Practice habits in anesthesiology resident education: The impact of feedback using data analytics

Abstract

BackgroundThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has annually asked residents about several aspects of their education including whether they have received data about practice habits. However, the term “practice habits” is not clearly defined, allowing for varied interpretation. A working definition of practice habits was developed at the Renaissance School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology at Stony Brook University, guided by educational program leadership utilizing information retrievable from the electronic health record (EHR). We used this information to provide practice habits data to anesthesiology residents. We hypothesized that the provision of practice habits feedback would lead to increased compliance on ACGME surveys. MethodsSeveral parameters were extracted from the EHR of every resident surgical case during their training years from 2017 to 2019. Each resident received feedback on those measures and de-identified aggregate data on trainees at the same training level. The ACGME survey data on practice habits were compared pre- to post-implementation of feedback provision. ResultsThe program scored compliance rates above the national mean for two consecutive years after implementation of the new feedback system: 79% vs 71% in 2017–2018, and 95% vs 71% in 2018–2019. ConclusionsExisting EHR data sources may serve as useful resources for residency programs to provide real-world feedback to trainees on their practice habits and inform program leadership about trainee progress and program gaps. Such feedback allows for peer-comparisons and identification of gaps in skills training and facilitates improved program compliance rate in the ACGME survey.