Utilizing Resident Feedback to Develop and Implement an Adaptable and Equitable Backup Coverage System in the Era of COVID-19
The pandemic increased the number of residents who are sick and thus cannot work, which has stressed our backup systems and compromised resident education and patient continuity. In April 2020, our three-site university residency program had to rapidly switch from our old backup system to a newer system to better accommodate the many residents who could not work due to illness or quarantine. Over the next academic year with the interim backup system in place, we used a resident-driven quality improvement process to develop options for an improved backup system. At the conclusion of this process, residents selected the final novel backup system option that remains in place at this time.
In this workshop, we will share strengths and weaknesses of the three successive pull systems that were used, the quality improvement strategies used to develop replacement options, and the details of our current novel system. Our system now uses site-specific backup rotations that are patient facing, not dependent on continuity, and not requirements for graduation. We will demonstrate how this updated backup system allows for improved rotation continuity, improved schedule customization, increased outpatient experiences, and increased resident satisfaction.
The interactive workshop will also encourage participants to identify areas in their own programs that could be improved through similar resident-driven processes and to identify clinical experiences that could be used for backup rotations.
In this workshop, we will share strengths and weaknesses of the three successive pull systems that were used, the quality improvement strategies used to develop replacement options, and the details of our current novel system. Our system now uses site-specific backup rotations that are patient facing, not dependent on continuity, and not requirements for graduation. We will demonstrate how this updated backup system allows for improved rotation continuity, improved schedule customization, increased outpatient experiences, and increased resident satisfaction.
The interactive workshop will also encourage participants to identify areas in their own programs that could be improved through similar resident-driven processes and to identify clinical experiences that could be used for backup rotations.