Developing a Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Toolbox: The Curriculum

Abstract Introduction Quality improvement and patient safety are important elements of quality patient care. National medical boards and graduate medical education accreditation guidelines support integrating formal quality improvement and patient safety efforts into training and practice. In order to design and implement effective quality improvement projects, fundamental knowledge and tools are imperative. We sought to develop a formal quality improvement curriculum for house staff early in their training to give them insight and tools for longitudinal engagement. Methods This curriculum contains guides for four facilitated sessions: introduction, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and patient safety. Each session has a knowledge component to be delivered outside of class and a practice component whereby participants use their knowledge to participate in a group activity using a quality improvement tool. Results This curriculum has been provided to more than 80 house officers over 3 years. Knowledge assessment showed improvement on all assessed categories of the training. Engagement in longitudinal quality improvement projects by trained residents has also improved. Discussion This curriculum provides succinct fundamental tools to learners seeking to undertake longitudinal quality improvement projects. While initially designed for physician trainees, the tools and training are not specific to that group and can be used broadly for interested facilitators.