Arch Surg Chicago
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Surgery residents can learn continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles within a structured curriculum and propose quality improvement projects. ⋯ A structured CQI curriculum can be successfully integrated into a general surgery residency program. Residents can learn the skill of constructing CQI project ideas within the framework of the plan-do-study-act cycle. Residents are eager to make improvements in their local system of residency. By giving them the tools to critically investigate systems improvement and a much needed ear to hear their concerns and suggestions for improvement, we found ways to potentially enhance patient care and developed ideas to improve the education of future surgeons. In doing so, we provided the residents with "buy-in" into their residency program, while addressing the competency of practice-based learning and improvement required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for resident education.
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Although demographic and clinical information are known to affect hospital length of stay (LOS), we hypothesized that LOS after traumatic injury would be significantly influenced by nonclinical factors. ⋯ Nonclinical factors significantly influence LOS. If LOS is used as a quality measure for injured patients, adjustment for these factors is necessary.