Quality Education and Safe Systems Training (QuESST): Development and Assessment of a Comprehensive Cross-Disciplinary Resident Quality and Patient Safety Curriculum

Abstract

Background Over the past decade, regulatory bodies have heightened their emphasis on health care quality and safety. Education of physicians is a priority in this effort, with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requiring that trainees attain competence in practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice. To date, several studies about the use of resident education related to quality and safety have been published, but no comprehensive interdisciplinary curricula seem to exist. Effective, formal, comprehensive cross-disciplinary resident training in quality and patient safety appear to be a vital need. Methods To address the need for comprehensive resident training in quality and patient safety, we developed and assessed a formal standardized cross-disciplinary curriculum entitled Quality Education and Safe Systems Training (QuESST). The curriculum was offered to first-year residents in a large urban medical center. Preintervention and postintervention assessments and participant perception surveys evaluated the effectiveness and educational value of QuESST. Results A total of 138 first-year medical and pharmacy residents participated in the QuESST course. Paired analysis of preintervention and postintervention assessments showed significant improvement in participants' knowledge of quality and patient safety. Participants' perceptions about the value of the curriculum were favorable, as evidenced by a mean response of 1.8 on a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) that the course should be taught to subsequent residency classes. Conclusion QuESST is an effective comprehensive quality curriculum for residents. Based on these findings, our institution has made QuESST mandatory for all future first-year resident cohorts. Other institutions should explore the value of QuESST or a similar curriculum for enhancing resident competence in quality and patient safety.

Patient safety awareness among postgraduate students and nurses in a tertiary health care facility

“…Undergraduate medical students and postgraduate trainees still must acquire their PS knowledge through informal education in hospitals because formal training of patient safety curricula is lacking. 4 A WHO curriculum guide is developed to help medical schools to develop their own patient safety curriculum. 5…”

Competence in Patient Safety: A Multifaceted Experiential Educational Intervention for Resident Physicians

“…10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Yet, implementation of safety education programs has been variable and many residents and faculty remain with little or no formal training in these concepts. 7,9,23,26,27 In 2006, the University of Michigan implemented a Patient Safety Learning Program (PSLP) in its internal medicine and medicine-pediatrics residency training programs. Recognizing we had few qualified faculty members, 23,[28][29][30] few ''formal'' learning experiences, 7,8,23,24 and limited precedent for resident-driven safety and quality projects, we defined 3 primary goals for our PSLP: (1) to teach residents key patient safety concepts; (2) to transform our cultural environment; and (3) to provide experiential opportunities for residents to apply the patient safety and quality improvement concepts.…”

Summary of Proceedings From the Association of American Medical Colleges 2011 Integrating Quality Meeting

“…Results: Our updated search identified 699 additional articles, 16 of which met criteria for inclusion. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Combined with studies identified in the original systematic review, there are now 40 published QI&PS curricula that target postgraduate trainees, 30 of which report an evaluative component. Table 1 summarizes emerging trends in QI&PS training.…”