Graduate Medical Education launches Quality Improvement Awards
The inaugural Graduate Medical Education Quality Improvement Awards held at Tulane University School of Medicine recognized four resident QI projects designed to improve the culture of patient safety in the learning and work environment.
Andrea Murina, MD, Assistant Designated Institutional Official, and Dermatology Residency Program Director, organized the competition to help support and promote resident engagement in a culture of patient safety and quality improvement, an ACGME Common Program Requirement. Residents from across GME submitted 14 projects promoting various change concepts ranging from decreasing waste, time management, and minimizing variations to interfacing with patients, improving workflow, and changing the work environment. The Office of Graduate Medical Education sponsored the awards.
Judges selected four projects for awards and cash prizes:
Best Collaboration: Sobya Hashmi, MD, PGY-4, Infectious Diseases: “Antibiotic Lock Therapy”
Most Innovative: Lauren Chen, MD, PGY-3, Dermatology: “Minimizing Cost, Increasing Efficiency, and Reducing Waste with Dermatology Procedure Tray Optimization.”
Best SMART Goals: Jacob Khoury, MD, PGY-4 Internal Medicine: “Improving Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Strategies at SLVHCS”
Best Overall Project: Michael Ghio, MD, PGY-5, Dylan Wolff, MD, PGY-3, and John Tyler Simpson, PGY-5, General Surgery: “Tulane STAR (Sending Texts, Advancing Results): Evaluation of Text Messaging on Post-Operative Surgery Outcomes.”
Dr. Murina thanked the trainees who submitted projects, judges, the faculty, hospital staff, and resident mentors, and “the patients and end-users” who will ultimately benefit from each project.
