Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJA Hospital Public Health Response to CLER

Background: Our ACGME CLER site visit revealed issues with patient safety, quality, and health disparities, so a core curriculum team consisting of members of the Office of Academic Affairs and an MPH candidate was formed to develop a public health curriculum for residency programs. Desired outcomes included the identification and reduction of public health–related knowledge gaps. Methods: A literature search, a needs assessment of program directors and residents, curricular audit, presentation, and peer review were conducted to design a public health curriculum that addresses patient safety, healthcare improvement, error reporting, and health disparities. Success depended upon the approval of the Monmouth Medical Center GMEC. Results: The “Public Health Curriculum for Graduate Medical Education Program at Monmouth Medical Center” was completed on time and within the project budget. The GMEC approved the curriculum, and the program directors adopted it. The program-specific curriculum was found to be responsive to the needs of 7 residency programs. Conclusions: Educators and trainees now have access to a complete set of concepts, terms, and activities that make up the public health domain. This access has increased awareness regarding public health, disparities, and inequities and has also led to greater awareness of patient safety and error reporting.