• James L Leenstra, Thomas J Beckman, Darcy A Reed, William C Mundell, Kris G Thomas, Bryan J Krajicek, Stephen S Cha, Joseph C Kolars, and Furman S McDonald.
• Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Sep 1; 22 (9): 1330-4.

BackgroundResidency programs involve trainees in quality improvement (QI) projects to evaluate competency in systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement. Valid approaches to assess QI proposals are lacking.ObjectiveWe developed an instrument for assessing resident QI proposals--the Quality Improvement Proposal Assessment Tool (QIPAT-7)-and determined its validity and reliability.DesignQIPAT-7 content was initially obtained from a national panel of QI experts. Through an iterative process, the instrument was refined, pilot-tested, and revised.ParticipantsSeven raters used the instrument to assess 45 resident QI proposals.MeasurementsPrincipal factor analysis was used to explore the dimensionality of instrument scores. Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlations were calculated to determine internal consistency and interrater reliability, respectively.ResultsQIPAT-7 items comprised a single factor (eigenvalue = 3.4) suggesting a single assessment dimension. Interrater reliability for each item (range 0.79 to 0.93) and internal consistency reliability among the items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) were high.ConclusionsThis method for assessing resident physician QI proposals is supported by content and internal structure validity evidence. QIPAT-7 is a useful tool for assessing resident QI proposals. Future research should determine the reliability of QIPAT-7 scores in other residency and fellowship training programs. Correlations should also be made between assessment scores and criteria for QI proposal success such as implementation of QI proposals, resident scholarly productivity, and improved patient outcomes.

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