The ACGME defines each CLER focus area in CLER Pathways to Excellence: Expectations for an Optimal Clinical Learning Environment (Executive Summary). Journal of Graduate Medical Education: September 2014, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 610-611.
CLER findings suggest that if residents and fellows are to learn to improve the health of the populations they serve, they need to be aware of quality goals, such as those set by regulators, payers, and others outside the CLE (e.g., use of universal protocol, reducing central line associated blood stream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or potentially avoidable 30-day readmissions). They should also learn to critically evaluate their CLE’s own processes of patient care and how those affect patient outcomes.