Increasing Resident Knowledge and Skills in Quality Improvement Using Residents-as-Teachers

• Published in: Academic psychiatry 2016-04, Vol.40 (2), p.363-365
• Main Authors: Bos, Karen J., Wang, Raziya Sunderji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active Learning; Clinical Competence; Column: Educational Case Report; Education, Medical, Graduate; Educational Demand; Health care policy; Humans; Internship and Residency; Learning; Learning Theories; Medical Education; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Patient safety; Psychiatry; Psychiatry - education; Quality Improvement; Teachers; Teaching
• ISSN: 1042-9670; 1545-7230
• DOI: 10.1007/s40596-015-0309-x

To address this gap, this paper reviews the development of a resident-designed and implemented program for teaching QI with overarching goals of (1) providing a senior PGY4 resident with experience and preparation in medical teaching and (2) promoting resident engagement in quality improvement projects. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that residents’ scores showed significant positive change in the following domains: writing a clear problem statement (goal, aim) (Z = −2.121, p = 0.031), identifying whether a change leads to an improvement in your skills (Z = −2.236, p = 0.031), using small cycles of change (Z = −2.271, p = 0.016), using the PDSA model as a systematic framework for trial and learning (Z = −2.598, p = 0.004), and building your next improvement upon prior success or failure (Z = −2.121, p = 0.031). Future studies could collect data on residents’ use of QI skills in practice after completing this course in order to assess the translation of knowledge and experience into practice.  Using a residents-as-teachers approach provides opportunities for senior residents to gain experience in course design and implementation in preparation for future medical teaching roles, while also requiring minimal program or faculty resources.