M3 Practice Based Learning and Improvement Presentation Guide: Home

Goals:         

• To investigate and evaluate patient care practices
• To appraise and assimilate scientific evidence
• To improve patient care practices
• To practice asking and answering clinical questions

Rationale:          

Practice-Based Leaning and Improvement (PBLI), simply put, is how a physician improves him or herself in the practice of medicine.  PBLI is important because physicians should monitor the quality of their own work, improve their work, and keep up with developments in medicine.  The broader rationale for PBLI is based on the belief that physicians should be leaders in making change rather than reacting to changes made by others, and the belief that positive changes in one’s own practice behavior can have positive effects on large systems.  Specific examples in medical education include:  increasing preventive care, improving chronic disease management, and enhancing patient safety.

The approach to PBLI includes the following:

• Thinking about practice patterns/beliefs.
• Analyzing practice patterns/beliefs to identify learning/improvement areas.
• Developing a learning plan for improvement.
• Applying the learning plan to improve practice patterns.
• Monitoring the impact of the learning plan on outcomes or behaviors.

Information for this guide was provided by:

• LuAnne Stockton, BS, BA
• Stephanie Henderson, MLS
• Heather McEwen, MS, MLIS

EBM content also provided by:

• Michelle Cudnik, Pharm.D.