Effectiveness of a Formal Surgical Residency Quality and Safety Curriculum

We aimed to implement and determine the effectiveness of a quality improvement (QI) and patient safety (PS) focused curriculum for surgical residents.

In 2018, our General Surgery residency training program implemented a 2-year curriculum combining online learning modules with didactic seminars and small group enrichment activities to equip surgical residents with foundational QI and PS competencies. We sought to measure the curriculum's association with mature QI projects and scholarship activity through the analysis of peer-reviewed surgical resident-authored manuscripts from 2013 to 2024, classifying them by QI relevance. Additionally, to evaluate the curriculum's effectiveness in enhancing trainee knowledge and understanding, we compared pre- and postcurriculum scores using a validated tool to assess resident comprehension and application of quality and safety competencies.

The quality and safety curriculum was implemented for the Department of Surgery residency training programs at an academic medical center.

A total of 67 surgical residents completed both years of the quality and safety curriculum since August 2018, with an additional 16 residents completing Year 1 alone.

Following curriculum implementation in 2018, our Department of Surgery has had 19 resident-authored QI manuscripts, compared to 1 manuscript from the preceding 5 years. Additionally, postcurriculum residents consistently reported higher scores across all QI and PS subdomains of the assessment tool compared to precurriculum scores (p < 0.05).

A dedicated curriculum for QI and PS education can meaningfully foster a deeper understanding of the principles that drive safer, more effective patient care and is associated with practical engagement in improvement work, resulting in the dissemination of methods and outcomes.