Marketing your QA/QI Program: Considerations as you develop and/or improve your program Stanley Estime, MSCI, CIP Senior QA/QI Specialist Harvard School of Public Health

Outline  Strategic Marketing 101: 8 P’s  Building a sustainable infrastructure  Knowing your customers/audience  Being service oriented  Overcoming challenges  Recommended types of quality improvement services to offer  Innovative approaches to build & sustain program

Marketing Strategy 8 P’s

Physical Environment: Building Infrastructure 1. Establish Clear Boundaries – Quality Improvement Program’s role vs. IRB’s role – Quality Improvement Program’s authority vs. IRB’s authority 2. Build Rapport/Develop Trust – Friendly set of eyes for both investigators and IRB – Confidential audits and reports – QI Specialists can provide a “second opinion” – QI staff are educators not just auditors

Physical Environment: Building Infrastructure However there may be challenges that impacts the structural integrity of your program …

People: Pre-Marketing Analysis Track and review frequently asked questions Review customer service surveys from educational offerings provided to the community and one-on-one services provided to investigators and their staff Review common non-compliances *Determine community wants and needs

Product, Price, & Placement: Service Oriented Provide Variety – Remote services ( & phone consults, remote access to study management tools, webinar trainings, monitoring) – Onsite services (In-services, Onsite Reviews, Hands-on Submission Assistance, one-on-one consults) – “Free” or contracted services (Temporary Floating Research Coordinator/Project Manager/Monitor)

Productivity & Quality: Service Oriented Be Efficient – Turn-a-round times when it comes to:  Response to inquires (Service Request)  Response to unanticipated problems  Assisting with correcting non-compliance  IRB Submission  Approval Be Practical – Standardize reports – Best practice recommendation – Feasible corrective action plans

Placement: Where & How to Advertise? What’s the Best Media Outlet? – Quality Improvement Program website – Informational screens located throughout institution – All User list – HR new employee orientations – Faculty/Department team meetings – Institutional social and community outreach events – Word of mouth: IRB Chairs and Administrators* – Free promotional product give-a-ways Note: Marketing Strategy may differ depending on situation

Promotion: Marketing Content Make your content Informational – Define program goals, authority, and staff roles – Highlight benefits of utilizing your program  Share metrics (Top 10 deficiencies/common findings/IRB Turn-a- round times) – Provide program updates/upcoming events – List any program initiatives (e.g. Departmental Onsite Reviews, Self-Assessments, IND/IDE Holder Consults, or New Coordinator/Principal Investigator training sessions)

Promotion: Marketing Content Make your content Informational (Cont’d) – Provide access to resources:  Tips, Tools and Checklists  Guidance Documents (Internal & External)  IRB/Institutional Policies and Federal Regulations

Promotion: Marketing Content Make your content Appealing – Develop a robust educational training component for the research community that is both:  Feasible  Fun – Training opportunities should be offered through education sessions, in-services, and open office hours

Program Innovations Challenge: How do you keep your program interesting, current, and useful? Identify “new customers” and provide targeted resources to meet their needs u Students / Coordinators / Research Fellows u Researchers Conducting international studies u IND/IDE Holders u Grant Managers Evaluate & update your resources: – Evaluate usefulness of services: Customer Satisfaction Survey – “Refresh” your website (Tools & Checklists) u Use resources such as Google Analytics and trackers on webpages to determine most frequently visited pages and downloaded contents

Program Innovations (Cont’d) Think outside the box and provide access to new technologies: – Podcast, You Tube, or live stream presentations – Social media venues – Daily/Weekly blogs – Remote monitoring – eRegulatory binder Quality Improvement Program Daily Chat Session/Blog Quality Improvement Program Anonymous Inbox Messaging Quality Improvement Program RSS Feed - Podcast Follow Quality Improvement Program on Twitter Follow Quality Improvement Program on Facebook View past event slides and photos on Flickr View Quality Improvement Program video training sessions on You Tube

Program Innovations (Cont’d)

Questions?