title: Defining and evaluating quality for ambulatory care educational programs.
abstract: As the training of medical students and residents increasingly moves to ambulatory care settings, clerkship and program directors must find a way to use their limited resources to guide the development and evaluation of the quality of these ambulatory-based learning experiences. To evaluate quality, directors must first define, in operational and measurable terms, what is meant by the term "quality" as it is applied to ambulatory-based education. Using educational theories and the definition of quality used by health care systems, the authors propose an operational definition of quality for guiding the planning, implementation, and evaluation of ambulatory care educational programs. They assert that quality is achieved through the interaction of an optimal learning environment, defined educational goals and positive outcomes, participant satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. By describing the components of quality along with examples of measurable indicators, the authors provide a foundation for the evaluation and improvement of instructional innovations in ambulatory care education for the benefit of teachers, learners, and patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Center for Medical Education Research, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195-7240, USA. jlbowen@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stearns
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dohner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blackman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007858:Learning; D017145:Models, Educational; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010361:Patients; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D008486:Physician Executives; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching