“I Think I Was Losing the Forest for the Trees”: Evaluation of an Internal Medicine Residency Quality Improvement Curriculum

Introduction Quality improvement (QI) training during residency may not be adequately preparing physicians for achieving Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education goals and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim. The purpose of this evaluation was to identify residents’ perceptions and impact of their QI curriculum. Methods We conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of an active-learning QI curriculum for internal medicine residents at one academic medical center. Data from 2017 to 2018 included a focus group, pre-post survey, project data, and curricular materials. Results were categorized using Kirkpatrick’s model of evaluation. Results All second-year internal medicine residents completed the curriculum ( N = 14). Residents were satisfied with the structure and perceived accomplishment with the curriculum, however were dissatisfied by the impact of inconsistent attendance due to clinical conflicts. Their confidence in QI increased; however, they reported difficulty retaining knowledge and skills. Survey scores related to usefulness and anticipated application of QI were unchanged from baseline. Conclusions This applied QI curriculum appeared to improve short-term learning. However, the curriculum did not promote long-term understanding of QI. Finding ways to promote skills and retention beyond the curriculum requires further study.