Quality Curriculum

Self-assessment, lifelong learning, and performance improvement are fundamental tenants of a successful surgeon. Beyond learning patient care and technical skill, successful residency graduates must be able to understand patient outcomes, recognize opportunities for improvement and work in multidisciplinary teams on quality and performance improvement initiatives to optimize patient care and improve patient safety. 

The Quality Curriculum consists of:

• Personalized outcomes data for each resident reported via the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Quality in Training Initiative. Each report provides cumulative data regarding complications in the patients on whom the resident has operated as well as benchmarking with local and national peers by PGY level.
• Online didactic modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School allow residents to complete the Basic Certificate in Healthcare Quality and Safety. Additional modules are available for those with interest. Other topics in Systems Based Practice and resource utilization are covered via group discussion during protected time.
• Ideas for Quality Improvement/Performance Improvement projects are generated based on hospital/department priorities, opportunities for workflow improvement, concerns regarding healthcare worker/patient safety, reflection on outcomes reports/current practices and other resident experiences. After discussion, several projects are selected, and residents sign up for the projects of their choice. After completion of the projects, abstracts are submitted to regional and national quality and safety meetings for presentation and subsequent publication.

Quality Curriculum Projects 

Projects derived from the Quality Curriculum presented at national meetings:

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
  • Radiographic Incidental Findings
  • Ambulation Protocol
• IHI/American College of Surgeons (ACS) Quality and Safety Conference
  • Quality Curriculum

• ACS Quality and Safety Conference

  • Standardized Consents
  • Contact Surgery Project
• Patient Experience, Empathy and Innovation Summit
  • Midnight Rounds

Additional Quality Curriculum projects include:

• Urinary retention protocol
• Blood transfusion reduction
• Real-time readmission analysis
• Minimizing ventilator time via Spontaneous Breathing Trials
• Protocols for percutaneous cholecystostomy
• Surgical floor surgical supply closet
• Standardized clinical pathways
• Pre-op patient optimization
• Needlestick project
• Standardized bedside procedure note
• Standard pre-op/post-op checks