An anticipatory quality improvement process for curricular reform

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare Education

Background:

• Many medical schools are undergoing significant curricular reform.
• Traditional evaluation methods occur post-implementation, delaying necessary adjustments.
• A need exists for a process to review and refine curricula before their official launch.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate a proactive process for reviewing and refining a new medical school curriculum prior to its implementation.
• To assess the effectiveness of an ad hoc committee in critiquing and improving a reformulated first-year curriculum.

Main Methods:

• An ad hoc committee of students and clinical faculty reviewed the reformulated first-year curriculum at UCSF School of Medicine.
• Methods included reviewing planning documents, interviewing course directors, and examining course materials.
• Recommendations were made to improve integration, content balance, and clinical faculty involvement.

Main Results:

• The committee provided specific recommendations for coordinating block courses and enhancing interdisciplinary integration.
• Identified areas for improvement included increasing pediatric and geriatric cases and developing a case database.
• Recommendations were endorsed and an action plan was implemented before the curriculum's start date.

Conclusions:

• A proactive evaluation process provides a crucial quality improvement step before curriculum unveiling.
• This anticipatory planning process facilitated interdisciplinary development and increased input from clerkship directors.
• The model successfully identified potential issues, adding significant value to the curriculum planning process.