Why PSQI?
Patient safety and quality improvement are paramount to what we do. Our consortium is dedicated to fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement among program leadership, faculty and trainees. By enhancing patient outcomes and contributing to the development of competent and compassionate healthcare professionals, our Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQI) initiatives help trainees become exceptional doctors and leaders in healthcare.
Ensuring Patient Safety
The WUSM Event Reporting System (ERS) is provided to faculty and staff to encourage and facilitate reporting of patient safety concerns, incidents, and “near miss” events. Anyone with a WashU Key and knowledge of a patient safety event can report it in the WUSM Event Reporting System.
You can report a patient safety event easily and quickly within Epic.
Please see this guide for more information and additional ways to access ERS: How to Report an Event Guide
Trainee participation in patient safety event analysis is an ACGME Requirement [Common Program Requirement 6.3]. WashU GME encourages trainees to attend event reviews/debriefs when invited. Patient Safety Event Reviews are an important learning experience and GME is here to support you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the PSQI Director if you have any questions or concerns.
What is a Patient Safety Review?
It is the first step in the analysis of a patient safety event as part of our quality improvement process. The meeting brings the people directly involved in the event together to help identify the facts from their perspective.
The team’s focus is to determine what happened – not “who did it”.
Purpose: To provide our clinicians (Faculty, Fellows, Residents, APPs) with confidential, independent, and collegial support and resources for inevitable clinical and professional challenges they will face during their careers.
We know that at certain times, clinicians prefer to talk to colleagues over another group. Supporters are available to talk about whatever you want to talk about. Possible topics include distress over difficult clinical events, problems with career, burnout, etc.
WashU key or network access required
In 2025, WashU and BJC colleagues established the GME PSQI Workgroup to create lectures and activities for GME programs’ PSQI curriculum. The workgroup has focused on topics such as Adverse Event Disclosures, Handoffs/Transitions of Care, Investigating/Analyzing Safety Events, and How to Select and Start a QI Project.
GME PSQI Workgroup Members
| Rachel Bardowell, MD | Barnes Jewish Hospital Associate CMO Hospital Medicine |
| Natalie Baumann, MD | Medicine |
| Andy Bierhals, MD | Radiology |
| Mara Bollini | Anesthesiology |
| Carla Chung | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| Paulina Cruz-Bravo, MD | Endocrinology |
| Deirdre Epstein | Surgery |
| Safa Farrag, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| Jacob Greenberg, MD | Neurosurgery |
| Rita Haddad, MD | Psychiatry |
| Erik Hoefgen, MD | Pediatric Hospital Medicine |
| Chrissy Hrach, MD | Pediatric Hospital Medicine |
| Maya Jerath, MD | Allergy & Immunology |
| Charbel Khoury, MD | Nephrology |
| Megan Lawlor, MD | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| Akash Mitra, MD | Chief Resident in PSQI, Medicine |
| Vicky Peck | Surgery |
| Bekah Phelan | Radiology |
| Roxane Rampersad, MD | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| Justin Sadhu, MD | Cardiology |
| Ryan Schneider | Emergency Medicine |
| Stephanie Torrence | Surgery |
| Dan Willis, MD | Pediatric Hematology Oncology |
| Susan Wiltrakis, MD | Pediatric Emergency Medicine |
| Jennifer Yu, MD | Surgery |
| Rich Griffey, MD | Director, GME PSQI Emergency Medicine |
WashU GME PSQI Toolkit for Programs
Below you will find links to activities and didactics ideas for your program to use and tailor to fit your needs regarding several PSQI topics. A WashU Key is required to access documents.
AMA GCEP Modules
AMA GCEP (GME Competency Education Program) offers robust, customized, online coursework to complement our residency and fellowship programs.
Beginning with the 25-26 Academic Year, all trainees are required to complete a selected set of AMA GCEP modules assigned by WashU GME. The Sleep Deprivation modules will be a yearly requirement for all trainees.