Creating Radical Ripples: A Training Curriculum for Quality Improvement Projects

As medical organizations continue to adapt to the ever-changing healthcare landscape, quality improvement initiatives are vital for these organizations to meet patient needs, quality metrics, and financial demands. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to find a health center that does not have a department and/or significant resources related to quality improvement (QI). Integrated behavioral health providers (IBHPs) are in a unique position to support health centers in this realm, as many IBHPs receive extensive training in research and program design, survey development, and statistics. However, there appears to be a lack of acknowledgement regarding an IBHPs vital role in QI projects and even a greater lack of specified training during clinical internships and fellowships for future IBHPs in the QI process. Often, IBHPs may not even consider QI as part of their role. This presentation will give an overview of how a teaching health center (Community Health of Central Washington) incorporates QI into their behavioral health training program. Specifically, the presentation will detail the curriculum for doctoral interns and fellows on the PDSA cycle of QI, how to collaborate and work with medical residents and leadership on QI initiatives, and the completion of a QI project. Additionally, two doctoral fellows who have completed the internship training and subsequent QI projects with the program will share their experience, as well as an overview of their two projects and outcomes. One of the projects is on improving cognitive screening in primary care and the other on the patient experience in the clinic waiting room.