TY - JOUR
T1 - Shaping a Culture for Continuous Quality Improvement in Undergraduate Medical Education
AU - Bendermacher, Guy W. G.
AU - De Grave, Willem S.
AU - Wolfhagen, Ineke H. A. P.
AU - Dolmans, Diana H. J. M.
AU - Egbrink, Mirjam G. A. Oude
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - PurposeThis study sought to identify key features of an organizational quality culture and explore how these features contribute to continuous quality improvement of undergraduate medical education.MethodBetween July and December 2018, researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands conducted a multicenter focus group study among 6 education quality advisory committees. Participants were 22 faculty and 18 student representatives affiliated with 6 medical schools in the Netherlands. The group interviews focused on quality culture characteristics in relation to optimizing educational development, implementation, evaluation, and (further) improvement. Template analysis, a stepwise type of thematic analysis, was applied to analyze the data.ResultsFive main themes resembling quality culture constituents to continuous educational improvement were identified: (1) fostering an open systems perspective, (2) involving stakeholders in educational (re)design, (3) valuing teaching and learning, (4) navigating between ownership and accountability, and (5) building on integrative leadership to overcome tensions inherent in the first 4 themes. A supportive communication climate (which can be fueled by the organization's leaders) contributes to and is integrated within the first 4 themes.ConclusionsThe results call for a shift away from static quality management approaches with an emphasis on control and accountability toward more flexible, development-oriented approaches focusing on the 5 themes of a culture for continuous quality improvement. The study provides new insights in the link between theory and practice of continuous quality improvement. Specifically, in addition to quality management systems and structures, faculty's professional autonomy, collaboration with peers and students, and the valuing of teaching and learning need to be amplified.
AB - PurposeThis study sought to identify key features of an organizational quality culture and explore how these features contribute to continuous quality improvement of undergraduate medical education.MethodBetween July and December 2018, researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands conducted a multicenter focus group study among 6 education quality advisory committees. Participants were 22 faculty and 18 student representatives affiliated with 6 medical schools in the Netherlands. The group interviews focused on quality culture characteristics in relation to optimizing educational development, implementation, evaluation, and (further) improvement. Template analysis, a stepwise type of thematic analysis, was applied to analyze the data.ResultsFive main themes resembling quality culture constituents to continuous educational improvement were identified: (1) fostering an open systems perspective, (2) involving stakeholders in educational (re)design, (3) valuing teaching and learning, (4) navigating between ownership and accountability, and (5) building on integrative leadership to overcome tensions inherent in the first 4 themes. A supportive communication climate (which can be fueled by the organization's leaders) contributes to and is integrated within the first 4 themes.ConclusionsThe results call for a shift away from static quality management approaches with an emphasis on control and accountability toward more flexible, development-oriented approaches focusing on the 5 themes of a culture for continuous quality improvement. The study provides new insights in the link between theory and practice of continuous quality improvement. Specifically, in addition to quality management systems and structures, faculty's professional autonomy, collaboration with peers and students, and the valuing of teaching and learning need to be amplified.
KW - ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
KW - MANAGEMENT
KW - ACCREDITATION
KW - PERCEPTIONS
KW - LEADERSHIP
KW - ASSURANCE
KW - PROGRAMS
KW - FACULTY
U2 - 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003406
DO - 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003406
M3 - Article
C2 - 32287081
VL - 95
SP - 1913
EP - 1920
JO - Academic Medicine
JF - Academic Medicine
SN - 1040-2446
IS - 12
ER -