospital managers to address challenges facing their health organizations by incorporating evidence-based strategies. Both undergraduate and graduate students can write quality improvement projects. When tasked with writing one, follow the steps below:

1. Request for permission

If you write a quality improvement report or paper based on a case study , skip this step. However, if you are addressing a real-life scenario in a healthcare setting, writing to the management requesting to conduct research for your quality improvement paper is vital.

In most cases, if you have identified a potential practice problem, you must write a proposal on how and why you intend to address the issue.

Suppose you are investigating a problem and need access to pertinent data such as hospital performance records, books of accounting, patient feedback forms, HCHAPS and patient survey results, administrative data, clinical data, SOPs, duty rosters, etc. In that case, you will need clearance with healthcare institutions' top management and leadership teams.

Write a letter to the management explaining your reasons for conducting the quality improvement research and the relevance of engaging their healthcare institution. In addition, you can ask your instructor, preceptor, or nurse educator on the way forward so that you do not land into trouble when you begin writing the report.

With the permission, you then need to move to the next step.

2. Determine and Prioritize a Practice Problem

The initial step of a quality improvement project is to map out the specific area that needs improvement. You can identify the area from personal experience of patient care, observation, a critical incident or adverse event, evidence review, patient feedback (complaints, compliments, and discussions), or an audit. Next, you can observe processes and review documentation.

When you have identified an area that needs improvement, the next step is to utilize specific tools to understand the underlying issues.

 By implementing evidence-based interventions, you can perform a root course analysis to identify the underlying cause and prevent a recurrence. When looking at the causes, consider the physical, human, and organizational causes.

The physical causes are material items that could fail in one way or the other. Human causes, on the other hand, refer to challenges, mistakes, or failures arising from the healthcare personnel, patients, or those caring for the patients.

Finally, organizational causes refer to the processes, systems, standard operating procedures, or policies that do not function as intended.

Begin by examining the patient population to identify the barriers to care, conditions, or groups of high-risk patients. Next, consider the at-risk patients or patients with chronic conditions and check the problems that might affect them and need QI initiatives.

You should also examine the practice operations. For instance, you can identify the management issues such as high attrition, burnout, low morale, poor patient outcomes, long wait times, poor communication, medical errors, etc.

To do a root cause analysis, you can utilize many tools, including the five whys, drill down, priority matrix, cause and effect diagram (fishbone diagram), driver diagram, Health Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HFMEA), Sigma's DMAIC model, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool, Pareto charts/diagrams, Ishikawa diagram, process mapping, affinity diagrams, and check sheets.

These QI tools should help you identify and prioritize the specific quality improvement problem.

Related Article: Ideas for a capstone change project paper.

3. Develop an Objective

Having identified the problem and its underlying causes, it is important to define the project's scope to clarify what you intend to achieve. Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART).

You should then develop a multidisciplinary team to facilitate the project. First, consider the stakeholders, such as healthcare professionals, the management team, patients, patient representatives, and government representatives. 

Coming up with the goals and the project team helps shape the project ideas and is a positive indicator of the need for improvement. Next, consider engaging all the stakeholders and solving any issues leading to resistance.

4. Baseline Data Collection

To successfully evaluate the progress or effectiveness of a quality improvement intervention, it is imperative to measure the change. You should, therefore, take measurements to demonstrate the success or failure of the project.

Before implementing any changes, have a baseline measurement to track the project's progress. Your baseline should have at least 15 data points so that you can analyze the changes through time.

Consider all the healthcare quality measures , such as structural, process, balancing, and outcome measures, to identify the areas that need improvement.

Look at the patient medical records, patient surveys, patient comments, feedback from social media pages, standardized clinical data, and administrative data to prioritize the quality issues or problems in a healthcare setting.

Prioritize the problems based on their urgency to the specific organization and choose one that needs to be addressed immediately for your paper. You can also create a questionnaire to measure the baseline data.

5. Collect and Analyze Data about the problem

With the data collection results and comprehensive analysis of the baseline data, you need to develop interventions to address the issue.

Here is where you also choose the most appropriate QI model. Some of the quality improvement models include PDSA, Six SIGMA, Model for Improvement (MFI), ISBAR, Rapid Cycle Intervention (RCI), Experience-based Co-design (EBCD), FADE model, six sigma DMADV model (define, measure, analyze, design, verify), business process reengineering, total quality management (TQM), and the lean model.

It is important to note that planning and implementing the intervention (s) needs to be done through small-scale changes. Piloting the interventions on a smaller scale than a single extensive intervention addresses the challenges with resources. Effectively, most QI models entail aspects of the plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycle.

So you need to plan the intervention, implement it and collect the data, analyze the collected data and compare them to predictions, reflect on the lessons learned, and plan the next cycle of change or go into full implementation. So be very meticulous when planning the intervention.

6. Develop an Action Plan

You must then develop a strategic map or plan to help you implement the change at the full scope. Include the timeline for implementing different aspects of the QI project, the responsible teams, evaluation measures, the process of monitoring and evaluation, and how to ensure that everything progresses well.

Detail how you will sustain the changes you have achieved so far. Therefore, after implementing the small changes and making the necessary adjustments, you must schedule the full implementation of the intervention. Consequently, it is crucial to anticipate the success factors and some of the challenges that might affect the performance of the QI project.

You should document how to incorporate the changes into standardized frameworks to sustain them. For example, common frameworks could include proformas, checklists, protocols, SOPs, hospital policies, and guidelines. You can also incorporate the project into the hospital QI database for sustainability.

7. Disseminate your QI project

After concluding your project, you need to do a QI project report or write-up to disseminate the findings. You can develop flyers, presentations, reports, or blog posts to share your results with your peers and the senior hospital management. Doing a QI report can also be handy as it will reach a wider audience once published online. You can also share your project during grand rounds or QI project symposia so that people learn new ways to address certain aspects of healthcare. Also, include it in your online portfolio or blog to boost your resume. If your interventions yielded significant results, consider writing up the project as a journal article or abstract presentation.

In the next section of this guide, we take you through the necessary parts of a QI project report.

Structure of a Quality Improvement Paper or Report

There is no prescribed format for writing up a QI project report. However, you should ensure that it is professionally written. This means writing it using formatting styles such as AMA, APA, or Harvard. In addition, you can follow the SQUIRE guidelines when developing the report. In the many years we have helped nursing and med students write QI project reports, we have followed the structure below, and all the projects have been successful.

Type the title of the paper. It should be around 50 words and indicate the area of improvement you are focusing on.

The abstract is the summary of your work, attracting your readers' attention. Ensure that you offer a brief background of the problem, the method for your quality improvement project, the QI models and tools used, the timelines, results, and the conclusion.

An abstract is about 200-300 words. It should be factual, succinct, and refined. If you are writing in APA or Harvard, do not indent the abstract.

Introduction

The introduction should describe the importance and relevance of the QI problem beyond your current station of practice (hospital, clinic, nursing home, or community health center).

You should also state the gap between what is currently known and done and what needs to be done or known to achieve the desired quality improvement outcomes. You should also provide the context of the project, which entails describing the healthcare setting and the relevance of the problem.

You should give a brief overview of the problem, the proposed intervention strategies, the steps, and the timeline for intervention.

Your introduction also includes the measures you used to prioritize the problem and the evaluation measures for the interventions.

In the introduction, you also introduce the quality improvement teams you worked with when implementing and assessing the effectiveness of the interventions.

Methodology

Under the methodology section, you should focus on the measurement, design, and strategy.

Measurement section deals with explaining the measures you selected to study the processes and outcomes of the intervention.

You should describe the rationale for choosing the measures and their definition and comment on their reliability and validity.

Describe how you planned to collect the data through the project and how frequently the data was collected. You should also outline how you planned to establish if the observed outcomes were due to the implemented interventions.

Under the design sub-topic, describe the intervention (s) you implemented to improve the quality of care in your healthcare setting. Describe any assumptions and rationale for developing the interventions. If you used QI tools, ensure to mention them.

Also, mention the QI models that guided the implementation of the interventions. Finally, introduce the project team and elaborate on how you engaged or consulted with the team members or the entire organization.

If there were any barriers, mention them, including how you overcame them. You should also report the report's timeline, detailing every step taken and when it was taken. Also, describe how you planned to make the intervention sustainable.

Finally, you need to explain the strategy for improvement, demonstrating how you implemented your improvement cycles. Then, focus on the interventions and improvement cycles that worked.

If there are any hurdles, mention them. Then, describe the progressive improvement cycles, lessons learned, how such learning influenced change, and if the change predictions were needed to influence the outcomes.

The results section should be a paragraph or a few paragraphs that summarize the essential findings from the implementation.

You should provide a summary of the results. If there are visuals such as tables or charts, explain what they mean. Describe any variation in your data to elaborate on whether or not the interventions worked. You should also describe the contextual elements that interacted with the interventions and how they might have influenced the results.

You should briefly compare the results to the baseline measurements you took before the QI project. Also, comment on how you assessed the data's completeness, validity, and accuracy.

You should also comment on whether there were unintended consequences such as unexpected delays, failures, problems, or costs associated with the interventions.

Share with your readers the ongoing findings after implementing the interventions. Is there a positive or negative change? Are your objectives being met? What areas need to be tweaked or changed? Are there any challenges?

Reflect on the implications of the results on the setting. If any lessons are learned, especially those that impact the result, include them in this section.

As well as reflect on the limitations to the implementation of the project. Describe any biases and confounding factors that could have affected the results and your efforts to adjust to the limitations.

Also, discuss the limitations of the chosen models or steps and how they could have affected the findings. Also, briefly mention and explain the potential future recommendations or actions to make it work well.

It could be that the time was limited or there was resistance from the workforce. Let the readers understand why things never went as they were predicted.

You can use subheadings to organize this section.

The conclusion reflects on the project's background, noting what is known on the topic and the new knowledge that your project brings forth.

This is never a chance to introduce any new concepts. If your project had goals, ensure that you state how they were met or if you adjusted the scope of the aims as you proceeded.

Explain if the measures were appropriate and if there were any balancing measures used in your project. You can describe the cost analysis and demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Report on the sustainability of the intervention based on the data. If the intervention can be generalized, give recommendations that can be used to make it a success in different settings. Also, mention any steps you would recommend for further study so that the limitations of the current QI project are overcome.

Organize your references alphabetically in APA, AMA, or Harvard format. Ensure that you only include the sources that are referenced within your report.

Include supplementary materials such as graphs, flow charts, diagrams, and relevant images in the report.

Also Read: How to write a change management report in nursing school.

Tips for writing a successful QI project Report

If you are at the writing stage, here are some considerations.

• Ensure that your QI project is written chronologically. A chronological approach will help you avoid confusion and give the correct narrative.
• When writing the report, you are allowed to write in the first person. This is because you are reflecting on a process whose implementation you steered.
• You should ensure that every detail borrowed from scholarly nursing journals and other sources is well cited.
• Reducing admission-to-chemotherapy delays
• Make your QI report readable using visuals such as images, tables, pictures, process maps, diagrams, and illustrations.
• If you are using an executive summary, ensure that it captures whatever your project is about and gives a snapshot of what to expect.
• Make your project easy to navigate using a table of content. You can also use the IMRAD scientific format to make it easy to navigate.
• Contextualize the report when writing about a project implemented in a local setting.
• Ensure that the measurement section captures every detail. For example, give the rationale for choosing provided measurements and how they influenced project outcomes. You can include flow charts, timeline diagrams, and tables for clarity.
• Identify the limits of generalizability of the outcomes of your project
• Describe the project's sustainability and some success factors should it be implemented in other settings or contexts.
• Ensure that you record the impacts of the project on systems and people.
• Detail the challenges faced and how you overcame them
• Clarify any reasons for the differences in observed and predicted outcomes
• Describe the factors that might have affected the internal validity, such as measurements, analysis, design, and bias factors.

Quality Improvement Areas and Topics to Consider

Consider these ideas and topic areas if you plan to undertake a quality improvement project.

• Emergency room overcrowding
• Anxiety and depression during cancer
• Reducing constipation or lymphedema among cancer patients
• Addressing hot flashes among cancer patience
• Reducing immune-mediated adverse events among cancer patients
• Reducing cancer-related fatigue among cancer patients
• Improving outcomes of Sleep-Wake Disturbance during Cancer Treatment 
• Improving team-based care for cancer patients using CDSS
• Improving self-management prevention strategies for diabetic patients
• Improving healthy lifestyle among obese patients
• Improving diagnosis of congenital cataracts by introducing NGS genetic testing
• Improving the outcome of self-management practices by diabetes patients who are elderly
• Addressing and responding to sepsis in accident and emergency departments
• Implementing text messaging to reduce smoking among elderly men
• Reducing medical-related adverse events
• Reducing post-operative infections
• Using a data-driven approach to shorten hospital stays
• Reducing near-death events in a cardiac facility
• Addressing the shortage of medicines in a healthcare facility
• Reducing hospital readmissions
• Reducing mortality rates of spinal cord injury for road traffic accident patients
• Reducing the number of urinary catheter infections
• Reducing blood contamination during and after transfusion
• Optimizing sepsis care
• Optimizing wound care in a healthcare setting
• Reducing patient falls at a nursing home facility
• Improving the documentation of electronic medical records
• Improving access to quality healthcare
• Reducing low uptake of health insurance
• Improving coordination among healthcare departments in a hospital
• Decreasing electronic medical error
• Reducing mortality rates of pre-term babies at a NICU facility
• Improving exclusive breastfeeding uptake among new mothers
• Improving medical adherence for elderly patients
• Reducing polypharmacy in elderly patients
• Improving hospital discharge
• Improving equitable access to kidney transplantation and dialysis through the referral process
• Preventing healthcare-associated infection-related deaths
• Improving communication during handoffs
• Improving the handoff process
• Reducing nurse fatigue and stress
• Improving inter-professional collaboration in healthcare settings
• Addressing high nursing workload to address patient safety
• Implementing "Quiet Please!" drug round tabards to reduce medication administration errors
• Reducing urinary catheter-related infections
• Reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia in healthcare settings
• Reducing pressure ulcers among burn patients
• Improving adherence to hand hygiene practices

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How to Write an Effective Quality Investigation Report

July 6, 2017

In 2016, the FDA issued hundreds of 483 observations across the Drug and Device industries for failing to thoroughly review or investigate issues. This topic consistently hits the top five most frequent observations cited year after year.

What is it about the investigation process that so many organizations are struggling with?

In this guide, we’ll explain why organizations struggle with conducting investigations, how to avoid common pitfalls, and ultimately how to write an investigation report.

What is an Investigation Report?

A deviation occurs when there is a departure from approved SOP’s and standards during filling, packing, sampling, and testing.   Deviations can be planned or unplanned and vary in severity. The purpose of investigation is to identify the root cause of the deviation(s) and outline the corrective steps taken by the organization to ensure the safety, purity, quality, strength, and integrity of the product.

Why Organizations Struggle with the Investigation Process

While each organization has its own nuances and investigations will vary widely on a case-by-case basis, most issues with an investigation can be traced back to two causes:

1. Uncertainty on where to begin

One pitfall that new investigators can encounter is where to start.  ‘How did this issue happen?  Does your company have a robust quality system to prevent these types of occurrences?’ These issues are moved to the back of the stack and as time starts to slip by, the investigation becomes overdue due with several extensions.  The work seems daunting and difficult to complete.  This can lead to the investigation not being thorough as employees involved in the investigation start to forget details or leave the company for another opportunity leaving the investigator unable to interview the employee involved in the deviation.

2. Underestimating the complexity of an investigation

An investigation can appear to be as simple as ABC, which can be another pitfall, A) Something unexpected happens, B) the problem is assessed, and C) the issue is fixed, and we move on to the next investigation. This simplicity can lead to a false sense of security never realizing, until Quality or an agency performing an inspection finds problems or gaps in the investigation.   Remember, a company’s Quality Management System (e.g., SOPs, Batch Records, etc.) is designed to prevent unforeseen issues. 

So, what is the secret to avoiding these pitfalls?  Ask a lot of questions.  Interview employees involved in the deviation.  Make sure the interviews are timely.  The more time that passes by the information becomes more diluted as people’s memories tend to fade.

Writing Investigative Reports Example

The flow chart image below outlines the process flow of a typical quality investigation . The investigation process is best performed with a team; involve individuals and subject matter experts from the impacted departments. Follow this example when performing an investigation and make adjustments based on the circumstances of you’re investigating.

How to Write an Investigation

The investigation method that I use takes the process elements outlined in the image above and places them into a report format or template. Each section of the report is designed to discuss the corresponding element and will guide you through the investigation process. This format may be included in your Quality Investigation SOP as an outline for all investigations. The method is structured as such:

1. Documentation and detailed description of the event that occurred

Describe the event that was initially observed and what was expected to occur. Use times and dates while answering the questions who, what, when, and where. If this is a non-complex, readily identifiable root cause(s) of low impact, move to step 5 Impact Assessment.

2. Historical Search

Perform a historical search based on your investigation.  Has this deviation occurred before?  How many times and when?  A historical search can help you find if a CAPA already exists for the problem that occurred?  The CAPA may have not been implemented at the time of your investigation.  E.g., an SOP addition is needed to prevent a particular event but is not scheduled to be implemented for another month.  In this case, you can assign that CAPA to your investigation if appropriate.  Now let’s say the update did occur to the SOP months before your deviation.  You now know that the CAPA is not effective and a new CAPA must be planned and implemented.

3. Full Detailed Investigation

Start by explaining the process as it was supposed to occur.  This will Segway into your investigation.  Choose the investigation technique that is appropriate for the investigation at hand (e.g., 6-M’s, 5 why’s, Fishbone.) List all possible failures/excursions that could lead to the generation of the incident that is being investigated.  In some cases, multiple root causes can rise to the surface of the investigation, or several contributing factors can be identified.  The investigation must be thorough, or the risk of re-occurrence is likely).

TIP : Photos, diagrams, and flow charts are great inclusions to clarify fix or failure to the reader.

4. Possible Root Cause(s) Identified

Using a full sentence, create a root cause statement (e.g., “From the investigation the most probable Root Cause(s) was identified to be…”).

5. Impact Assessment Overall (Post Root Cause Identification)

Document “if” or “if not” this problem could occur in other areas or other product runs, indicate any potential for other products to be affected, and describe regulatory impact or consumer risk.

6. Assignment of Corrective and Preventative Actions

Document how/what was done to correct the problem at hand and how/what was done or needs to be done to prevent a reoccurrence.

7. Investigation Conclusion

Create a conclusion statement. Include recommendations based upon the investigation and impact assessments (e.g., “As a result of this complaint investigation it was determined that there is not any direct product risk and the product will remain in released status. Corrective Actions X, Y, and Z were immediately completed and the following CAPA follow-up numbers have been assigned to the long term Preventative Actions A, B, and C…”).

8. Metrics and Effectiveness check

Review and verify that the corrective and preventative actions implemented were sufficient in eliminating the reoccurrence of the problem. Update associated metrics for further process trending.

Bolster Your Quality System Through Effective Investigation Reporting

Following this process will help you perform consistent and thorough investigations that resolve issues and bolster your Quality System. This will in turn improve quality and help to avoid the common “failure to thoroughly review or investigate issues” FDA 483 observation. If you still aren’t sure how to write an investigation, consider working with a third-party expert such as ProPharma Group.

Learn about ProPharma Group’s Quality and Compliance Services or contact us to get in touch with our subject matter experts for a customized presentation.

TAGS: Compliance FDA CAPA Life Science Consulting

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How to Write Up Your Quality Improvement Initiatives for Publication

The Journal of Graduate Medical Education often receives submissions from trainees and educators highlighting work they do in quality improvement (QI). This is remarkably encouraging given the emphasis that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Next Accreditation System has placed on integrating QI into the clinical learning environment. 1 A major challenge for editors reviewing these manuscripts is the inconsistency with which authors report QI initiatives. After reviewing a large number of these submissions, we have noted common problems that arise and have prepared the following guide to help prospective authors prepare QI reports for publication.

Consistent with the Journal 's common format for Original Research or Educational Innovation articles (ie, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion), our suggestions will highlight what authors should explicitly emphasize within each of these manuscript sections as it pertains to their QI initiative. We realize that a number of other frameworks and guidelines exist, the most common being the SQUIRE guidelines, which were updated in the fall of 2015. 2 Our suggestions are synergistic with the updated SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines, yet they also provide a high-level view of the philosophies that underpin these guidelines to help authors not only at the time of writing, but also when planning and implementing their QI initiatives.

What Is the Quality Problem, Why Is It Important, and What Is Your Aim?

The Introduction section must be brief. This is not the time to provide an in-depth review of the literature on your quality problem of interest—which could be an important but separate paper. Instead, it is most important to articulate why this quality problem is relevant beyond your local institution . Is it a common safety problem ubiquitous to multiple care settings, such as the need to improve patient handoffs? Or perhaps there are legislative changes or financial incentives that promote interest in your issue, such as the linking of financial reimbursement to readmission rates. Whatever the reason, it is critical to make clear what the external impact of your QI initiative would be for other groups and the readers of the journal. If the QI problem can be framed only as a need specific to your own setting, then the results may be best published in a local newsletter rather than a national or international journal.

After succinctly outlining the importance and relevance of the QI problem, the Introduction must describe the gap between current practice and preferred practice . What prior QI strategies have or have not worked to address this quality problem? If there is no gap in our understanding on how to improve practice, then further study of the area would be of limited value. Authors must demonstrate understanding of the pertinent literature in order to briefly discuss prior strategies that have been attempted; this usually includes the strategy as well as the required resources and resulting outcomes. Replication of a successful intervention in a new setting can help to fill key gaps in understanding: here the evidence gap is whether a prior strategy can be replicated in a different setting, one that is dissimilar in important features to the initial study.

Finally, the Introduction must also make clear what you hoped to achieve by carrying out your QI initiative. In 1 or 2 sentences, the final paragraph should clearly state the primary aim of your QI project. There are numerous references providing guidance on how to write good “aim” statements, by making sure that they are “SMART” (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, anytime bound). 3 A clear and concise statement of the primary aim, and any relevant sub-aims, will ground the readers in the main purpose of your QI project.

Describing the Proposed Intervention, Including a Theory for Change, and the Road Toward Improvement

For QI reports the Methods section is probably the most important section as it ensures that readers understand how they can translate your reported innovation into their own settings. To facilitate this, authors must attend to several important issues. These include the context in which the QI work was carried out (ie, setting and participants) and a detailed description of the implementation strategy . The strategy must also include a theory for why a specific intervention (or set of interventions) was chosen.

Let's start with the proposed intervention. In QI, too often authors simply reach for the first available solution off the shelf without first considering why that particular solution could address the problem at hand. Frequently, authors appear to believe that checklists and order sets will solve everything. The truth is that if authors do not articulate a theory or rationale for why their proposed intervention should fix the quality problem of interest, they run the risk of designing a suboptimal intervention or choosing the wrong approach altogether. For example, attempts to reduce physician prescribing of unnecessary antibiotics to children with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs; eg, continuing medical education, postcard reminders summarizing treatment guidelines, etc) consistently fail because they primarily address provider awareness rather than the dominant driver, which is parental demand for antibiotics. Theorizing that the ideal intervention should address parental expectations, one would instead choose an approach such as implementing the use of delayed antibiotic prescriptions, which in a recent Cochrane review has been shown to significantly reduce antibiotic utilization for the treatment of URTIs in children. 4

Similar to the general call for more theory-based interventions in medical education, 5 there has been a recent call for more theory-based QI interventions. 6 Therefore, the preferred approach is to clearly articulate the link between the proposed solution and the problem it will solve. For example, a hospitalist team seeking to reduce unnecessary urinary catheter use might theorize that a key driver is that residents do not know whether a patient has a urinary catheter in situ . A sensible solution therefore might bypass the physician altogether. For example, instituting automatic stop orders 7 and nursing advanced directives 8 to remove urinary catheters are 2 interventions that have previously been shown to be effective.

It is also crucial that authors state not only what the intervention was and its underlying rationale, but also how it was iteratively tested, refined, and eventually implemented. A common framework used in QI is rapid cycle change methodology or PDSA (plan-do-study-act) cycles. 9 Unfortunately, many published QI reports, despite claiming to use PDSA cycles, demonstrate little evidence that they refined their intervention prior to implementation. 10 This is a problem because for QI initiatives the devil really is in the details. It is simply not good enough to say that “we implemented a checklist” or “we created a new care pathway.” Instead, authors need to report how changes were tested and refined; reflect on what worked, what did not, and why; and provide a description of the eventual intervention. Recognizing how challenging it can be to chronicle the evolution of the proposed intervention from start to finish in a concise manner, authors should consider the use of a figure or a table to summarize the key PDSA cycles, which will avoid excess word length while still providing a concise summary of what was actually done. Another option for providing more details is to include additional supplemental information for publication online. For QI projects it is imperative that at least 2 cycles, and usually more, are described in the Methods section.

The Local Context and Its Impact on the QI Initiative

In evaluative research, authors go to great lengths to describe how they have controlled for contextual factors to ensure that they have eliminated any bias that might unduly influence their outcomes of interest. QI is different in this regard: context is critical to understand and characterize, not control . Authors must include details about their context and how these might influence the implementation or outcomes of QI projects to sensitize readers to the contextual factors that require careful consideration when introducing the QI intervention to local institutions.

Batalden and Davidoff 11 described the importance of context in a brief commentary. They provided a framework for QI that links generalizable scientific evidence to a particular context in order to generate measured performance improvement. Importantly, they emphasized that the focus should be both on the context, as well as how the generalizable scientific evidence (or the proposed intervention) integrates within the particular local context. In QI, a detailed description of the context is just as important as a detailed description of the proposed intervention.

Consider the example of a QI project to reduce unnecessary lab ordering. The reader would want to know: Does the institution have computer-based or paper-based orders? If computer-based, is it easy to make changes to the order entry system to introduce clinical decision support? How engaged is the lab in clinical QI initiatives? What is the front line staff capacity and capability for QI? All of these contextual factors play heavily into the choice of the intervention, how the intervention gets implemented, and how it affects project outcomes.

This emphasis on context for QI reports parallels a similar need in reports of educational interventions. For example, educators implementing bedside procedure training must also account for and describe relevant contextual factors, such as whether a simulation lab is available, whether faculty have maintained competence in bedside procedures, whether a culture of direct observation and feedback exists, and whether there is a mechanism to track procedures and monitor for complications. Similar to medical education research, explicitly acknowledging the role of context is paramount in the reporting of any QI initiative.

What Is the Evaluation Plan?

Most QI initiatives rely on the Donabedian model of outcome, process, and balancing measures to evaluate the impact of their intervention. 12 While beyond the scope of this article to address the specifics of measurement in QI, we will offer several practical suggestions. First, most QI projects will focus on improving processes of care and may not be able to demonstrate downstream impact on clinical outcomes. This is acceptable, as long as the authors have selected process measures that are tightly coupled with the clinical outcome of interest. For example, an orthopedic surgery residency team aiming to improve venothromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis rates could justifiably track VTE prophylaxis administration as a clinical process because hospitalized patients who receive VTE prophylaxis have a very low likelihood of developing VTEs. 13

Another useful process measure to report is one that measures the fidelity of the intervention. In other words, include a process measure that tracks how consistently or reliably your intervention is applied. For example, if your main intervention to improve VTE prophylaxis is the creation and implementation of a standardized order set, a measure of implementation fidelity would be to track whether residents and faculty actually used the order set. This is particularly informative for unsuccessful QI projects—interventions with high fidelity suggest that other contributing factors require attention, whereas interventions with low fidelity suggest that the evaluation may have been premature and more work is needed to increase uptake of the intervention before large-scale implementation and evaluation are undertaken.

Last but not least, balancing measures, which are intended to measure unintended consequences, often are missing from QI reports. A medical journal would not accept a clinical trial that reports only on the potential benefits and not the harms of a novel therapy, and we need to hold reports of QI interventions to a similar standard. Therefore, balancing measures of unintended consequence should be reported to ensure that the QI intervention improves care and does not create new problems. For example, if a QI initiative focuses on improving resident adherence to guidelines for a clinical area, such as diabetes care, does adherence to other guidelines, such as preventive screening, decline? If a new electronic handover tool is developed to support handoff communication, are there errors in the new document due to cut/paste activities? Selecting and reporting on sound balancing measures ensures a healthy respect for the law of unintended consequences in QI.

Providing Data With Greater Clarity

When it comes to displaying the data, it is best to avoid simple before-after comparisons. This evaluative approach is suboptimal because secular trends make it difficult to attribute observed differences to the intervention. Traditional approaches to research and evaluation would typically address this limitation through the inclusion of a contemporaneous control group or setting, which is also suitable for QI studies.

An alternative approach would be to display your outcome or process measures over time through the use of statistical process control. This methodology often utilizes run charts or control chart s to display data over time ( figure ). Following run chart or control chart “rules,” one can interpret the data plotted sequentially over time to identify instances when variation is not due to random chance (so-called special cause variation). Such handling of data enhances the ability to determine whether changes that occurred were a result of the interventions introduced, and greatly strengthens the evaluative approach as compared to aggregated before-after data. The BMJ Quality & Safety journal has published an overview on the use and interpretation of run charts. 14

Example of Control Chart to Display Quality Data Over Time

Note: This is an example of a control chart (specifically a P-chart). A typical control chart has the quality measure of interest on the Y-axis. The X-axis is always a time scale (in this case, consecutive months). As the team carries out the quality improvement initiative, they collect data prospectively over time and plot the data on a control chart. Using statistical process control software, several lines are plotted. The dotted line is the center line (CL) and is equivalent to the mean. The dashed lines on either side of the mean are the upper and lower control limits (UCL and LCL; approximately 3 standard deviations, or sigmas, on either side of the mean). Using this information, the statistical process control software can identify segments of the chart where nonrandom variation is occurring (so-called special cause variation). On this graph, the 2 times where nonrandom variation are occurring are indicated by the triangle and circle markers, suggesting that modification to the order set, and not education, was likely responsible for the improvement seen in venothromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis ordering.

What Are the Implications of the Work? What Are the Next Steps?

For QI papers, the Discussion section will be similar to papers describing educational innovations or research. This section should concisely summarize the main findings of the QI project, relate the key findings to what is already known in the published literature, reflect on the broader implications of the findings, discuss how important limitations could have affected the findings, and briefly introduce next steps to further understand the field.

Perhaps most important are the reflections on lessons learned and future directions. In particular, reflections on the influence of the local context on project implementation and outcomes are highly relevant as readers will need to understand this if they want to replicate the intervention within their local context.

Well-conducted QI interventions that produced “negative” results (ie, did not achieve their intended outcomes) are still important and worthwhile for dissemination. Your reflections on why the intervention did not work can be helpful to others who might consider a similar initiative. In some cases, the problem may be the intervention itself, which signals the need to consider an alternative approach to addressing the QI problem of interest. More commonly, the implementation of the intervention lacked fidelity, or the integration of the intervention within the local context was suboptimal. In these instances, your QI report will still be helpful to others who can build on your work.

The Conclusion section of the report is also similar to Original Research and Educational Innovation articles. This short paragraph succinctly summarizes the most important findings from the study, without speculating beyond the results. Conclusions should be appropriately conservative in relation to the study findings. See the table for a summary of elements essential for QI reports.

Quality Improvement (QI) Reports: Recommended Elements and Common Pitfalls

By providing this overview of the approach to writing up QI initiatives, we hope to clarify, up front, those aspects of your initiative that require the most emphasis. The considerations presented here can serve as a high-level guide to authors, with the goal of disseminating QI reports that are more useful for other programs. QI studies that involve residents, faculty, or the general graduate medical education environment as key elements of the context or intervention are appropriate for submission to the Journal of Graduate Medical Education . We look forward to publishing reports that inform programs and educators about effective faculty and learner engagement in QI activities within the graduate medical education learning environment.

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Blog Business Data Reporting: How to Create a High-Quality Data Report

Data Reporting: How to Create a High-Quality Data Report

Written by: Xiaoyun Tu Feb 24, 2022

To most people, data is incredibly boring. However, it’s also incredibly necessary for the efficient operations of any business. This means that the people who truly understand data, need to find ways of presenting it so that others can understand it, too.

The data in the infographic below could have been presented as a paragraph of text. But as data visualization, it’s more impactful. 

If you want to create a high-quality data report you should be able to support your facts and present them in a way that will entice or entertain your audience. Let’s tackle some techniques on how to create an eye-catching data report that reaches your business goals.

Start the report-making process on a positive note with Venngage’s Report Maker . No design experience required!

Click to jump ahead:

What is a data report, what are the basics of data reports, how to write a high-quality report.

A data report, like the infographic below, is how you present data in a way that is both understandable and actionable. Reports can be presented in a variety of formats that have come a long way from the old-fashioned lists of numbers on a document. 

Modern data reports must be visually engaging to help make the data more accessible to all. They may be presented in forms such as graphs, pie charts, infographics , PowerPoint presentations, and more; whatever best suits the data being presented and who it’s being presented to. 

Return to Table of Contents

Purpose of data reports

There are many reasons why data is crucial for how your business operates. It gives you exact information on various aspects of every area of operations so that you can make strategic changes when needed. 

It can allow you to accurately forecast demand so you can improve customer satisfaction or present alarming statistics that will stir people to action.

Types of data reports

The data you use, and how you present it, can vary greatly. For example, the data you collect from a warehouse management system may look very different from the data you collect from a POS (point of sale) system. There are two main types of data reports:

Static reports typically present data from a single source and provide historical data, such as seeing a drop or increase in eBay sales if you own an online store. This type of report is both easy to create and easy for any reader to understand. 

• Interactive 

Interactive reports are more dynamic and will usually present real-time or current data. Think about the kind of dimensions you can track in Google Analytics, for example. The advantage of interactive reports is that because they show current data, they allow you to look more closely at what’s happening now and take action if and when needed. 

Accessibility of data reports

Data reporting needs to be as accessible to your audiences as possible. With the advent of business intelligence (BI) tools, particularly cloud-based ones, you don’t need to be an IT expert to access and create reports. However, it is essential to be aware of potential cloud security issues when utilizing these tools, as sensitive data can be vulnerable to breaches or data loss if the proper security measures are not in place. Implementing CWPP security can significantly improve the defense against threats to your data in the cloud, ensuring that your reporting remains both accessible and secure. Additionally, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can further safeguard your data transmissions, enhancing privacy and security when accessing your cloud-based reports.

You can easily use tools such as Google Data Studio to present information, such as the demographic data infographic below. 

Different team members can collaborate on reports, giving you a better overview of how your business is performing. With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature, working with team members becomes much easier.

With such flexible modern tools, it’s not only easier to create good data reports but also to disseminate them via different channels, from automated emails to presenting them via a dashboard report or via a specific app. 

Know the audience for your report

Why are you creating a report and who is it for? These are two essential questions of data reporting that will help to decide what data is used and how you present it. 

An annual report may just be an overview of how the business has performed so that relevant stakeholders can see it. Other reports may be created for specific reasons such as presenting financial data .

The ‘who’ is as important as the ‘what’. The report you present to a potential client will probably look very different from a report created for your C-suite requesting the purchase of an on-premise system to improve enterprise planning. 

For an external report, you’re more likely to be creative in the use of fonts and graphics than you would be with an internal one. 

A branded report is always more impactful. Use Venngage’s My Brand Kit to import branding assets from multiple organizations, including logos, fonts, and colors. Then you can apply the brand to any design with just one click.

Have a detailed plan and choose the appropriate metrics

You need to identify what data matters (or matters most). The first step to doing that is to consider what you want to achieve from the data and the related reports. By doing so, you can eliminate the ‘white noise’ of unnecessary data that may end up hiding the numbers that really matter.

Different reports will, of course, call for different data sets. Generally, your data will come from (and give insights into) one area of your company. For example, if creating a report on customer retention, then a major piece of data is going to be your churn rate. Reports may be created for specific reasons. These can include:

• Recommendations : These could be to encourage some changes to current systems and processes. For example, a manager may want changes to the current task management process, and a data-driven report could highlight flaws in the current process. 
• Risk/feasibility : Maybe a significant change is planned to your business model, such as switching production to a whole new line of products. Risk and feasibility reports can help assess any risks involved and the potential success of any new plan.
• R&D (research and development) : Many businesses thrive and scale through innovation. Data and reports based on R&D can influence decisions on what direction a business should take.
• Regulation/Compliance : All industries face some sort of regulatory requirements. These can include things such as PCI regulations for merchants who take payments by credit cards. Data in reports can illustrate how well you’re complying with such regulations, as well as highlighting any areas that need improving. 
• KPIs and metrics : This data can be like a major health check for your organization. It demonstrates how well you’re performing in the measured areas such as sales statistics. It can also help you see where you may need to implement new processes, such as order management solutions. 

Your KPIs will demonstrate how well, or not, your previous planning and strategic decisions are working. They can also influence every major decision regarding your business as you move forward, including scalability, budgeting (in every area), marketing campaigns, and so on. Summary reports can help illustrate your results concisely.

When working with KPI data, there are a few questions you should consider:

• What do you need to know from the metric report or data? 
• Will the data presented on your dashboard report actually help inform decisions?
• What insights do the readers need to gain from this report?
• Which KPIs are relevant and should be included in any report? 
• Are other KPIs not primarily relevant, but would offer benefits if included?

Easily add charts to your reports with Venngage. Import data from a Google sheet or CSV file and the editor automatically populates the data into your report.

Visualize data in your reports

Effective data visualization can transform boring numbers into something engaging and interesting. There are many ways to visualize data nowadays, from using the report generation capabilities of business intelligence (BI) dashboards or Google Data Studio to utilizing effective report templates like the one below. 

Some examples of good templates include:

• Statistical Infographic  
• Nonprofit Impact Report
• Budget Report  

As with other areas of reporting and analytics, it’s important to consider the reason for the report and who will be viewing it. While you may be more creative with a report designed as a pitch for a new customer, you don’t want to go overboard. Use visuals that effectively communicate what the data says in a concise and understandable format. 

You should also consider how people will view the report. While some reports may be presented at a meeting as a slideshow or presentation, other reports may be sent to relevant stakeholders in an email or other formats. This means you have to make sure that any visualizations can be viewed on multiple device types.

Make an actionable data report

Some reports may be purely for informational purposes, but the majority are designed to influence and inform decisions and actions. There’s little point in cramming such a report full of great data and visualizations without some sort of conclusion that can lead to those decisions and actions. 

You need to go beyond your report simply showing “how things are” and add in “this is what we need to do to change or improve”. Think of it as being an operational CTA (call to action) that demonstrates what steps and decisions should be made next. You should also be showing why those decisions are needed and the benefits they will bring. 

Use the right chart or table

Graphs and tables can be an integral part of a data report, but you don’t want them to be confusing or misleading. Before you create a graph or table, ask yourself the question: “What do I want this to show?” These are visual representations of particular aspects you want to report on, such as increases in conversion rates by season. 

Make your report easy to read

Whether presented virtually or as hard copy, you want people to be able to read any report easily. That means carefully considering any use of fonts, themes, colors, and backgrounds. For example, white font on a light background will be difficult to read. It is worth having your report “proofread” by at least two colleagues to ensure readability. 

The takeaway 

Data, and data reporting, have come a long way in recent years. Gone are the dull lists of figures, to be replaced by reports that can be both visually engaging and also insightful. And though visually engaging is a great thing to be, that insightfulness is the primary aim of any data reporting you do. 

Any report needs to be of high quality and must engage the reader well, but it must also inform them as much as possible, especially when the data reporting seeks to influence important strategic or operational decisions. Good data reports can be the fuel that drives your business upwards and forwards.

Need help making a data report? Create one in minutes with Venngage’s easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor.

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How To Write a Book Report?

• Smodin Editorial Team
• Published: May 30, 2024

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in middle school or tackling a college-level project; writing a book report that’s clear and impressive isn’t easy. But this isn’t entirely true, as you need to know how to go about it.

In this guide, we will walk you through different steps to writing a book report. From preparing to writing an engaging plot summary to creating a strong critical analysis, we’ll share different examples and the best ways to write a book report that can earn you good grades.

Keep reading on with these easy tips, and you’ll soon master the steps and impress your teachers and professors!

1. Preparing To Write a Book Report

Before you start writing a book report, a little preparation can go a long way in making the writing process easier.

The first step in learning how to write a book report is gathering all the information you need. Once you’ve gotten it together, it’s a simple matter of organizing your thoughts. Follow these steps.

• Read the book : Start by reading the entire book, even if it’s non-fiction, to understand the story and important plot points. Take notes while reading to identify the main characters, major themes, and key events. Be sure to highlight memorable passages or specific examples that stand out.
• Understand the assignment: Make sure you know the requirements, like the correct font, word count, and any specific guidelines. Find out whether the book report should include a critical analysis, personal opinion, or character analysis.
• Outline your report : Create a basic outline to help guide your writing. Divide your report into logical sections, like an introductory paragraph, plot summary, body paragraphs, and concluding paragraphs. This also involves jotting down key elements to include in each section, like a thesis statement or the main points of your argument.
• Research background information : Google the book’s title, author’s writing style, publication date, and brief description to get some more context. You might also want to explore the book cover to see how it might influence your understanding of the book.
• Organize your thoughts: Studies have found a direct link between note-taking and academic success, showing just how important notes can be in various contexts. Arrange your notes to focus on the main themes, important aspects of the plot, and your personal thoughts. Then, think about how you’ll analyze the author’s writing style and use of literary devices.

2. Write the Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for your entire book report. It’s your best chance to grab the reader’s attention while giving them key background information and framing your main points. Here’s how you can create an introductory paragraph that captivates readers and leaves them wanting to learn more.

• Introduce the book : Always start with the book’s title in quotation marks or italics, then include the writer’s name right after. It’s also important to provide the publication date and any historical context that’s relevant to understanding the book, like ongoing conflict or a recent invention.
• Provide a brief overview : Provide a very concise summary of the entire book to give readers an idea of what to expect. Highlight the book’s genre and a brief description of the setting. You should also mention whether it’s a fiction or non-fiction book.
• Present the thesis statement : This is pretty much the central point or argument that your report will make. This may require some practice, but formulate a clear thesis statement that reflects your analysis of the book. Your thesis should reveal the main themes, key elements, and specific examples that you’ll discuss in the body paragraphs.
• Engage the reader : Open with a catchy hook, like a vivid quote from the book or an interesting fact about the author. You could also pose a question or make a surprising statement related to the book’s major themes. When doing this, be sure to use vivid language to make the reader curious.
• Stay clear and concise : Avoid loading the introduction with too many details. Remember that you want to leave the reader with just enough, so they crave more information. Keep it brief and focused.
• Practice your thesis statement : Don’t just stick with the first thesis statement that you create. Revise it a couple of times until it illustrates your main argument in a way that’s clear and interesting.
• Be specific : Make sure the thesis statement is specific and directly relates to the analysis you’re about to present.
• Preview the structure : Give a hint of what readers will find in the body paragraphs, like theme analysis or character analysis.

3. Write the Plot Summary

When your plot summary has been written well, readers will get a nice idea of the story. They’ll also learn important aspects of the book’s events and themes.

• Always start with the basics. Briefly state the book’s title and the main character’s name.
• Provide a brief summary of the setting to help readers visualize where the story is happening.
• The next step is outlining key events, which involves identifying the major happenings or plot points that define the story.
• Sum up how the plot develops from the beginning to the climax and resolution, focusing on the book’s central conflict and main events.
• Avoid spoilers: For longer book reports, be careful not to reveal too much about the ending.
• Stay true to the story: Ensure your summary accurately represents the author’s writing style and the book’s themes.
• Keep taking notes: As you write the summary, refer back to the notes you made while reading. This will ensure you’ve captured all the key points.

While writing the plot summary, it’s important to keep it concise and clear. Don’t try to squeeze in every single detail; highlight only the essential plot points. If relevant, mention significant literary devices that the author used. This is often elements like foreshadowing or symbolism but don’t go into too much detail while mentioning these.

Connect major events to the book’s major themes or underlying message. This will help show how the actions of the main characters shape the story’s progression.

Throughout this, it’s also important to stay neutral and be chronological. The plot summary should be an objective recount of the story, not a subjective critique. Save personal opinions for the analysis and conclusion. Along with this, be sure to present the story’s events in the same order as they happen in the book. This helps keep the flow logical.

4. Write the Analysis

Writing a strong analysis can take your book report to another level. It can also show how well you understand the book’s themes, characters, and key details. Here’s how to craft a thoughtful analysis:

• Highlight the main themes: Identify the book’s primary themes and how they impact the story. You then have to explain how these themes affect the main character and their development throughout the story. Provide specific examples that illustrate how the author explores these themes.
• Conduct a character analysis: Focus on the main character, explaining their motivations, what makes them tick, and their role in the plot. After doing that, analyze how their actions shape the story and how they evolve over time. Discuss relationships between the main character and others to reveal more about the book’s relationship dynamics.
• Examine literary devices : Book reports often fall short when they overlook the writing style and use of literary devices. Unpack the symbolism, imagery, or motifs that deepen the book’s themes or enhance the plot. Mention how these devices contribute to the overall impact of the book.
• Offer critical insights : Break down the way the author writes to influence the book’s tone. It’s important to compare the book with other works by the same author or similar books to offer perspective. Give the reader a brief book review within the report that highlights its strengths and weaknesses while supporting your analysis.
• Stay focused on key details : Keep the analysis aligned with your thesis statement and only discuss relevant points. Be sure to organize your analysis in a way that makes sense to the reader.

5. Write the Conclusion

The conclusion is the final step in the process and if you get it right, you could have a pretty good report on your hands. This section should neatly wrap up your book by summarizing key points and providing a final thought. Here’s how to go about it.

• Restate the thesis statement : Begin your conclusion by restating the thesis statement but differently. The goal here is to summarize your main argument, tying it to your analysis of the book’s theme, characters, and plot.
• Recap key points : Provide a concise summary of the key points you discussed in the body paragraphs, like the main themes, character development, and writing style used. You should also highlight the most crucial insights that your book report offered without creating repetition.
• Connect to the introduction : Tie your conclusion back to the introductory paragraph by referring to the initial hook or question posed at the start. This will create a satisfying sense of closure in your report.
• Offer final thoughts : If appropriate, share your personal opinion about the book as a whole and whether it met your expectations. Suggest who might enjoy reading this book and offer recommendations.
• Leave a strong impression : End your conclusion with a powerful statement that makes the reader think about the book and your analyses. You could also consider linking the book’s themes or lessons to broader ideas or other books.

Additional Tips for Writing a Book Report

Before you rush to start writing, here are some practical tips to keep in mind:

• Find an interesting book : Pick a book that genuinely interests you. Your enthusiasm will reflect in your writing and keep you motivated throughout the writing process.
• Don’t read tired: This is a big mistake as you won’t be able to effectively digest all that the book has to offer. Remember that this is a book report and not just reading for enjoyment. So, always opt to read with fresh eyes to accurately identify key elements and take notes.
• Use quotations sparingly : Only include the most impactful quotes that directly support your analysis.
• Find a different angle : This is particularly applicable if you’re doing a report on a popular book. Try to bring in a new perspective or interpretation that shakes things up a little. Mind you, it’s important not to force it. The new perspective that you bring should still make sense in line with the book’s themes.
• Stay on topic: When a book is interesting, it might be tempting to want to include and link every single element. Don’t do that. Ensure each paragraph aligns with your thesis statement and provides valuable insights.
• Proofread and revise : Check for clarity, spelling, and grammar errors to ensure your report is polished and well-structured.

Make Writing a Book Report Easy With Smodin

Smodin provides AI-powered tools that simplify writing a book report. Here are some features that could help:

• AI Writer : Generate high-quality, structured text complete with references, making it a lot easier to write your book report.
• Summarizer : Quickly create concise note summaries. Helps you condense key details into a brief overview for your report. You can also use this to provide a good overview of the book.
• Citation Machine : Automatically generate accurate references in MLA and APA formats. Adds credibility to your analysis.
• Homework Solver : Use this tool to find answers to any questions you have while preparing your report.
• AI Grader : Get detailed feedback to help you refine your arguments and writing style.

And there you have it, everything you need to know about how to write a good book report. Trust us: if you follow these steps, you’ll confidently craft each section and leave your assessors with a book report that’ll be the golden standard.

Remember to find an engaging book, organize your ideas, and use practical tools like Smodin to make the writing process easier.

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January 12, 2024

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The 2024 guide to attracting patients to your medical practice

Get patients in the door with these marketing and patient engagement tips.

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At a glance.

• Good patient acquisition for healthcare practices involves a mix of digital and traditional marketing strategies, with digital ads offering quick results and SEO providing long-term benefits.
• Budgeting for healthcare marketing varies widely, depending on the practice’s goals and market , with a balance of paid and earned media, online presence, and reputation management being crucial.
• Continuously refining the practice marketing strategy, including PPC ads, SEO, and review management, and leveraging growth analytics is essential for sustained practice growth and patient acquisition.

Summary: Tebra surveyed medical practices to find out how they plan to expand their practice, allocate their marketing dollars, and engage patients in 2024. We compiled a comprehensive guide to attracting patients with this fresh data and unique insights.

Attracting patients with marketing

Very few doctors, dentists, or therapists likely went to school dreaming of marketing. But knowing how to get more patients is a necessary — and even fun — part of starting a practice, replacing patients, and expanding into new locations. 

Attracting new patients isn’t usually as simple as running a few ads in the local paper. The most effective programs often use paid digital ads, as well as free — but harder and slower — tactics like search engine optimization (SEO) for their local practice . That doesn’t mean old-school tactics are totally out, though: networking, print ads, and mailers have their place. 

Marketing involves a lot of decisions, from how much to budget to where to spend ad dollars. This article maps out all the basics for how to get more patients into an independent practice , with links to additional resources for exploring a topic in depth.

This article will cover: 

• Budgets for different patient acquisition strategies 
• Healthcare digital marketing checklist
• Free tactics to get more patients into the practice 

Core healthcare marketing strategies

Marketing budgets and resources

There’s no magic number for a healthcare marketing budget because it depends on the practice’s goals and market. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some useful benchmarks. In November 2023, Tebra surveyed owners and managers of 106 private practices to find out how they allocate their marketing budgets.  About a third spend less than $2,500, another third spend $2,500 to $10,000, and the top 29% spend over $10,000. 

Agency fees are optional, but a good healthcare marketing agency will save time and likely money. They will have insights and data around keyword targeting and optimization techniques that drive down the cost of clicks for medical practices. For instance, they are likely to have an analysis of keyword gaps to target for your specialty locally.

Spending around 25% of an ad budget on agency fees is typical. This typically includes copywriting, design, management, optimization, and reporting. 

How much money is the typical medical practice setting aside for marketing?

Here is what our survey found.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for healthcare

PPC ads are the most common way medical practices advertise online as they’re effective, targeted, and work for small businesses.

Digital ads, especially PPC, are a great way to get quick wins, like acquiring new patients and boosting profitable services.

Here’s what you need to know about PPC ad budgets:

• Minimum recommended budget of $1,000/month to be effective
• Typically requires agency management (as part of that $1,000 budget)
• 71% of practices report they spend $1,000 to $2,499 on PPC ads

Having a comprehensive, user-friendly medical website and online scheduling tools will make paid digital ads more effective. A convincing website that’s easy to navigate — and provides a painless way to schedule an appointment — will see a higher conversion rate. 

How are medical practices using their annual budgets?

Here is how our survey respondents plan to allocate their dollars.

Earned digital media for medical practices

A practice website and blog can attract visitors without any help from paid ads, but doing so takes time and energy. Many practices outsource these to agencies with healthcare marketing experience marketing. 

SEO starting costs can range from $5,000 for a quick site review by an expert to $15,000 for deep insights and a new strategy. While investments can take up to 6 months to really pay off , well-done SEO can deliver for years with continued investment.

Expect ongoing SEO maintenance to cost anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 a month. Search engines want to know a site is current, so prevent gradual drop-offs — and strengthen the investment — with ongoing fresh content. Search-optimized blogs are a great way to do this. 

Here is how our surveyed practices allocate their SEO & content dollars:

• Blog time: 5 to 15 hours to write and publish 1 per month 
• 75% of practices spend $100 to $2,499 on content marketing 
• 75% of practices spend under $2,500 per month on SEO, and 7% spend $7,000 to $9,999

Reputation and reviews for medical practices

Managing a practice online reputation on review sites is the second highest-value activity for practices Tebra surveyed. Here’s what you need to know about budget and time to get reviews for your practice:

• This can be done in-house with dedicated staff time of 10 to 20 hours per month 
• 51% of practices spend $1,000 or more on this every month 
• Automation is also an option, where an integrated system sends surveys automatically to patients after each visit, prompts patients to leave review feedback, directs negative feedback to the practice, and includes a dashboard for tracking and responding to most review sites

Online business listings for medical practices

Over 60 internet sites aggregate health provider info. Practices must claim listings and update them to reflect any new information, e.g., changes in hours or providers. Practices Tebra surveyed said managing this was the third most impactful marketing activity. 

Here’s what to know about online listings:

• Most providers only keep up with 1 to 3 listings out of more than 55, according to a recent survey by Tebra 
• 40% of practices spend $1,000 or more, and 32% spend $100 to $999
• Online listing management can be automated or outsourced

Print advertisements and billboards

Print ads and billboards require the least expertise — they can be designed inexpensively by in-house staff or an agency and reused multiple times. But there are some downsides. It’s hard to track the results. Plus, practices Tebra surveyed ranked their effectiveness as low: print ads and billboards tied for last place out of 15 marketing tactics, with only 3% citing them as their most successful tactics. 

Budgeting basics:

• Magazine ads start around $500 and may include free design
• Billboards can cost $2,000/month in rural areas up to $100,000 in a high-traffic city like New York, but many doctors say they can be effective in high-profit specialties such as plastic surgery

Networking and referrals

Advertising is great but practices cited networking and referrals as their most successful tactic. Getting referrals — from doctors and patients — takes time, effort, a practice patients love, and partnerships with referring doctors . Consider that attending events and tracking referrals may take significant staff time (not accounted for in budget numbers). 

Networking expenses often include health fairs and other events. Expenses include business cards, booth/table signage and decorations, brochures, and promotional items. 

• 35% of practices spend more than $1,000 a month on networking and referrals expenses and 41% spend $1 to $999
• 24% spend nothing

Writing a growth plan for a medical practice

Writing a medical practice growth plan may seem a little onerous, but it will be a huge help in planning an overall practice strategy and creating a budget. 

Things to include in a medical practice growth plan : 

• The patient volume goal 
• What services to market and the projected profits
• Where you want to market. High-cost services like bariatrics or cosmetic surgery might advertise in a wider region. 
• Budget. It might be best to include a range or think of marketing as a percentage of revenue. Practice growth agencies can be helpful in determining an appropriate budget and forecasting the corresponding return. 
• Resources. Will copy and design come from staff at the practice, or from an agency?
• Success metrics. Good data is part of testing ideas and moving money from losing bets to winning ones.
• Timeline. Include a testing period in the initial launch for a more judicious investment.

Get tips for how to write a marketing plan for a medical practice and a medical practice marketing template

Sample pay-per-click marketing healthcare budget 

Pay-per-click advertising is probably the easiest to implement and measure. A minimum budget focuses on basic patient acquisition — for example, searches like “dentist near me” or “urgent care clinic in Small Town, USA.” 

Healthcare marketing example chart

Percentage of revenue spent on healthcare marketing.

Another way to think about a healthcare marketing budget is to start with the budget and work backwards. A common formula is thinking in terms of a percentage of revenue. 

Tebra asked what percentage of gross revenue practices spend in a November 2023 survey of independent practices.

Higher-profit services like cosmetic or bariatric surgery cost more to advertise than dental or family medical because competitive terms drive up bidding (for pay-per-click). They often choose to invest in higher-cost advertisements like billboards and magazine ads, too. 

New practices will also need to spend on the higher end until they attract a base of patients, whereas practices with many happy patients may not need to spend much at all. 

Digital vs. traditional marketing channels

Many practices rely on a variety of traditional and digital techniques to attract new patients . 

Traditional advertising channels — like mailers, billboards, and print ads — tend to take a bit longer to pay off. People typically need multiple exposures before a name sinks in. The traditional rule in advertising is people need to see an ad about 7 times before they take action. 

Digital advertising may feel more intimidating, but it typically pays off faster. People who see an ad for a dermatologist near them at the exact moment they’re searching for “dermatologists near me” don’t have to remember anything — they can just click. These ads are low commitment, too: practices can spend as little as they want. In cost-per-click ads , the advertiser only pays when a user clicks on their ad. 

One of the reasons marketers have moved more to digital ads than print is accountability: with custom links, it’s possible to track exactly how many patients find the practice via ads. 

As with most advertising campaigns, the most effective method is often a combination of print and digital. 

Tracking the success of a marketing spend

Marketing shouldn’t be a financial black hole. A wise budget means getting a general idea of how much profit each marketing investment earns. 

That’s not as easy as it sounds, but directional information can help a lot. 

For example, some practices ask new patients how they discovered the practice (e.g., billboard, Google, social media , another patient, another doctor) as part of the intake form. Tallying those results monthly and comparing them to the average profit from a patient over a year will indicate whether investments are successful or in need of adjustment.

But to maximize resources, it’s important to track the cost and return of each ad by service and profit. For instance, set up unique links in pay-per-click ads to measure the number of resulting clicks, or use a vanity URL like LAdentist.com/spring in a print ad. For practices that offer online scheduling, tracking how many bookings result from a specific ad with a specific link should be possible. Measure the profit of those bookings and divide it by the cost of the specific ad that prompted them to get the real ROI. 

Manually tracking ads can take a lot of time, but a practice growth analytics dashboard can make it very simple to review the value of each tactic at a glance. 

Healthcare website design and set up

A healthcare website is a key asset for new and existing patients. At its most basic, healthcare website design needs to follow a few principles: 

• Be designed for the user, with clear, relevant information organized in an intuitive manner
• Include basic info where users expect it, particularly the practice specialty, address, phone number, and hours of operation 
• Include social proof like patient testimonials and 5-star reviews

Advanced medical website design includes additional functions to make patients' lives more convenient. Online scheduling is key. It reduces the friction that prevents patients from booking an appointment, especially if it’s after hours or lines are busy. 

Remember: around half of users (but many experts believe more) will probably visit the practice site on their smartphone . The site must be mobile-friendly, both to ensure a good user experience and because search engines count mobile optimization as a factor that impacts search rankings. 

The Intake has a definitive guide to different options and must-haves for medical practice websites and budget .

Finally, remember that a practice’s website isn’t its only digital front door. Many patients searching online will find listings in review sites and provider directories. Google listings, in particular, are an important traffic driver. Claiming and enhancing a practice Google Business Profile is critical in providing accurate info that Google wants to give users. 

Further Reading

How to get more patient referrals.

Medical practices have 2 excellent sources for referrals: doctors and patients.

Getting referrals from other doctors is about meeting people and promoting the practice. For a specialist practice, think creatively about the type of doctors most likely to serve the target patient demographic. For instance, a bariatric surgeon who owned a weight-loss clinic told us he networked with orthopedic surgeons because there are often weight-loss requirements before surgery. Established family practices are obvious targets but might already have existing relationships compared to newer ones. 

Some doctors send personal emails introducing their practice specialties, approach, and clinical background. Attending networking events is also a great way to build relationships. And don’t be afraid to draw on your own network of friends and alums. 

Finally, referrals depend on being a good partner and clearly communicating with the referring doctor about their patients. 

Boosting patient referrals requires different tactics — but is worth the effort. In Tebra’s 2023 Patient Perspectives survey, 54% of patients chose “word of mouth” as the top contributor in choosing a healthcare provider. 

The first tactic is the easiest: just ask. Post a sign in the waiting room and provide information about the practice (name, specialties, website, and contact) that's easy for patients to share. Or include the ask in an email newsletter. 

It's also important to claim the practice name online. Make sure all business listings (like Google and Yelp) have accurate information. It’s common for competing practices to buy paid ad searches for their competitors’ names, so many healthcare providers bid on their own names to prevent that from happening. 

But asking for referrals won’t be effective without high patient satisfaction. Automated patient surveys can lead to a higher volume of feedback — positive and constructive — via a system that sends a request after every appointment. 

For a more complete guide to this topic, read about 4 ways to get high-quality patient referrals .

Digital marketing for medical practices: A brief checklist

Digital marketing for doctors and medical practices means checking a lot of boxes . But it’s also a cheaper and ultimately more convenient way of attracting patients than most offline techniques. 

But without certain foundational elements, the whole thing will fail. This checklist covers the basics. 

Healthcare practice digital marketing checklist: Must do 

• Practice name
• Services offered
• Phone number
• Hours of operation
• Business listings : Patients check a lot of places for healthcare, from Google to Apple Maps to Yelp, Facebook, and Healthgrades. Claim and maintain all practice and provider listings.
• Monitor all the popular local review sites and respond to reviews both negative and positive
• Survey patients to make sure the practice provides good care to increase ratings
• Encourage better ratings and more reviews, e.g., by having office staff ask or call, or sending automated surveys with review links 

A healthcare practice digital marketing checklist: Recommended

• Online scheduling : This makes it easy for new patients to book an appointment while they’re on the practice website, whether they’re busy at work or researching after business hours.
• Pay-per-click ads for the practice specialty and location : Since most patients Google practices, pay-per-click can target exactly the right audience when they’re ready to decide. 
• Pay-per-click ads for target services : These can be more expensive but also more worth the cost before of their higher profitability.
• SEO : Optimize the practice website to attract search engine audiences. 

Healthcare practice digital marketing checklist: Depends on situation and resources

• Social media : Maintain a helpful and active social media presence that shows off the practice and engages patients on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn (particularly for networking with other providers), YouTube, and Instagram.
• Blog : Blogs are an important support for SEO to help the practice site get found by patients, and can help build credibility and connect with new and existing patients . 
• Newsletter : Many practices send monthly newsletters to keep their practice fresh in patients’ minds. 
• Email and patient recall/re-engagement campaigns : Emailing or texting patients can drive new visits. Mass campaigns based on external events like American Heart Month or singular events like a patient’s birthday or anniversary can boost appointments .

SEO for medical websites

SEO is a critical tool for attracting patients. It’s an investment that takes a little longer than ads to gain results but pays off for a long time. Medical website SEO results can last years, especially with fresh content on a semi-regular basis. 

Optimizing practice website SEO isn’t just about figuring out some keywords and writing them a bunch (and “black hat” medical SEO , like keyword stuffing, can actually harm the rankings). Search engines like Google rank on several factors that boil down to good user experience: useful, relevant content delivered in a nice, fast package. 

And that goes for mobile as well as desktop. In an SEO survey of 207 healthcare digital marketers , mobile optimization was the top factor for healthcare SEO. 

Review The Intake ’s medical SEO fundamentals to get more patients and grow your practice to establish the basics and SEO checklist to cover everything. 

Finally, local SEO for medical professionals is a really important factor for getting the right patients in the door. Consider using paid ads for terms like “dentists in Grand Rapids” to boost traffic on the way to SEO success . 

To blog, or not to blog?

Think blogging is just for fun? Not anymore — medical blogs for patients can help practices retain current patients, encourage referrals, support SEO that attracts new patients, and build credibility. A practice blog can also educate and motivate patients to make healthier choices. 

So are blogs a no-brainer?

Not really. Researching and writing blog content can take a lot of time. And blogs aren’t the best fit for every topic — videos, short-form social media content, or infographics might convey the message better. 

But with the right resources — or willingness to outsource — medical blogs for doctors can pull in a lot of traffic from potential patients. Frequent blogs optimized for relevant keywords that link back to the practice’s core pages (e.g., “San Francisco therapy services”) also signal to Google that the practice website is an expert in that topic, which boosts its search rankings.

Getting digital patient reviews (including on Google)

It’s increasingly unlikely a practice will thrive without great reviews. In Tebra’s Patient Perspectives survey , 46% of patients surveyed said reviews were a top contributor when selecting a provider and 93% said they’re at least somewhat important — making them more influential than online insurance directories or the practice website. And that’s not going to change: 62% of Gen Z respondents in the survey won’t even consider a provider with few or no reviews. 

And unlike other marketing techniques, asking for patient reviews can easily be done in house. Have staff ask, post signs, and even encourage them personally. 

Read Boost your reputation: Strategies for doctors to get 5-star patient reviews to help develop a robust review process. 

Refining a practice marketing strategy

Marketing always changes, and marketing strategies should, too. Refinement has 2 big benefits: 

• Staying on course
• Small optimizations that can reduce the price or increase the effectiveness of the budget

Here are some refinements to consider: 

Pay-per-click ads: If prices or volume are going in the wrong direction, adjust the targeted keywords. Consider quarterly audits to compare profit against costs. 

SEO: Check SEO dashboard rankings monthly or quarterly to monitor progress and support any set keywords (for instance, a blog about that topic that links back to the relevant page). Though self-Googling is a tempting metric, do so only from an incognito window to avoid skewed search results. 

Print ads, mailers, and billboards: After adding a question to intake to track which channels attracted patients to the practice, tally up the results quarterly to determine which delivered the most patients. Divide the results by the cost. Consider moving money away from the investments that aren’t paying off to double down on the ones that are. 

Reviews: Positive, frequent 4- and 5-star reviews across different review sites are important for reputation management. If numbers are lagging or stagnant month over month, it might be time to consider automating review capture or finding more ways to ask patients during or immediately after their appointments. 

Understanding and operationalizing growth analytics

The more sophisticated a marketing strategy, the harder it is to measure and understand. Tracking analytics is time-consuming but critical to forecasting success and investing well. 

Setting up dashboards is an important part of tracking. On the crude end, tracking might consist of a spreadsheet with some input fields and formulas for comparison. For instance, a practice might track unique website visits every month and include a formula that shows how month-over-month and year-over-year numbers, because numbers don’t mean much without a baseline. Or, tracking might involve charts that break down channel success after entering numbers for organic and paid traffic. 

Basic directional data is better than nothing. Yet creating these spreadsheets and keeping them up to date can take hours of manual work. Adding in revenue information adds a layer of complexity, though the result is much more useful. 

Automated marketing dashboards provide a more sophisticated view of every investment and associated revenue, as well as other indicators (like patient reviews across every site), and may be worth it for the time savings alone. 

In any case, the time spent up front on standardizing the process and cadence will build consistency and efficacy in the long run. 

New patients aren’t the only way to drive revenue

Retaining patients , engaging them in timely care, and minimizing provider downtime can be the most effective levers a practice can pull. The Intake ’s in-depth article Patient scheduling and retention tactics that keep your calendar full can help a practice maximize income. 

You Might Also Be Interested In

How to get patients to keep coming back. Learn what influences patient choices and behaviors in the Patient Perspectives report .

Subscribe to The Intake: A weekly check-up for your independent practice

Lisa Dare, freelance healthcare writer

Lisa Dare is a senior writer and brand strategist for Velocity Partners, a B2B marketing agency. She has written about B2B technology for 10 years, including communications work in healthcare digitization, interoperability, and automation. She likes writing for independent practitioners because they can make decisions with fewer restrictions, and can develop long-term relationships that help them deeply understand patients.

Reviewed by

Nadene Evans

Nadene Evans is a marketing expert with years of healthcare journalism under her belt, having researched and published medical content for NurseFly, Vivian Health, and other healthcare provider publications. An advocate for independent providers, Nadene helps small practices promote their businesses through digital marketing and great content.

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• Diabetes Overview
• Insulin, Medicines, & Other Diabetes Treatments
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Insulin, Medicines, & Other Diabetes Treatments

On this page:

What medicines might I take for diabetes?

What type of diabetes do i have, what are the different types of insulin, what are the different ways to take insulin, what oral medicines treat type 2 diabetes, what other injectable medicines treat diabetes, what should i know about side effects of diabetes medicines.

• What questions should I ask about my diabetes medicines?

Do I have other treatment options for my diabetes?

Clinical trials for insulin, medicines, & other diabetes treatments.

Taking insulin  or other diabetes medicines is often part of treating diabetes. In addition to making healthy food and beverage choices, getting physical activity, getting enough sleep, and managing stress, medicines can help you manage the disease. Some other treatment options are also available.

The medicine you take depends on the type of diabetes you have and how well the medicine controls your blood glucose  levels, also called blood sugar levels. Other factors, such as any other health conditions you may have, medication costs, your insurance coverage and copays, access to care, and your lifestyle, may affect what diabetes medicine you take.

Type 1 diabetes

If you have type 1 diabetes , you must take insulin because your pancreas  does not make it. You will need to take insulin several times during the day, including when you eat and drink, to control your blood glucose level.

There are different ways to take insulin . You can use a needle and syringe , an insulin pen , or an insulin pump . An artificial pancreas —also called an automated insulin delivery system—may be another option for some people.

Type 2 diabetes

Some people with type 2 diabetes  can control their blood glucose level by making lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes include consuming healthy meals and beverages, limiting calories if they have overweight  or obesity , and getting physical activity.

Many people with type 2 diabetes need to take diabetes medicines as well. These medicines may include diabetes pills or medicines you inject, such as insulin. Over time, you may need more than one diabetes medicine to control your blood glucose level. Even if you do not take insulin, you may need it at special times, such as if you are pregnant or if you are in the hospital for treatment.

Gestational diabetes

If you have gestational diabetes , you can manage your blood glucose level by following a healthy eating plan and doing a moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking for 150 minutes, each week. If consuming healthy food and beverages and getting regular physical activity aren’t enough to keep your blood glucose level in your target range, a doctor will work with you and may recommend you take insulin. Insulin is safe to take while you are pregnant.

No matter what type of diabetes you have, taking diabetes medicines every day can feel like a burden sometimes. New medications and improved delivery systems can help make it easier to manage your blood glucose levels. Talk with your doctor to find out which medications and delivery systems will work best for you and fit into your lifestyle.

Several types of insulin are available. Each type starts to work at a different speed, known as “onset,” and its effects last a different length of time, known as “duration.” Most types of insulin reach a peak, which is when they have the strongest effect. After the peak, the effects of the insulin wear off over the next few hours or so. Table 1 lists the different types of insulin, how fast they start to work, when they peak, and how long they last.

Table 1. Types of insulin and how they work 1,2

Another type of insulin, called premixed insulin, is a combination of insulins listed in Table 1. Premixed insulin starts to work in 15 to 60 minutes and can last from 10 to 16 hours. The peak time varies depending on which insulins are mixed.

Your doctor will work with you to review your medication options. Talk with your doctor about your activity level, what you eat and drink, how well you manage your blood glucose levels, your age and lifestyle, and how long your body takes to absorb insulin.

Follow your doctor’s advice on when and how to take your insulin. If you're worried about the cost, talk with your doctor. Some types of insulin cost more than others. You can also find resources to get financial help for diabetes care .

The way you take insulin may depend on your lifestyle, insurance plan, and preferences. Talk with your doctor about the options and which one is best for you. Most people with diabetes take insulin using a needle and syringe, insulin pen, or insulin pump. Inhalers and insulin jet injectors  are less common ways to take insulin. Artificial pancreas systems are now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Talk with your doctor to see if an artificial pancreas is an option for you.

Needle and syringe

You can give yourself insulin shots using a needle and syringe . You draw up your dose of insulin from the vial—or bottle—through the needle into the syringe. Insulin works fastest when you inject it in your belly, but your doctor may recommend alternating the spot where you inject it. Injecting insulin in the same spot repeatedly could cause the tissue to harden, making it harder to take shots in that area over time. Other spots you can inject insulin include your thigh, buttocks, or upper arm, but it may take longer for the insulin to work from those areas. Some people with diabetes who take insulin need 2 to 4 shots a day to reach their blood glucose targets. Others can take a single shot. Injection aids can help you give yourself the shots.

An insulin pen looks like a writing pen but has a needle for its point. Some insulin pens come filled with insulin and are disposable. Others have room for an insulin cartridge that you insert and replace after use. Many people find insulin pens easier to use, but they cost more than needles and syringes. You may want to consider using an insulin pen if you find it hard to fill the syringe while holding the vial or cannot read the markings on the syringe. Different pen types have features that can help with your injections. Some reusable pens have a memory function, which can recall dose amounts and timing. Other types of “connected” insulin pens can be programmed to calculate insulin doses and provide downloadable data reports, which can help you and your doctor adjust your insulin doses.

An insulin pump is a small machine that gives you steady doses of insulin throughout the day. You wear one type of pump outside your body on a belt or in a pocket or pouch. The insulin pump connects to a small plastic tube and a very small needle. You insert the plastic tube with a needle under your skin, then take out the needle. The plastic tube will stay inserted for several days while attached to the insulin pump. The machine pumps insulin through the tube into your body 24 hours a day and can be programmed to give you more or less insulin based on your needs. You can also give yourself doses of insulin through the pump at mealtimes.

Another type of pump has no tubes. This pump attaches directly to your skin with a self-adhesive pad and is controlled by a hand-held device. The plastic tube and pump device are changed every several days.

Another way to take insulin is by breathing powdered insulin into your mouth from an inhaler device. The insulin goes into your lungs and moves quickly into your blood. You may want to use an insulin inhaler to avoid using needles. Inhaled insulin is only for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Taking insulin with an inhaler is less common than using a needle and syringe.

Jet injector

A jet injector is a device that sends a fine spray of insulin into the skin at high pressure instead of using a needle to deliver the insulin. It is used less commonly than a needle and syringe or a pen.

Artificial pancreas

An artificial pancreas is a system of three devices that work together to mimic how a healthy pancreas controls blood glucose in the body. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM)  tracks blood glucose levels every few minutes using a small sensor inserted under the skin that is held in place with an adhesive pad. The CGM wirelessly sends the information to a program on a smartphone or an insulin infusion pump. The program calculates how much insulin you need. The insulin infusion pump will adjust how much insulin is given from minute to minute to help keep your blood glucose level in your target range. An artificial pancreas is mainly used to help people with type 1 diabetes.

You may need to take medicines to manage your type 2 diabetes, in addition to consuming healthy foods and beverages and being physically active. You can take many diabetes medicines by mouth. These medicines are called oral medicines.

Most people with type 2 diabetes start with metformin pills. Metformin also comes as a liquid. Metformin helps your liver make less glucose and helps your body use insulin better. This drug may help you lose a small amount of weight.

Other oral medicines act in different ways to lower blood glucose levels. Combining two or three kinds of diabetes medicines can lower blood glucose levels better than taking just one medicine.

Read about different kinds of diabetes medicines (PDF, 2.8 MB) from the FDA.

If you have type 1 diabetes, your doctor may recommend you take other medicines, in addition to insulin, to help control your blood glucose. Some of these medicines work to slow how fast food and beverages move through your stomach . These medicines also slow down how quickly and how high your blood glucose levels rise after eating. Other medicines work to block certain hormones  in your digestive system  that raise blood glucose levels after meals or help the kidneys to remove more glucose from your blood.

Besides insulin, other types of injected medicines (PDF, 2.8 MB) are available that will keep your blood glucose level from rising too high after you eat or drink. These medicines, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, 3 may make you feel less hungry and help you lose some weight. GLP-1 medicines are not substitutes for insulin.

Side effects are problems that result from taking a medicine. Some diabetes medicines can cause hypoglycemia , also called low blood glucose, if you don’t balance your medicines with food and activity.

Ask your doctor whether your diabetes medicine can cause hypoglycemia or other side effects, such as upset stomach and weight gain. Aim to take your diabetes medicines as your doctor instructs you, to help prevent side effects and diabetes problems.

If medicines and lifestyle changes are not enough to manage your diabetes, there are other treatments that might help you. These treatments include weight-loss (bariatric) surgery  for certain people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or pancreatic islet transplantation  for some people with type 1 diabetes.

Weight-loss surgery

Weight-loss surgery  are operations that help you lose weight by making changes to your digestive system. Weight-loss surgery is also called bariatric or metabolic surgery.

This type of surgery may help some people who have obesity and type 2 diabetes lose a large amount of weight and bring their blood glucose levels back to a healthy range. How long the improved response lasts can vary by patient, type of weight-loss surgery, and the amount of weight the person lost. Other factors include how long a person had diabetes and whether the person used insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes may no longer need to use diabetes medicines after weight-loss surgery . 4

Researchers are studying whether weight-loss surgery can help control blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes who have obesity. 5

Pancreatic islet transplantation

Pancreatic islet transplantation is an experimental treatment for people with type 1 diabetes who have trouble controlling their blood glucose levels. Pancreatic islets  are clusters of cells in the pancreas that make the hormone insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks these cells. A pancreatic islet transplantation replaces destroyed islets with new islets from organ donors. The new islets make and release insulin. Because researchers are still studying pancreatic islet transplantation , the procedure is only available to people enrolled in research studies.

The NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including diabetes. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.

What are clinical trials for insulin, medicines, and other diabetes treatments?

Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies —are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help health care professionals and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.

Find out if clinical trials are right for you .

Researchers are studying many aspects of diabetes medicines, including

• new types of insulin
• the most effective times to take diabetes medicines
• new types of monitoring devices and delivery systems

Watch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.

What clinical trials for insulin, medicines, and other diabetes treatments are looking for participants?

You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on insulin, medicines, and other diabetes treatments covered in this health topic that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov . You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe. Always talk with your health care provider before you participate in a clinical study.

This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

The NIDDK would like to thank Stuart A. Weinzimer, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine