Quality Improvement, Patient Safety & Leadership
The Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, and Leadership Distinction Pathway aims to provide a focused and hands-on experience to internal medicine residents so that they can (1) understand the practical application of improvement science in health care, and (2) learn change to lead teams to change effectively. This skill building is accomplished through educational sessions, participation in a mentored longitudinal quality improvement project, and independent self-study,
QI and patient safety skills are highly sought-after in healthcare. The ability to execute successful change initiatives, lead teams, understand and improve from adverse events or patient safety concerns are desirable and translatable skills that can be applied across a career. These skills are valuable whether they are utilized at the bedside or in any number of leadership positions. During residency years, there is often limited structured time for longitudinal training in quality improvement (QI). It can therefore be challenging to independently navigate QI opportunities to find projects of interest or pursue well-thought-out project ideas that are designed for successful launch and navigation. Furthermore, there is often a lack of structured mentorship in process improvement, which may increase frustration, discouragement, and, ultimately, disengagement with QI.
This distinction pathway is designed to improve access to effective and experiential learning needed to grow a trainee’s skills in QI and patient safety. Participants will become part of an inclusive, supportive community that is reflective of the environment in which QI is practiced. The goal is for QIPSL pathway graduates to feel confident in their abilities to lead change initiatives and effective teams on any level, from single sites to health system-wide improvements.
Distinction Domains
QI Education
The QI education sets the knowledge base for a practical journey in health system improvement science. The residents participate in an annual GME Health Equity, Patient Safety, and Quality Improvement (HEPSQI) Boot Camp and QIPSL distinction-specific bi-monthly evening educational sessions. Additionally, through self-study, residents can obtain the “Basic Certificate in QI and Patient Safety” through the IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) Open School.
Engagement in QI Activities
In this experiential educational component of the distinction, residents apply their IHI methodology learned through HEPSQI Boot Camp and self-study by participating in a mentored QI project. Frequent mentor check-ins and project feedback in real-time help solidify the key principles of implementing change.
Requirements
Requirements for this distinction fall under two categories.
Education in QI/Patient Safety and Leadership:
- Completion of the IHI’s 13 modules required to obtain the Basic Certificate in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Completion of modules is optional based on the number of live educational sessions attended.
- Participation in the fall QI Boot Camp hosted by Yale GME office, titled, HEPSQI Distinction,” which runs between fall-winter of the PGY-2 year.
- Participation in evening educational sessions offered throughout the PGY2 and PGY3 years. Sessions continue to grow to include HEPSQI bootcamp watch sessions, QI-specific leadership talks, and teaching by QI faculty, amongst others
- Submission of a patient safety event
- Participation in a review of a patient safety event.
The fall HEPSQI Boot Camp and IHI modules together set the knowledge foundation for the residents to start their longitudinal QI work, while evening sessions provide additional knowledge that they can apply to their QI project. Residents log their educational portfolio items on the Canvas website for HEPSQI.
Longitudinal QI Project
This constitutes the experiential part of the distinction in which residents learn to select and progress through a mentored QI project using IHI Model for Improvement principles over the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years. PGY-2s are expected to explore potential projects and mentors in the fall to allow them to launch their project by late winter-early spring of PGY-2 year. Residents receive guidance to help them reach their project milestones throughout the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years.
PGY-3 residents are expected to submit their QI project as an abstract to the annual spring GME-wide QI night, Yale New Haven Health System-wide “Safety, Quality and Equity Conference” or both. Presentation at local, regional, or national meetings or manuscript writing is encouraged but not required.
Residents log their project work hours and other details in the HEPSQI Canvas website.
Additional Opportunities
Residents interested in additional QI and patient safety activities beyond the QIPSL distinction requirements, for example, participation in health system committees or work groups, shadowing health system leaders, or other opportunities of interest, are encouraged to reach out to their QIPSL faculty advisor.
Resources
All resources, including project work templates, QI tools, PowerPoint presentations, and other helpful tools, are recorded in the Yale Share Point folder, which is accessible to residents.
Calendar of Events (AY 2024-2025)
Monthly Evening Sessions
Annual Distinction Kick Off Night: July 22, 2024. QIPSL: Yale School of Medicine
Dates and times for future evening sessions, including the Boot Camp, will be uploaded by October 2024. Stay tuned!
Other Events
Residents are encouraged to participate in and present at local, regional, and national conferences that focus on quality improvement and patient safety . Below is a list of conferences that frequently feature content in this area and are also potential venues for abstract submissions.
2024-2025 Conferences
Connecticut Chapter ACP
October 18, 2024
Aqua Turf Club, Southington, CT
Northeast Region SGIM
November 2, 2024
Brown University, Providence, RI
Innovations in Medical Education Conference
February 6-7, 2025
Virtual Conference
National ACP Annual Conference
April 18-20, 2025
Boston, MA
National SGIM
May 14-17, 2025
Hollywood, Fl