An Interactive Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Workshop for First-Year Medical Students

Introduction There is a call to incorporate quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) content into undergraduate medical education, though limited literature exists on optimal teaching strategies. We designed a required, interactive workshop for first-year medical students to introduce principles of QI/PS, specifically focusing on student attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Methods We used active learning principles from existing literature and included the application of QI/PS concepts, engaging in PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycles, conducting root cause analyses, and creating a fishbone diagram. Evaluation of student knowledge included pre/post assessments with locally designed multiple-choice items and a case scenario from the Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool. Additional students' self-assessments included perceived knowledge and problem-solving skills. We also evaluated student satisfaction with the workshop. Results Results on the direct assessment total score (n = 136) indicated significant growth from pretest (65%) to posttest (89%). Indirect assessments (n = 138) targeting perceived ability to define QI/PS principles, identify key components in a QI case scenario, explain the purpose of a fishbone diagram, apply a PDSA cycle, and create a fishbone diagram for a QI case scenario all significantly increased from pre- to postworkshop. The mean overall rating across the 2 years the workshop was administered (ns = 134, 137) was 75% (i.e., good to very good). Discussion First-year medical students' knowledge and perceived skills significantly increased from start to end of the workshop. The workshop was placed in an appropriate stage of the curriculum and contained relevant information for our learners.