Education Innovation Project (EIP) - SIU Internal Medicine Residency, Springfield, IL

EDUCATION INNOVATION PROJECT
COMMITTEES & SUBGROUPS

Currently there are four committees at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine:

1) Planning Committee

This group coordinates overall EIP activities and meets to keep all members informed of other committees’ activities. The committee has met eight times between April 2006 and January 2007. It has participants from the medical school faculty, residents, other health care professionals, and staff. The planning committee meets on the second Friday of each month in room D443. Everyone is welcome to attend.

2) Quality Improvement Committee

The Quality Improvement (QI) group is expanding the overall QI activities and is including many new and innovative ideas. The committee is assisting the development of chronic disease management systems to improve the outcomes of the patients we serve.

For more information about resident led QI projects refer to the article by Francis M, Varney MD “Learning by Doing: Use of Resident Led QI Projects” published in Seminars In Medical Practice 2006; 9:41-6. For a resident perspective on the Chronic Care Model refer to the article by Coca A, Francis MD: “Implementing the Chronic Care Model in an academic Setting: A Resident’s Perspective” published Semin Med Pract 2007; 10:1-9.

Another QI activity at SIUSOM is FIT Week (Focused Inpatient Training). This one week intensive inpatient training for Internal Medicine residents focuses on core competencies, formative evaluations, and an “apprenticeship” approach to teaching post-graduate trainees.

The group has met ten times since March of 2006 and has developed and presented a number of education presentations for the residents. The most recent example was on January 30, 2006 when Dr. Todd and Lois Harbor held a symposium for residents concerning communication between resident and consultant using the technique: SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation). Residents learned this communication process, and then had the opportunity to practice the technique. Several simulated patient modules were presented, and residents used role-playing to learn this fast and accurate method of doctor-to-doctor communication. A study is underway to determine SBAR’s effectiveness with consultants. For more information on SBAR go to:
http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/PatientSafety/SafetyGeneral/Tools/SBARTechniqueforCommunicationASituationalBriefingModel.htm

Another of the groups’ important outcomes includes the standardization of the call schedule. Subsequently, the group has turned its attention to identifying a clear information path, through either the answering service or some other mechanism, to signify the individual the resident calls for a consult. These examples highlight some of the QI committee’s work. Currently work is underway on building teams that are more efficient.

3) Communication Committee

This committee is developing curriculum for residents, which will improve their interpersonal, and communication skills, thereby, improving patient care. The group has met seven times since April 2006 with a growing list of presentations and educational activities for the residents. The presentations include:
September 15, 2006 Communication with Elderly Patients
October 20, 2006 Public Speaking and Presentations
November 17, 2006 Health Literacy
December 15, 2006 Medical Ethics
January 19, 2007 Challenging Patient Encounters
February 16, 2007 Cultural Competency and Diversity
March 16, 2007 Counseling Skills
May 18, 2007 End of Life Issues
June 15, 2007 Domestic Violence

Residents have given considerable praise to all the presentations, having rated them nearly five on a five-point scale. The committee purchased use of Doc.com, which provides communication curriculum units for the residents that are available on-line anytime. Dr. Tim Koschmann developed an on-line class for residents with an overview of the literature pertaining to Doctor-Patient interactions. The school gave the residents this on-line seminar in the late summer and will offer it again in the spring. The regular monthly meetings of the committee are on the first Monday of the month at noon in room 228. Everyone is welcome to attend.

4) Evaluation Committee

This group’s purpose is to make improvements to the evaluation system of the residency program. The goal is to produce better doctors who can self-evaluate, who can identify areas for improvement, and who can implement plans for self-improvement, creating a better patient care system. The committee has identified areas for faculty and program development that will better educate residents and improve patient treatment. The committee is working to improve the information system through the SOMs ability to manage data in the New Innovations medical system. The group has held three meetings since April and created a sub-working group with the purpose of articulating the definitions of the numerical categories in the 1-9 Likert scale used by the ACGME. The purpose of this work is to increase inter-rater reliability on all evaluation resulting in better-trained residents. The regular monthly meetings are on first Tuesday of the month in room D443 at 3:00. Everyone interested is welcome to attend.

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EDUCATION INNOVATION PROJECT COMMITTEES & SUBGROUPS

EDUCATION INNOVATION PROJECT
COMMITTEES & SUBGROUPS