Using the american board of internal medicine practice improvement modules to teach internal medicine residents practice improvement.

BACKGROUND: Although residency programs must prepare physicians who can analyze and improve their practice, practice improvement (PI) is new for many faculty preceptors. We describe the pilot of a PI curriculum incorporating a practice improvement module (PIM) from the American Board of Internal Medicine for residents and their faculty preceptors.

METHODS: Residents attended PI didactics and completed a PIM during continuity clinic and outpatient months working in groups under committed faculty.

RESULTS: All residents participated in PI group projects. Residents agreed or strongly agreed that the projects and the curriculum benefited their learning and patient care. A self-assessment revealed significant improvement in PI competencies, but residents were just reaching a "somewhat confident" level.

CONCLUSION: A PI curriculum incorporating PIMs is an effective way to teach PI to both residents and faculty preceptors. We recommend the team approach and use of the PIM tutorial approach especially for faculty.