Educator's blueprint: A how-to guide on survey administration.

In this paper, we take the lessons learned from designing a survey and collecting validity evidence and prepare to administer the survey for research. We focus specifically on how researchers can reach individuals in the target population, methods of contact and engagement, evidence-informed factors that enhance participation, and recommendations for follow-up with nonrespondents. We also discuss the challenges of survey administration and provide guidance for navigating low response rates. Surveys are a common tool used to evaluate educational initiatives and collect data for all types of research. However, many clinician educators conducting survey-based evaluation and research may struggle to efficiently administer their survey. As a result, they often struggle to obtain appropriate response rates and thus may have difficulty publishing their survey results. Previous papers in this series focused on the initial steps of survey development and validation, but it is equally important to understand how best to administer your survey to obtain meaningful responses from a representative sample.

Educator's blueprint: A how-to guide for collecting validity evidence in survey- based research.

Surveys are descriptive assessment tools. Like other assessment tools, the validity and reliability of the data obtained from surveys depend, in large part, on the rigor of the development process. Without validity evidence, data from surveys may lack meaning, leading to uncertainty as to how well the survey truly measures the intended constructs. In documenting the evidence for the validity of survey results and their intended use, it is incumbent on the survey creator to have a firm understanding of validity frameworks. Having an understanding of validity evidence and how each step in the survey development process can support the validity argument makes it easier for the researcher to develop, implement, and publish a high-quality survey.

Educator's blueprint: A how-to guide for survey design.

Surveys are ubiquitous in medical education. They can be valuable for assessment across a wide range of applications and are frequently used in medical education research. This Educator's Blueprint paper reviews the best practices in survey design with a focus on survey development. Key components of the survey design process include determining whether a survey is the right tool, using an intentional approach to content development, and following best practices in item writing and formatting. These processes are meant to help educators and researchers design better surveys for making better decisions.

Using Slack to Facilitate Virtual Small Groups for Individualized Interactive Instruction.

Individualized interactive instruction provides an opportunity for significant innovation and advances in curriculum design. We describe the development and implementation of virtual small group exercises into the curriculum of an emergency medicine residency training program using a free social media and communication platform (Slack). Two virtual small group exercises, one case-based and one open-ended, were trialed during the 2016 to 2017 academic year. We found that the exercises were feasible to implement in a learner group where 66% (41/62) had little or no prior experience with Slack. There was a trend toward a more favorable rating of the quality of the dialogue and of the task-technology fit for the case-based format as opposed to the open-ended educational activity.

Development and Validation of a Lecture Assessment Tool for Emergency Medicine Residents.

BACKGROUND: Delivering quality lectures is a critical skill for residents seeking careers in academia yet no validated tools for assessing resident lecture skills exist. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to develop and validate a lecture assessment tool. METHODS: Using a nominal group technique, the authors derived a behaviorally anchored assessment tool. Baseline characteristics of resident lecturers including prior lecturing experience and perceived comfort with lecturing were collected. Faculty and senior residents used the tool to assess lecturer performance at weekly conference. A postintervention survey assessed the usability of the form and the quantity and quality of the feedback. Analysis of variance was used to identify relationships in performance within individual domains to baseline data. Generalizability coefficients and scatterplots with jitter were used to assess inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: Of 64 residents assessed, most (68.8%) had previous lecturing experience and 6.3% had experience as a regional/national speaker. There was a significant difference in performance within the domains of Content Expertise (p < 0.001), Presentation Design/Structure (p = 0.014), and Lecture Presence (p = 0.001) for first-year versus fourth-year residents. Residents who had higher perceived comfort with lecturing performed better in the domains of Content Expertise (p = 0.035), Presentation Design/Structure (p = 0.037), and Lecture Presence (p < 0.001). We found fair agreement between raters in all domains except Goals and Objectives. Both lecturers and evaluators perceived the feedback delivered as specific and of adequate quantity and quality. Evaluators described the form as highly useable. CONCLUSIONS: The derived behaviorally anchored assessment tool is a sufficiently valid instrument for the assessment of resident-delivered lectures.

Prevalence, incidence, and recurrence of oral lesions among HIV-infected patients on HAART in Alabama: a two-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to quantify prevalence, incidence, and recurrence of oral lesions (OL) among a population in the Southeast. METHODS: A retrospective study based on chart review was conducted among patients (n = 744) who were ≥19 years of age and initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) between January 2000 and June 2006 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 1917 Clinic. Patients' laboratory data and oral conditions were recorded for 2 years after enrollment into the study. RESULTS: During 2 years of follow-up, the period prevalence of individuals experienced at least one OL was 35.6% (266/744). Among all of the 374 episodes of OL, 183 were new cases, while 57 were recurrences. The OL person-visit incidence rate was 0.02 per 100 person-visits. Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) was the most frequent manifestation in terms of period prevalence (74.9%) with a person-visit incident rate of 0.01 per 100 person-visits. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing HAART continue to be affected by HIV-related oral conditions, especially OPC. These results clearly indicate that OL during HIV infection are still highly prevalent in spite of the improvements in medical care and the availability of HAART.

Tripeptide inhibitors of dengue and West Nile virus NS2B-NS3 protease.

A series of tripeptide aldehyde inhibitors were synthesized and their inhibitory effect against dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) and West Nile virus (WNV) NS3 protease was evaluated side by side with the aim to discover potent flaviviral protease inhibitors and to examine differences in specificity of the two proteases. The synthesized inhibitors feature a varied N-terminal cap group and side chain modifications of a P2-lysine residue. In general a much stronger inhibitory effect of the tripeptide inhibitors was observed toward WNV protease. The inhibitory concentrations against DENV2 protease were in the micromolar range while they were submicromolar against WNV. The data suggest that a P2-arginine shifts the specificity toward DENV2 protease while WNV protease favors a lysine in the P2 position. Peptides with an extended P2-lysine failed to inhibit DENV2 protease suggesting a size-constrained S2 pocket. Our results generally encourage the investigation of di- and tripeptide aldehydes as inhibitors of DENV and WNV protease.