Ten Years After the IOM Report: Engaging Residents in Quality and Patient Safety by Creating a House Staff Quality Council

Ten years after the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, it is clear that despite significant progress, much remains to be done to improve quality and patient safety (QPS). Recognizing the critical role of postgraduate trainees, an innovative approach was developed at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center to engage residents in QPS by creating a Housestaff Quality Council (HQC). HQC leaders and representatives from each clinical department communicate and partner regularly with hospital administration and other key departments to address interdisciplinary quality improvement (QI). In support of the mission to improve patient care and safety, QI initiatives included attaining greater than 90% compliance with medication reconciliation and reduction in the use of paper laboratory orders by more than 70%. A patient safety awareness campaign is expected to evolve into a transparent environment where house staff can openly discuss patient safety issues to improve the quality of care.