Faculty Development in Improvement Science: Building Capacity and Expanding Curricula Across an Academic Health Center

Background : The ability of health professions faculty to design, teach, evaluate, and improve relevant curricula is vital for teaching improvement science (IS) skills to trainees. Objective : We launched a Foundational Improvement Science Curriculum (FISC) to build faculty competence in IS teaching and scholarship, and to develop, expand, and standardize IS curricula across one institution. Methods : FISC consisted of 9 full or half-day sessions over 10 months in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. Each session required pre-work, including readings, Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School modules, and personal improvement projects. Sessions included brief didactics, group activities, planning, and feedback on curriculum development. An evaluation strategy was employed, including pre- and post-program self-assessment, competency mapping, evaluations of didactics and overall program, and participant satisfaction. Results : Forty individuals from 23 academic programs voluntarily completed FISC, representing 20% of graduate medical education (GME) programs and 50% of primary GME programs in addition to undergraduate medical education (UME) and nursing programs. Median self-assessed competency scores (mid versus final score; scale 1-9, 9 high; P < .05 for all comparisons) improved over the course for all competencies for knowledge (3 versus 7), application (2 versus 7), curriculum design (2 versus 7), and scholarship (2 versus 5). Eighteen new or revised IS curricula were developed across GME, UME, and nursing programs. Conclusions : FISC offers a feasible model to enhance and support faculty development in IS and IS curriculum design.