Integration of Continuous Quality Improvement Methods Into Annual Program and Institutional Evaluation

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System requires continuous program improvement as part of program evaluation for residency training institutions and programs. Objective To improve the institutional- and program-level evaluation processes, to operationalize a culture of continuous quality improvement (CQI), and to increase the quality and achievement of action items, the Wayne State University Office of Graduate Medical Education (WSU GME) incorporated CQI elements into its program evaluation process. Methods Across 4 academic years, WSU GME phased the following 4 CQI elements into the evaluation process at the program and institutional levels, including the annual program evaluation (APE) and the annual institutional review: (1) An APE template; (2) SMART (specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, timely) format for program and institutional goals; (3) Dashboard program and institutional metrics; and (4) Plan-do-study-act cycles for each action item. Results Action item goals improved in adherence to the SMART format. In 2014, 38% (18 of 48) omitted at least 1 field, compared with 0% omitting any fields in 2018. More complete action items took less time to resolve: 1.7 years compared with 2.4 years (t(43.3) = 2.87, P = .003). The implementation of CQI in the APE was well received by program leadership. Conclusions After leveraging CQI methods, both descriptions of institutional- and program-level goals and the time required for their achievement improved, with overall program director and program coordinator satisfaction.