Incorporating the ACGME Educational Competencies Into Morbidity and Mortality Review Conferences

Abstract

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandates that residents be trained in six core educational competencies. Practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI), one of the six competencies, is defined as the investigation and evaluation of one's own patient care. Morbidity and Mortality Conference, a frequently used venue to review the clinical outcome of hospitalized patients, provides the opportunity to teach and assess PBLI. Description: We report an approach to Morbidity and Mortality Conference that includes a systematic analysis of the ACGME core competencies and their application to a clinical case, a regular review of the factors that defines high-quality patient care, and a focused discussion of the PBLI competency. Evaluation: Preliminary data indicate that our residents preferred this revised method for conducting Morbidity and Mortality Conference. Conclusion: Our adaptation to Morbidity and Mortality Conference provides a systematic review of the core competencies and their relevance to clinical decision making, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the members of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Pediatric Educational Scholarship Working Group (Suzanne Speaker, Beatrice Boateng, Lea Mabry, James Graham, MD, and Chris Smith, MD) who assisted the authors in the preparation of this article.