Patient safety and quality improvement education in dermatology residency programs: a nationwide survey of program directors

Background: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQI) are key components of graduate medical training, as detailed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with specific requirements that residents participate in experiential learning in PSQI during residency training. This study aimed to analyze the breadth of available and required PSQI educational experiences across dermatology residency programs in the United States.

Objectives/methods: The objective of this study was to characterize the scope of PSQI educational experiences across dermatology residency programs. We electronically surveyed program directors of all ACGME-accredited dermatology residency programs from September 2023 to March 2024. Responses to the survey were anonymously collected with Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap).

Results: Of the 145 dermatology programs surveyed, 37 program directors responded (25.5%). 89.2% of programs reported requiring residents to participate in PSQI educational experiences, with the most common being participation in a resident-led QI project (70.3%), which was also the most commonly available experience (91.2%). The least common required experience was observed simulated patient safety events and analyses. 83.8% of programs reported formal mechanisms to assess residents' competency in QI.

Conclusions: This study highlights variation in PSQI experiences within dermatology residency programs across the United States. More than 10% of surveyed programs reported no required QI experiences during residency training despite ACGME program requirements. Additional gaps include variation in assessment of resident PSQI competencies. This study provides insight on the current landscape of PSQI education across dermatology residency programs and identifies opportunities to strengthen dermatology programs' PSQI educational offerings.