New approach to undergraduate quality improvement

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Quality Improvement (QI) is crucial in clinical practice, yet undergraduate medical education often lacks formal QI teaching.
• Foundation doctors exhibit varied engagement with QI, potentially due to insufficient early exposure.
• A gap exists in structured undergraduate training for quality improvement initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To trial an active learning workshop for undergraduate medical students focused on Quality Improvement (QI).
• To evaluate the workshop's impact on student confidence, engagement, and project completion.
• To explore student perceptions of QI within the medical curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A 2-hour interactive QI workshop was developed for third-year medical students, using near-peer educators.
• The workshop included an exemplary project, QI tools, and support for student-led projects.
• Mixed methods evaluation involved pre- and post-event questionnaires, thematic analysis of free text, and project completion rates.

Main Results:

• High student satisfaction and significant improvements in baseline confidence were observed.
• Students perceived QI as important, highlighting barriers and the value of project autonomy.
• The workshop reduced anxiety regarding change ideas, with 9 projects completed, one receiving a regional award.

Conclusions:

• The workshop provides a scalable, resource-light model for undergraduate QI education.
• Early QI teaching can cultivate a QI culture and mitigate postgraduate engagement barriers.
• The study underscores the demand for undergraduate QI training and provides insights into student perspectives.