Using Dashboards to Support Continuous Quality Improvement in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education

Abstract

Like other complex systems, medical education programs require a systematic continuous quality improvement (CQI) approach to drive effective improvement. Accreditation bodies in both undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) require programs to have effective CQI processes. Dashboards facilitate visualization and tracking of key metrics that impact medical education programming, thus driving excellence. Keys to developing useful dashboards include using existing program evaluation frameworks to identify desired outputs, determine acceptable evidence, and identify key data sources. In developing dashboards, it is important to consider data management including oversight and appropriate sharing of reports. When effectively developed and delivered to key parties, data dashboards serve as valuable tools to drive improvement of medical education programing. The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance for dashboard implementation and use in medical education, with a focus on UME and GME, based on available literature and experiences in our own institutions.