Practice Improvement Modules

Abstract

There has been an increasing focus on quality improvement within the field of medicine. Until recently, the American Board of Internal Medicine required that physicians demonstrate involvement in a clinical quality improvement project. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has also identified the need for residents to be trained in quality improvement and practice-based learning as tools and skills for their future clinical practice. The ACGME requires that internal medicine residents receive practice data at least semiannually and residents are expected to develop a practice-based plan for improvement based on these data sets. While there is no specific requirement for inpatient versus outpatient data, the ideal source for this information resides within the resident’s continuity clinic panel. This chapter will describe the utility of practice improvement modules for quality improvement within the clinic and to develop experience in quality improvement for all providers, including residents.