This post is part of an ongoing “ACGME Answers” series, expanding on frequently asked questions the ACGME often receives or sees online. To learn more about the ACGME and graduate medical education (GME), review the ACGME FAQs on our website.
The ACGME Case Log System is a crucial component of GME, serving several purposes for learners, programs and institutions, and the ACGME. In this post, we give some context around how Case Logs are used by the ACGME and GME community, and where the minimum requirements originate.
While the ACGME does not set curricula, it does require a basic set of standards in education and training to prepare residents and fellows for practice. This includes exposure to certain clinical experiences, logged as cases, which fall into categorizations established by the ACGME Review Committees. Case Logs are specialty-/subspecialty-specific and provide insight into the full breadth and depth of the clinical encounters of a program’s residents and fellows (though, notably, not all specialties and subspecialties require them).
Minimum thresholds may be created around a specified subset of procedures/patient care scenarios based on the consensus of experts in the field. These are intended to ensure that residents and fellows gain sufficient experience in critical areas. The ACGME Review Committees periodically review and adjust these minimum requirements to reflect the evolving nature of medical education and practice.
The ACGME Case Log System is a web application within the Accreditation Data System (ADS), where residents/fellows are required to log their clinical experiences on an individual case basis, or in aggregate, for certain specialties. The Case Log System helps track residents'/fellows’ procedural and patient care experiences, ensuring they meet the educational and clinical requirements set by the pertinent Review Committee. Updates to Case Log System for particular specialties/subspecialties are announced within ADS, through the ACGME’s weekly e-Communication, and on the Documents and Resources tab of the applicable specialty’s section of the ACGME website.
Residents and fellows can access the Case Log System online by logging into ADS. Program directors and coordinators also have access, to review and monitor the logged information, which can be used for program improvement and resident/fellow evaluation. Certain specialty-/subspecialty-specific Case Log Graduate Statistics National Reports are available on the ADS public site for each academic year, while others are not shared publicly.
Residents/fellows are expected to meet or exceed the minimum Case Log requirements for their specialty/subspecialty, as applicable, by the time of graduation, as verified by their program director. The Case Log serves as a record of a resident’s/fellow’s experiences and competencies, playing a significant role in the assessment of an individual’s readiness for independent practice. For some specialties, the Case Log data are shared with the respective certifying Board, and Case Logs are a vital documentation of clinical experience for physicians seeking privileges to perform certain procedures at a hospital after completing their educational program. Review Committees also use program-level Case Log data to assess whether a program has sufficient patient volume and cases to offer adequate education and training for its approved complement of residents/fellows.
The ACGME Case Log System is an essential tool for all stakeholders in GME, ensuring that programs are meeting accreditation requirements and that physicians are graduating with the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to take personal responsibility for their care of patients.
Technical questions about the Case Log System should be directed to the appropriate staff members at the ACGME, contact information for whom can be found on the ACGME website. Specialty-/subspecialty-specific questions should be directed to the relevant Review Committee staff members, contact information for whom is available on the Overview tab of the applicable specialty section.
We hope this post provides background and context regarding the ACGME Case Log System. Find answers to other questions on our general Frequently Asked Questions page.
If you have questions or potential topics you’d like to see explained in more detail in a future post in this ACGME Answers series, email social@acgme.org.