QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN NEUROLOGY RESIDENCY PROGRAMS - REPORT OF THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS OF NEUROLOGY

The neurology residency programs in the United States are facing a cri sis of quality. The Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN) approved the Quality Improvement Committee to examine this situ ation and make recommendations, which have been accepted by the AUPN. The recommendations are (1) that the educational goals of neurology re sidency training be dissociated from patient-care needs in academic me dical centers and (2) that minimum levels of quality be applied to res idents in neurology residency programs and to these programs themselve s. These minimum criteria should include minimum educational criteria for entry into the program, minimum criteria for advancement from one year to the next in the program, and minimum criteria for performance of the graduates of neurology residency programs for program accredita tion. The implementation of these recommendations will require a shift of funding of the care of indigent patients from the graduate medical education budget to direct patient-care sources. These recommendation s will significantly improve the quality of neurologists and neurologi c care in the United States.