Engaging Pediatric Resident Physicians in Quality Improvement Through Resident-Led Morbidity and Mortality...

Increasingly, medical disciplines have used morbidity and mortality conferences (MMCs) to address quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS), as well as teach systems-based improvement to graduate trainees. The goal of this educational intervention was to establish a pediatric resident physician–led MMC that not only focused on QI/PS principles but also engaged resident physicians in QI/ PS endeavors in their clinical learning environments.

Following a needs assessment, pediatric resident physicians at the Stanford University School of Medicine (Stanford, California) established a new MMC model in February 2010 as part of a required QI rotation. Cases were identified, explored, analyzed, and presented by resident physicians using the Johns Hopkins Learning from Defects tool. Discussions during the MMCs were resident physician– directed and systems-based, and resulted in projects to address care delivery. Faculty advisors assessed resident physician comprehension of QI/PS. Conferences were evaluated through the end of the 2012–2013 academic year and outcomes tracked through the 2013–2014 academic year to determine trainee involvement in systems change resulting from the MMCs.

The MMC was well received and the number of MMCs increased over time. By the end of the 2013–2014 academic year, resident physicians were involved in address ing 14 systems-based issues resulting from 25 MMCs. Examples of the resident physician–initiated improvement work included increasing use of the rapid response team, institution of a gastrostomy (g)-tube order set, and establishing a face-to-face provider handoff for pediatric ICU–to-acute-care-floor transfers.

A resident physician–run MMC exposes resident physicians to QI/PS concepts and principles, enables direct faculty assessment of QI/PS knowledge, and can propel resident physicians into real-time engagement in the culture of safety in a complex hospital environment.