Improving Resident and Fellow Engagement in Patient Safety Through a Graduate Medical Education Incentive Program

ABSTRACT Background Collaboration between graduate medical education (GME) and health systems is essential for the success of patient safety initiatives. One example is the development of an incentive program aligning trainee performance with health system quality and safety priorities. Objective We aimed to improve trainee safety event reporting and engagement in patient safety through a GME incentive program. Methods The incentive program was implemented to provide financial incentives to drive behavior and engage residents and fellows in safety efforts. Safety event reporting was measured beginning in the 2014–2015 academic year. A training module was introduced and the system reporting link was added to the institution's Resident Management System homepage. The number of reports by trainees was tracked over time, with a target of 2 reports per trainee per year. Results Baseline data for the year prior to implementation of the incentive program showed less than 0.5% (74 of 16 498) of safety reports wer...