Training program enhances resident physicians’ quality improvement skills

Resident physician Dr. Yifan Wang wants to incorporate quality improvement into his medical practice and make changes to improve patient satisfaction, outcomes, and safety.

As a result, he is enrolled in the Resident Quality Improvement Program (RQIP), which is delivered in partnership by the Health Quality Council (HQC) and the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) office.

The aim of RQIP is to introduce resident physicians in Saskatchewan to the foundational elements of quality improvement methodology and to help them see opportunities for making changes in their practices that will result in more timely and safer patient care.

“Quality improvement is an important aspect of medical practice,” said Wang, a resident physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“Participating in this program will hopefully give a foundation to our quality improvement knowledge as well as fulfilling our Royal College (of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada) requirements for training,” he added.

RQIP includes a mix of online modules and interactive learning sessions. While the program is structured to be completed during a 12-month period, there is an opportunity to flex the schedule according to participant needs.

Currently, there are 122 RQIP participants; while the majority of those enrolled are resident physicians, there are also some faculty participating who are learning to facilitate the program. Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, and Surgical Services are currently taking part, and there are plans to connect with other specialties in order to support all physician groups in the future, said Angie Palen, a Provincial Improvement Consultant at HQC who coordinates RQIP.

“Physicians are key stakeholders in improvement. In a complex health system that is often over capacity, physicians historically haven’t had many opportunities to reflect and engage in improvement activity. RQIP is helping to change that,” she said.

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