326
Many other reviews/studies focus on didactic lectures or lecture series as a focus of
quality improvement during residency [ 5 , 7 , 15 ]. Didactics have been identified as one
of the easiest and most common ways to incorporate teaching on quality improvement
and patient safety into resident education [ 16 ]. Didactic lectures may take the form of
annual seminars, monthly lectures, or even online modules focused on QI-related top-
ics. Trainees may be involved by identifying research topics and giving lectures, as
well as participating in discussions. Lectures may serve as inspiration for initiating a
novel idea for a project or continuing a national initiative at a local institution.
Methods for Education in QI
Although no set of guidelines exists for the optimal implementation of a QI/PS cur-
riculum, there are many ways that quality improvement can be integrated into surgi-
cal education programs. In reality, there is likely no one perfect strategy, and program
directors/clinical educators should rely on a combination of strategies to facilitate QI
at their institutions. Some methods to improve quality improvement are below:
Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs)
Rapid improvement events (RIEs) allow for prompt identification of problems and
strategies aimed at solutions that may be implemented in days rather than weeks to
months. RIEs have been used in businesses and in healthcare to expedite change and
usually consist of 2–3-day events. In these events, the following are identified: prob-
lems, potential actions/changes, impact of change, time frame, and party responsi-
ble for change. Historically, RIEs have been used in nursing management and
medical administration but may also apply to resident-led QI initiatives [ 17 ].
Didactic Lectures
Didactic lectures have been identified as among the easiest and most effective ways
to educate large groups of people efficiently and are likely the most common method
of QI/PS integration in surgical residency programs [ 5 , 15 , 16 , 18 ]. Lectures may be
part of an overall patient safety curriculum in which a variety of topics are discussed
each year to meet competency requirements. One downside of didactic lectures is
that they are a relatively passive form of information acquisition and may or may
not result in actual QI changes.
Local Hospital Projects
Local hospital projects aimed at quality improvement or patients’ safety are among
the most common types of projects that engage residents at academic teaching
institutions. The majority of QI/PS-related projects rely on plan-do-study-act cycle
E.L. Ferguson and C.P. Sundaram