Understanding ACGME Standards for Simulation: A Document Analysis of Institutional and Program Requirements

Background Our institution has established priorities for graduate medical education (GME) simulation which include increasing adoption of, garnering additional financial support for, and creating a core simulation curriculum. Better understanding of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) simulation requirements will inform our efforts and serve as a guide for other institutions. Objective The purpose of this study was to perform a structured review of ACGME simulation standards using a document analysis to guide GME simulation activities at an institutional level. Methods A document analysis was performed from May 2023 to June 2024 to select and search ACGME Institutional and Program Requirements corresponding to the primary specialties for 21 clinical departments that financially support our simulation center. Content relevant to simulation was identified, and iterative coding with investigator team consensus was performed to assign categories, characterize the requirements, and interpret the findings. Results Twenty-four documents included 120 simulation requirements that were assigned to 12 categories; 70 (58%) requirements were mandatory whereas 50 (42%) were not, and 48 (40%) were simulation-specific, whereas 72 (60%) were simulation-optional. All reviewed specialties had simulation requirements (average 5.4, range 2-12), but the ACGME Institutional Requirements did not. Moderate to strong evidence supported (1) simulation usage by all 21 departments; (2) the need for institutional resource support; and (3) institutional-level patient safety simulation curricula. Conclusions This study identified a large number of simulation requirements, including mandatory patient safety curricula requirements, for all specialties analyzed.