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Part 2 Video Activity Teaches QI Basics, Offers MOC Credit

 

A Journey of Improvement: Basics of QI” follows the story of a general pediatrician in a community practice as she leads her team through a small group quality improvement project. It is presented as a series of animated videos with a total of 25 questions sprinkled throughout the activity. 

More than 250 people have earned credit through this activity, which was developed by Daniel (Dan) Schumacher, MD, MEd, and Carol L. Carraccio, MD, MA. The two creators sat down to answer questions relating to the new activity. 

Q: Where did this idea first come from, Dan? Why did you think this was so important to get this out there for physicians? 

Dan: This started from a paper about developing master learners that I wrote with Carol and Bob Englander. The paper synthesized a lot of the literature about how individuals best learn and improve. We published the paper in Academic Medicine, and it has been well-received since then. 

This activity is our way of translating the paper into an interactive format.  When we converted the paper into Ella’s story, we brought in basic quality improvement principles and made the content more approachable for faculty who may not be educators. Now, by bringing in those QI principles, diplomates can design a QI project of their own and get Part 4 credit through the SQIPA application.

Q: Tell me more about those QI principles, Carol. Most physicians know about QI, but may not know how to go about planning projects to focus on their own gaps. How does Ella and this activity help them?

Carol: The videos give you a step-by-step process to illustrate how improvement science is applied to a gap in your practice.  You start with identifying something in your practice that needs improvement; Then, through the ups and downs of implementing a QI project; and finally, taking the project to the finish line.

We really wanted to bring QI to life. You can read about something and try to apply it yourself, but it’s much more tedious and time consuming.

I think watching the principles being applied makes more sense and is so much more engaging. 

Q: Thinking more about teaching those principles, Carol, how do you think Program Directors can use these videos?

Carol: One of the things we tried to do was teach QI principles, using educational principles as well. We focused on how we learn and the pitfalls of self-assessment. In fact, both learning and assessment are not meant to be solo activities. We have to rely on trusted colleagues to help us identify and fill our gaps. This also makes learning more fun.

I think there are ways that program directors can build these videos into their curriculum. A couple of ways that come to mind are using them during core conference sessions or continuity clinic conferences.

In each case the faculty preceptor can lead the group through the activity and work with the trainees to answer the questions embedded within the activity. While the residents can’t earn Part 2 MOC credit during training, the faculty preceptor can. So, faculty can log into their portfolio and project the activity on a screen. The answers are typed right into the preceptor’s portfolio, so he or she can earn credit.

Q: Ella sometimes has a hard time getting her team on the same page. That seems like something that happens in just about any office! How does Ella focus her team on a unified goal, Dan?  

Dan: I think that buy-in and value for all members of the team is key.  Once they see this as partly their data, it is easy to get that buy-in.  She also focused on defining and achieving a goal that all the members of the team weighed in on.  This allows them to see the value in the work.

Q: Ella seems to incorporate everyone in the discussion, which is great to build that buy-in and participation. That group participation and investment are such a large parts of QI success. Teaching the whole team about those QI principles is so vital to getting everyone on the same page.

Carol: If people want to follow along with Ella and her team by identifying their own practice gap, and completing a QI project, they can earn Part 4 MOC credit. They would just need to log onto the ABP website and complete an application for a small quality improvement project (SQIPA) if there are 10 or fewer physicians seeking Part 4 credit or a quality improvement project application (QIPA) if there are more than 10 physicians seeking Part 4 credit.

If residents or fellows participate in the project, they can earn Part 4 MOC credit and bank it until their first cycle of continuing certification.

 

enlightened More about this activity: For physicians of the ABP, this activity provides the opportunity to earn both MOC Part 2 credit and Part 4 credit. Part 2 credit is earned upon completing this activity. Part 4 credit is earned once diplomates have applied their learning to the development and completion of a QI project with their own team. The final step is to submit the project through SQIPA (small group quality improvement project application) via his or her ABP Portfolio. In order to earn MOC Part 4 credit for certifications expiring in 2018, SQIPA applications must be submitted by December 1, 2018.