Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Quality Improvement Curriculum for Combined Medicine Subspecialty Fellows

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires training in quality improvement (QI) yet many programs struggle to incorporate appropriate content. Small fellowship programs may find it particularly difficult, limited by a lack of well-trained faculty. We report on the feasibility and effectiveness of a consolidated curriculum for subspecialty fellowship programs. Methods: Two QI experts were identified to design a curriculum. Interactive didactic sessions were created to guide development and implementation of fellow QI projects. All projects culminated in abstract/poster presentation. Results: Seven of 10 eligible fellowships participated. Twenty-four projects were completed with 70% reaching improvement in process measures. Trainees improved confidence in 11 of 12 QI domains. Program directors stated enhancement in QI education with 100% recommending program continuation. Conclusions: Consolidating teaching efforts with existing QI experts can lead to an effective QI curriculum for fellowship programs. This model can be expanded to other graduate medical education trainees as a means to increase QI proficiency.