Building Resident Quality Improvement Knowledge and Engagement Through a Longitudinal, Mentored, and Experiential Learning-Based Quality Improvement Curriculum

Abstract

Introduction Quality improvement (QI) training is an essential component of resident medical education and a part of the ACGME core competencies. We present our residency's evidence-based QI curriculum, which outlines key components identified in the literature for successful QI education. Methods Our curriculum included a mandatory five-part longitudinal educational series during ambulatory education sessions for second-year residents. Modeled after the Institute for Healthcare Improvement model for improvement and taught by a chief resident, our curriculum introduced residents to key QI concepts through case-based, just-in-time didactics and applied experiential learning via concurrent resident-led longitudinal QI projects. Residents received structured, multilayer mentorship from a faculty mentor in their field of interest and the chief resident of quality and patient safety. Their work-in-progress projects were presented to faculty QI experts and institutional leadership for additional feedback and mentorship. Results Since 2016, a total of 234 internal medicine residents have completed our QI curriculum and developed 67 QI projects, which have been presented at various local, regional, and national conferences. In the 2 most recent academic years, Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool Revised (QIKAT-R) scores significantly increased from 4.6 precurriculum to 6.3 postcurriculum ( p < .001). Discussion A longitudinal, experiential, and mentored QI curriculum teaches residents QI skill sets through incorporating mechanisms associated with successful educational initiatives and adult learning theory. Our QIKAT-R results and project output show that our curriculum is associated with improved trainee QI knowledge and systems-level improvements.

Efficacy of a Longitudinal Project-Based Quality Improvement Curriculum in Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship

“…Longitudinal QI/PS project work provides a more comprehensive QI experience for learners that is well received by learners and has been shown to result in more impactful and sustained changes within the system. [12][13][14] We developed and implemented a QI/PS curriculum designed to meet ACGME requirements and collected data to show effectiveness in the short-term and through early career. Our QI/PS curriculum also acts as a springboard for interested faculty to develop as coaches and local QI/PS experts.…”