337 - Exploring the Interaction of Trainees with Clinical Operations and Patient Safety Work

Poster Number: 337
Publication Number: 337.55

Background: At large academic institutions, pediatric resident physicians (residents) are integral to patient care and subsequently are directly involved in the daily clinical operations and patient safety (COPS) work of their hospitals. However, resident knowledge and awareness of COPS work is inconsistent which does not allow for effective participation in these processes. Deliberate education on COPS practices may allow for more robust collaboration between residents and hospital administration, promote safe and effective patient care, and foster the development of future physician leaders.

Objective: We aimed to characterize resident perspectives of COPS practices at a large quaternary care pediatric center. Additionally, we sought to correlate these findings with perceived benefits of additional engagement in COPS work to inform future collaborative efforts.

Design/Methods: A voluntary, de-identified RedCap survey was developed by a working group of residents and hospital medicine attendings and disseminated to all residents. Items on the survey included a combination of Likert scale and free response questions related to awareness of and willingness to engage in COPS work using patient flow as a proxy. Quantitative data variables were evaluated on a Likert scale from 0-100 and correlated using Spearman’s rho with p < 0.05 connotating significant correlation. Qualitative data was evaluated through descriptive statistics to explore emerging themes.

Results: A total of 42 residents responded to the survey. Our data reflected a positive desire for increased understanding and involvement in COPS work with an average Likert score of 67.8. An increased desire for education in COPS work was positively correlated with the belief that resident involvement could mitigate safety events (r = 0.346, p = 0.029). Themes from the qualitative responses included a perceived lack of consistency around current COPS practices but also demonstrated a lack of understanding of current COPS policies and procedures.

Conclusion(s): Trainees at a large pediatric center demonstrated a desire to learn more about COPS practices and have important perspectives to share in patient care that could have the potential for positive impact on safety practices at our hospital. We also discovered that some trainees lack understanding of current practices, contributing to overall frustrations. Our next steps include implementing tests of change to improve trainee knowledge and awareness about clinical operations and safety processes and to incorporate trainee perspectives in COPS processes via a daily scheduled check in with our operational leaders.