Residents' engagement in quality improvement: a systematic review of the literature.

Purpose: Residents are being asked to participate in quality improvement (QI) initiatives in hospitals and clinics with increasing frequency; however, the effectiveness of improving patient care through residents' participation in QI initiatives is unknown.

Method: A thorough, systematic review of the English-language medical literature published between 1987 and October 2008 was performed to identify clinical QI initiatives in which there was active engagement of residents. Multiple search strategies were employed using PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ERIC.