Health Systems Science

Graduate Medical Education

Quality Improvement

Teaching Quality Improvement to residents and fellows is a top priority of the Health Systems Science Office.

Four trainees, two on either side, discuss a poster project shown on a board above a table between them.

CQI-DIMER Toolkit

The CQI-DIMER Toolkit was designed by Prateek Grover, MD, PhD, MHA. The toolkit uses the Institute for Healthcare Improvement model; Six-Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve and control; and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality QI measure constructs for experiential QI learning. The goals and methodology focus enabling familiarity with QI concept and terminology, critical analysis of QI literature, QI tool utilization, QI project simulation, and structured QI Project design and performance.

Session 1: Introduction to QI toolkit and Project Feasibility
Session 2: Characterize QI issue and Design Project
Session 3: Implement / Monitor and Evaluate / Refine

AMA Reimaging Resident Grant

Penn State College of Medicine is lead on a multi-institutional AMA Reimagining Residency grant. This grant focuses on how the vague and often misunderstood ACGME core competency of Systems Based Practice is taught. Using tools from Design Thinking, educators in the Health Systems Science Office lead graduate medical education learners, along with faculty and staff, through pilot projects learning how to effect change within the health system from the user’s perspective.

Three people look at a board with a projected image and post-it notes

Pilot Projects

Diagnostic Radiology Residency: Looking to minimize interruptions during study interpretation on overnights, increasing CT turnaround times.
Internal Medicine Residency: Evaluating if increased collaboration and communication with Care Coordination facilitates disposition of admitted patients.
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Residency: Process improvement for the measurement of parasite load, minimizing how often the on-call resident and faculty must come in overnight.
Anesthesiology Residency: Improve the efficiency and process in which cases are added after-hours to the OR schedule for the next day.
Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency: Improve efficiency and communication with clinic staff in an outpatient clinic.

Quality Improvements Equips Council

In January 2024, the Health Systems Science Office successfully integrated residents and fellows into health systems science at Penn State Health, by launching EQUIPS (Education, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety) Council and the HSS GME newsletter. Both the council and the monthly newsletter will focus on identifying quality improvement (QI) challenges within the health system and on implementing responsive solutions using current data and evidence-based QI tools and workflows.

Details

The EQUIPS Council and the newsletter are designed to empower residents and fellows in health system processes, because frontline staff participation in quality improvement work is essential. Those closest to the work can enhance the development of processes to maintain excellence in outcomes and patient safety. These efforts include:

Monthly meetings on the second Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. (meetings are recorded).
- Root-cause-analysis (RCA): Facts meeting; interviews; causes meeting; action meeting
Monthly newsletter (EQUIPS council members to select highlighted topics). View newsletters (PDF in Sharepoint; Penn State University login required)
Distributing RCA/ACA lessons learned as they are available