Source
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Med Center One, University of Louisville, Louisville, USA. mary.coleman@louisville.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recommends integrating improvement activities into residency training. A curricular change was designed at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Louisville, to address selected ACGME competencies by incorporating practice-based improvement activities into the routine clinical work of family medicine residents.
METHODS:
Teams of residents, faculty, and office staff completed clinical improvement projects at three ambulatory care training sites. Residents were given academic credit for participation in team meetings. After 6 months, residents presented results to faculty, medical students, other residents, and staff from all three training sites. Residents, staff, and faculty were recognized for their participation.
PROGRAM EVALUATION:
Resident teams demonstrated ACGME competencies in practice-based improvement: Chart audits indicated improvement in clinical projects; quality improvement tools demonstrated analysis of root causes and understanding of the process; plan-do-study-act cycle worksheets demonstrated the change process.
CONCLUSIONS:
Improvement activities that affect patient care and demonstrate selected ACGME competencies can be successfully incorporated into the daily work of family medicine residents.