A Curriculum for Residents to Develop Successful Quality Improvement Projects.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement (QI) education in residency training has become critical for numerous reasons, but little has been written about factors that lead to successful improvement projects within residency training. METHODS: A quality improvement curriculum for third-year psychiatry residents was developed. The percentage of resident projects that have been successfully implemented was calculated. Residents completed the QI Knowledge Application Tool adapted for psychiatry before and after the curriculum to assess knowledge and skills. RESULTS: Eighteen of 19 resident projects were successfully implemented. QI Knowledge Application Tool scores improved from 4.8 to 8.1 (P = 0.0053) after completion of the curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Residents are able to implement successful projects and to increase their knowledge and skills in quality improvement when given appropriate resources and incentives.