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

Abstract

Our goal was to create a robust quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) curriculum that gives fellows both didactic knowledge and first-hand experience with improvement science and produces a longitudinal QI/PS project to improve patient care and safety over their three-year fellowship. The curriculum will meet Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) requirements. A series of six 30-minute didactic lectures is paired with designated group work time over the course of 1 year. Each class chooses a QI/PS project which they will continue for the entirety of fellowship. Faculty mentors coach these projects. Knowledge assessment is obtained through pre- and post-surveys. A secondary measure of success is academic products resulting from fellows’ QI/PS work, and future participation in QI/PS efforts. Since 2019, 51 pre-tests and 36 post-tests were completed, showing improvement across all competencies. Fellows have produced one published manuscript, two poster presentations, and two oral presentations describing their improvement work. Additionally, mentoring faculty members have gone on to lead other QI work throughout the division. This longitudinal QI/PS curriculum provides both knowledge and experience in QI/PS work. It also creates opportunities for academic publications and presentations, builds faculty expertise, and most importantly, works to improve multiple aspects of patient care. This curriculum can serve as a model for other cardiology fellowships working to meet CLER requirements.