The State of Quality Improvement Training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine Programs: A National Survey of Fellowship Program Directors

Abstract

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires training in quality improvement (QI) but does not provide specifics of content or methods. We aimed to describe the current state of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship training in QI and the integration of such QI training with related institutional efforts. We surveyed PEM fellowship program directors (PDs) between January 2017 and March 2017. A group of PEM-boarded physicians with expertise in QI created survey questions to assure face validity. Questions were focused on the current QI curricula, the integration of QI training within institutional efforts, and future fellowship needs in QI training. Of the 81 eligible PDs surveyed, 70 (86.4%) completed surveys. A formal QI curriculum was present in 68.9% of programs. A median of 12 hours was dedicated to the curriculum over the entire course of fellowship. Thirty (42.8%) PDs felt that their fellows were integrated into the broader departmental QI efforts. Only 3 (4.3%) PDs reported that they had evaluated the efficacy of the QI curriculum in their fellowship. QI training is common among PEM fellowship programs. However, integration, as well as formal evaluation of efficacy, is uncommon.