What is CQI?
Continuous quality improvement is an ongoing system for assessing components of a residency program, implementing changes, and assessing outcomes. Element 9.1 in the Standards of Accreditation state the requirements and indicators on CQI and the data collected through the CQI process can be provided during the internal reviews. Aside from meeting accreditation standards, conducing CQI allows you to identity areas of improvement and implement practical solutions (Heard 2004). The process will engage residents as stakeholders through providing feedback and involvement in committees, which will provide them with an understanding of how to create a quality training experience (Benson et al, 2019). The main challenge to account for is the time required by all stakeholders to collect and analyze the data.
Program Directors will need to both incorporate CQI in their programs and teach CQI principles to Residents.
How to incorporate CQI in your program
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- Identify the goals, outcome, and/or processes that you want to assess
- e.g., Residents receive timely feedback from supervisors
- Identify indicators for the goals, outcome, and/or processes
- Indicators are measurable characteristics that show progress
- e.g., the percentage of residents who rate the item Agree to Strongly Agree
- Identify how to collect the data, from whom, and when
- e.g., An annual survey of residents
- Implement systems for collecting and analyzing data
- Identify areas of improvement and implement changes
- Program committees should be involved in reviewing the data, identifying areas for improvement, and strategizing how to make changes
- Repeat 4-6
The .PDF below contains examples of how you can meet the CQI indicators for accreditation. You are likely doing much of this already and just need to recognize it as such and formalize it.
PD_CQI
For information on teaching Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QIPS) within your program, please visit the
QIPS section of this guide.