title: Systems-based practice: learning the concepts using a teamwork competition model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systems-based practice (SBP) is a core competency of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) that must be integrated into residency training. We sought to develop a method to improve resident understanding using a teamwork competition model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The residents were given a pretest to assess their understanding of SBP followed by a didactic lecture. They were then divided into teams to solve a programmatic "problem" in the residency. Each team had to prove that their solution best fulfilled the expectations of SBP. Their solutions were then presented at a departmental conference followed by a post-test to evaluate knowledge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the pretest, 33% of the residents understood what SBP meant and only 15% knew the components of SBP. In the post-test, this increased to 85% and 89%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SBP is a competency mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in residency training. Using a novel approach, we were able to improve the residents' understanding of SBP.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Electronic address: edie_y_chan@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Edie Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Deziel
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Orkin
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Norman L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wool
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D017145:Models, Educational; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Systems-based practice; general surgery; residency training