Revealing evidence of certain gaps in patient safety education for residents and fellows nationwide, a recent American Medical Association (AMA) report highlights the need to clarify both definitions and procedures for the benefit of practitioners in training.
Based on observations gathered on site, the AMA recommended more consistent hands-on learning with less reliance on instruction alone. It suggested implementation of improvements through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Program, a system designed to enhance feedback in CLE training such as patient safety, care quality and professionalism.
The recent report entitled CLER "National Report of Findings 2016" demonstrated a dearth of practical understanding of patient safety events among doctors in training; not only misunderstood by definition, but also lacking in actual application of the knowledge.
In addition, those residents and fellows who used the procedures seldom obtained feedback on their reporting.
Consequently, the AMA now advises five concrete improvements for the medical community to implement. First, medical trainees must have access to the CLE's systems to report patient safety events. Secondly, they require orientations with ongoing procedural updates.
Third, the AMA recommends imparting the critical importance of documenting "close calls." Fourth, encourage feedback on specific reported events; and finally, remember to keep the faculty on the cusp of new developments so that members can remain capable of proper risk detection and reduction of harm, advancing the CLE's efforts to create a culture of quality and safety.
