Exploring the Impact of In Basket Metrics on the Adoption of a New Electronic Health Record System Among Specialists in a Tertiary Hospital in Alberta: Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Health care organizations implement electronic health record (EHR) systems with the expectation of improved patient care and enhanced provider performance. However, while these technologies hold the potential to create improved care and system efficiencies, they can also lead to unintended negative consequences, such as patient safety issues, communication problems, and provider burnout. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to document metrics related to the In Basket communication hub (time in In Basket per day, time in In Basket per appointment, In Basket messages received per day, and turnaround time) of the EHR system implemented by Alberta Health Services, the province-wide health delivery system called Connect Care (Epic Systems). The objective was to identify how a newly implemented EHR system was used, the timing of its use, and the duration of use specifically related to In Basket activities. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted. Due to the diversity of specialties, the providers were grouped into medical and surgical based on previous similar studies. The participants were further subgrouped based on their self-reported clinical full-time equivalent (FTE ) measure. This resulted in 3 subgroups for analysis: medical FTE <0.5, medical FTE >0.5, and surgical (all of whom reported FTE >0.5). The analysis was limited to outpatient clinical interactions and explicitly excluded inpatient activities. RESULTS: A total of 72 participants from 19 different specialties enrolled in this study. The providers had, on average, 8.31 appointments per day during the reporting periods. The providers received, on average, 21.93 messages per day, and they spent 7.61 minutes on average in the time in In Basket per day metric and 1.84 minutes on average in the time in In Basket per appointment metric. The time for the providers to mark messages as done (turnaround time) was on average 11.45 days during the reporting period. Although the surgical group had, on average, approximately twice as many appointments per scheduled day, they spent considerably less connected time (based on almost all time metrics) than the medical group. However, the surgical group took much longer than the medical group to mark messages as done (turnaround time). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a range of patterns with no consistent direction. There does not seem to be evidence of a "learning curve," which would have shown a consistent reduction in time spent on the system over time due to familiarity and experience. While this study does not show how the included metrics could be used as predictors of providers' satisfaction or feelings of burnout, the use trends could be used to start discussions about future Canadian studies needed in this area.

Advancing language concordant care: a multimodal medical interpretation intervention.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring language concordant care through medical interpretation services (MIS) allows for accurate information sharing and positive healthcare experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a regional halt of in-person interpreters, leaving only digital MIS options, such as phone and video. Due to longstanding institutional practices, and lack of accessibility and awareness of these options, digital MIS remained underused. A Multimodal Medical Interpretation Intervention (MMII) was developed and piloted to increase digital MIS usage by 25% over an 18-month intervention period for patients with limited English proficiency. METHODS: Applying quality improvement methodology, an intervention comprised digital MIS technology and education was trialled for 18 months. To assess intervention impact, the number of digital MIS minutes was measured monthly and compared before and after implementation. A questionnaire was developed and administered to determine healthcare providers' awareness, technology accessibility and perception of MIS integration in the clinical workflow. RESULTS: Digital MIS was used consistently from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) and over the subsequent 18 months. The total number of minutes of MIS use per month increased by 44% following implementation of our intervention. Healthcare providers indicated that digital MIS was vital in facilitating transparent communication with patients, and the MMII ensured awareness of and accessibility to the various MIS modalities. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the MMII allowed for an increase in digital MIS use in a hospital setting. Providing digital MIS access, education and training is a means to advance patient-centred and equitable care by improving accuracy of clinical assessments and communication.

Teaching quality improvement concepts to pharmacy students using the Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) workshop.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the benefits of quality improvement (QI) training, there is a scarcity of information on QI teaching formats for undergraduate pharmacy education. The Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) workshop was evaluated as a teaching format for a group of multi-year undergraduate pharmacy students, assessing knowledge acquisition and learner reactions. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Using a convergent mixed-method analysis, 10-item pre- and post-workshop multiple-choice questionnaires measured students' knowledge acquisition of foundational QI concepts. A six-item pre- and post-workshop survey and a voluntary post-workshop focus group evaluated students' attitudes towards QI training and the teaching format. Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test was used to analyze the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data. FINDINGS: Twenty-nine pharmacy students participated in the workshop. There was a statistically significant improvement in pharmacy students' QI knowledge before and after participating in the workshop (77% vs. 86%, P = .008). The evaluation of the EPIQ teaching format resulted in three important findings: (1) undergraduate pharmacy students identified a QI learning need; (2) the EPIQ workshop effectively provided foundational QI literacy for all pharmacy student years using a "learning by sharing" methodology and pharmacy-specific case studies; and (3) interested students may benefit from an experiential elective to apply QI techniques. SUMMARY: The perceived value of QI training for pharmacy students using the EPIQ workshop was demonstrated: students expressed an interest in lifelong learning and a desire to pursue QI projects at school, during a clinical rotation, or at work.

Factors of a physician quality improvement leadership coalition that influence physician behaviour: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: A coalition (Strategic Clinical Improvement Committee), with a mandate to promote physician quality improvement (QI) involvement, identified hospital laboratory test overuse as a priority. The coalition developed and supported the spread of a multicomponent initiative about reducing repetitive laboratory testing and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) ordering across one Canadian province. This study's purpose was to identify coalition factors enabling medicine and emergency department (ED) physicians to lead, participate and influence appropriate BUN test ordering. METHODS: Using sequential explanatory mixed methods, intervention components were grouped as person focused or system focused. Quantitative phase/analyses included: monthly total and average of the BUN test for six hospitals (medicine programme and two EDs) were compared pre initiative and post initiative; a cost avoidance calculation and an interrupted time series analysis were performed (participants were divided into two groups: high (>50%) and low (<50%) BUN test reduction based on these findings). Qualitative phase/analyses included: structured virtual interviews with 12 physicians/participants; a content analysis aligned to the Theoretical Domains Framework and the Behaviour Change Wheel. Quotes from participants representing high and low groups were integrated into a joint display. RESULTS: Monthly BUN test ordering was significantly reduced in 5 of 6 participating hospital medicine programmes and in both EDs (33% to 76%), resulting in monthly cost avoidance (CAN$900-CAN$7285). Physicians had similar perceptions of the coalition's characteristics enabling their QI involvement and the factors influencing BUN test reduction. CONCLUSIONS: To enable physician confidence to lead and participate, the coalition used the following: a simply designed QI initiative, partnership with a coalition physician leader and/or member; credibility and mentorship; support personnel; QI education and hands-on training; minimal physician effort; and no clinical workflow disruption. Implementing person-focused and system-focused intervention components, and communication from a trusted local physician-who shared data, physician QI initiative role/contribution and responsibility, best practices, and past project successes-were factors influencing appropriate BUN test ordering.

Characteristics promoting behaviour change: physician experience with a coalition-led quality improvement initiative to reduce excessive laboratory test ordering.

BACKGROUND: Attempts have been made to reduce excessive laboratory test ordering; however, the problem persists and barriers to physician involvement in quality improvement (QI) remain. We sought to understand physician participation experience following a laboratory test overuse initiative supported by a QI coalition. METHODS: As part of a larger mixed-methods study, structured virtual interviews were conducted with 12 physicians. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Behavioural Change Wheel (BCW) were used to identify characteristics that influence physician behaviour change for QI leadership and participation and appropriate blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test ordering. A content analysis of physicians' statements to the TDF was performed, resulting in overarching themes; relevant TDF domains were mapped to the intervention functions of the BCW. RESULTS: Nine overarching themes emerged from the data. Eight of 14 TDF domains influence QI leadership and participation, and 10 influence appropriate BUN-test ordering behaviours. The characteristics participants described that promoted a change in their QI participation, leadership and appropriate BUN-test ordering were: QI education with hands-on training; physician peer mentorship/support; personnel assistance (QI and analytics) and communication from a trusted/credible physician leader who shares data and insights about the physician role in the initiative, clinical best practice and past project success. Other elements included: a simply designed initiative requiring minimal effort and no clinical workflow disruptions; revised order forms/panels and limiting test-order frequency when laboratory tests are normal. Additionally, various future intervention strategies were identified. For their initial initiative participation, physicians acknowledged coalition leader or member credibility was more important than awareness of the coalition. CONCLUSIONS: Based on physicians' described perceptions and experiences, coalition characteristics that influenced their QI leadership and participation, and appropriate BUN-test ordering behaviours were revealed; these characteristics aligned to several TDF domains. The findings suggest that these behaviours are multidimensional, requiring a multistrategy approach to change behaviour.

Through the eyes of hospital-based healthcare professionals: exploring their lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The spread of the COVID-19 virus has caused an unforeseen strain on the healthcare system and particularly on healthcare workers (HCW). In this study, 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, we used photovoice, a visual photographic approach, to understand HCW needs, concerns and resilience and to determine improvement strategies aligned with the HCW-described challenges. METHODS: Using a qualitative design, HCW were recruited from a single Western Canadian hospital, voluntarily submitting a photographic image and narrative that depicts their experiences. An artist artistically enhanced the photovoice submissions, which were then displayed at the hospital-based art gallery for public display. A survey was used to collect feedback from gallery viewers. Inductive thematic analysis was completed identifying themes from the photovoice narratives and survey comments, aiding the identification of recommendations. RESULTS: There were 25 submissions, and 1281 individuals viewed the art exhibit. Six themes emerged: (1) hopeful and resilient, (2) pandemic fatigue-negative mental and physical states, (3) personal protective equipment is our armour but masks who we are, (4) human connection, (5) responsibility, preparation and obligation and (6) technology surge. According to survey results from the art exhibit, the use of photovoice was a creative method that personalised the HCW experience and validated viewers' perceptions of the difficulties faced by HCW. Ten improvement strategies that were aligned with the described challenges were identified. CONCLUSION: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain HCW. Photovoice has great potential in the professional clinical setting to provide unique insights that narrative language alone cannot capture. Future research exploring the longitudinal impact of COVID-19, reviewing photographs at different timepoints could be beneficial. Using this method as a creative outlet intervention and evaluating participation artistic experience may offer additional insights to further support both HCW and patients.

Reduction of urea test ordering in the emergency department: multicomponent intervention including education, electronic ordering, and data feedback.

INTRODUCTION: In the emergency department (ED), laboratory testing accounts for a significant portion of the medical assessment. Although excess laboratory test ordering has been proven to be prevalent, different types of interventions have been used to encourage a behavioural change in how physicians order tests. In one western Canadian hospital medicine program, a quality improvement project aimed to reduce the total monthly blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test ordered by physicians was found to be successful. The objective of this project was to evaluate a similar multicomponent intervention aimed at ED physician ordering, with the primary goal of reducing the number of monthly BUN tests ordered per ED visit. METHODS: A pre post intervention design was conducted over 12-months. The first intervention component was an educational presentation conducted by physician leaders. Second, a regularly used order panel within the ED electronic order system was modified, removing the BUN test. The third component involved audit and feedback; the total monthly BUN test ordered for the ED department post intervention start was shared with all ED physicians twice (at 5 and 12 months).An interrupted time series analysis was completed to evaluate the multicomponent intervention effect. RESULTS: The total monthly ordered BUN test declined from an average of 1905 pre-intervention to 448 post-intervention, and the total monthly BUN test to total ED visit ratio declined from 0.46 to 0.1. These results were a statistically significant reduction in physician BUN test ordering. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted education, order panel design and data feedback interventions can impact physician ordering behaviour in the emergent healthcare context, where diagnostic tests are often over used.

RéSUMé: INTRODUCTION: Dans les services d'urgence (SU), les analyses de laboratoire représentent une part importante de l'évaluation médicale. Bien qu'il ait été prouvé que la prescription excessive d'examens de laboratoire est répandue, différents types d'interventions ont été utilisés pour encourager un changement de comportement dans la façon dont les médecins commandent des examens. Dans un programme de médecine hospitalière de l'Ouest canadien, un projet d'amélioration de la qualité visant à réduire le nombre total de tests mensuels d'azote uréique du sang (BUN) demandés par les médecins s'est avéré fructueux. L'objectif de ce projet était d'évaluer une intervention similaire à plusieurs composantes visant les ordonnances des médecins des urgences, avec pour objectif principal de réduire le nombre d'analyses mensuelles de BUN commandés par visite aux urgences. MéTHODE: Une conception pré-post-intervention a été menée sur 12 mois. Le premier volet de l'intervention consistait en une présentation éducative menée par des médecins chefs de file. Deuxièmement, un panneau de commande régulièrement utilisé dans le système de commande électronique du SU a été modifié, supprimant le test BUN. Le troisième volet concernait l'audit et le retour d'information : le nombre total de tests mensuels d'azote uréique sanguin commandés pour le service des urgences après le début de l'intervention a été communiqué à tous les médecins des urgences à deux reprises (à 5 et 12 mois). Une analyse de séries chronologiques interrompues a été réalisée pour évaluer l'effet de l'intervention multicomposante. RéSULTATS: Le nombre total mensuel d'analyses BUN commandés a baissé d'une moyenne de 1905 avant l'intervention à 448 après l'intervention, et le rapport entre le nombre total mensuel de test BUN et le nombre total de visites aux urgences a baissé de 0,46 à 0,1. Ces résultats représentaient une réduction statistiquement significative des ordonnances de test BUN par les médecins. CONCLUSIONS: Des interventions ciblées en matière d'éducation, de conception de panels de commandes et de retour d'informations peuvent avoir un impact sur le comportement des médecins en matière de commandes dans le contexte des soins de santé émergents, où les tests de diagnostic sont souvent surutilisés.

Win-win: Summer QI programme for medical students.

BACKGROUND: Most undergraduate medical students (UMS) do not receive any formal exposure to quality improvement (QI) efforts in healthcare during the entirety of their undergraduate programme. This is despite the rising interest amongst UMS and the unique potential that UMS hold as an innovator unencumbered by previous biases. To explore this, we implemented an undergraduate training programme that provides experiential QI education. APPROACH: The 15-week Summer Healthcare Improvement Programme (SHIP) was established in 2017, supported by a regional physician QI leadership coalition, a QI consultant preceptor who is linked to both the local university and health organisation and an UMS leadership group. Students were assigned QI projects that were aligned with the health organisation's purpose and scope. Students co-led the project to completion with mentorship from both physician QI leaders, and residents. Student competencies were formatively assessed by completing QI activities and a programme survey. RESULTS: From 2017 to 2019, 19 students completed 22 QI projects, academic posters and publications, and all received QI certification. The majority (72%) of students felt involvement in SHIP increased their QI knowledge and skills, 90% believed SHIP would benefit their peers, and 71% of students felt it directly applied to their future careers. DISCUSSION: Benefits of the programme were threefold: provided students with early experiential QI exposure, provided student QI leaders who possess dedicated time and effort to complete projects over the summer months and provided a physician QI learning continuum implemented with minimal to no additional cost to either the university or health organisation.

Patient feedback identifies "Rheum" to improve clinic visit preparedness.

Healthcare providers and administrators are incorporating patient feedback to drive local health system improvement. Improvement interventions, including patient feedback, guided a novel approach for rheumatology patient appointment preparedness. We tested the interventions in a single rheumatology clinic. A comprehensive patient questionnaire was developed by assessing patients' clinic access using patient journey mapping. The questionnaire was administered to a random cohort of 125 rheumatology patients about their feedback on pre-clinic practices. From the responses, modifications were made to existing administrative practices within the clinic. The modified practices were tested with an additional cohort of 10 patients aligned to one rheumatologist, assessing overall patients' preparedness and clinic visit cycle time. It was identified from the questionnaire that during appointment booking, inconsistent pre-clinic planning information was communicated to patients and the appointment package did not support patient preparedness, resulting in extending clinic visits. Standardization of the appointment phone call script, updating the appointment package, and inclusion of a clinic visit preparation checklist, reduced the clinic visit cycle time by 10 minutes for new patients, and 5 minutes for existing patients. The participating clinic rheumatologist also perceived improved patient preparedness and clinic visit flow based on the modified practices. In this study, patient feedback was used to identify patient-centred interventions to improve patient preparedness at clinic visits. The interventions developed were simple and easy to incorporate into practice. Systematic collection of and strategies based on patient feedback was determined to be a valid, meaningful method for incorporating clinical quality improvement. KEY POINTS : • Structured patient feedback can inform quality improvement practices in a rheumatological clinic setting. • A patient journey map outlining healthcare clinic access can help to understand patient experiences and needs. • Simple, patient-centred interventions, such as an appointment package and a consistent telephone reminder script, improved patient preparedness and reduced average clinic cycle time.

Patient-centered approaches to targeting incomplete bowel preparations for inpatient colonoscopies.

BACKGROUND: A high-quality colonoscopy bowel prep is vital to completing the procedure. Adequate inpatient bowel preparation has been consistently difficult to achieve because of multiple factors. Incomplete bowel prep can lead to repeated colonoscopies, poor patient experience, increased costs, and prolonged hospitalization. This study aimed to develop patient-centered interventions to optimize bowel prep for inpatients undergoing colonoscopy. METHODS: The Model for Improvement and Donabedian frameworks guided this project. An interdisciplinary team compiled quality improvement tools that identified areas for improvement. Interventions development included a nursing tip sheet for troubleshooting symptoms, a standardized order label and a patient educational placemat. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were carried out to test and analyze the effects of the interventions. The project aim was a 30% reduction in incomplete inpatient colonoscopies from poor bowel prep. Process measures included the number of colonoscopy split prep order labels, and placemats used. The balancing measure was the number of repeat colonoscopies. RESULTS: Prior to the intervention, 44% (44/99) of inpatient colonoscopies had poor bowel prep resulting in 10 repeat procedures (10%). Post intervention, 60% (28/47) of the colonoscopies used the standardized label, 66% of physician orders used 2-L split prep, and 80% of patients were provided with the educational placemat. Of the 47 colonoscopies audited post intervention, there was a significant decrease in poor prep (27.7% [13/47], P=0.038) for colonoscopies. The percentage of repeated colonoscopies decreased to 4% (2/47). CONCLUSION: Developing simple and easy-to-use patient-centered interventions can effectively improve colonoscopy preparation for hospitalized patients.

Does admission order form design really matter? A reduction in urea blood test ordering.

INTRODUCTION: Laboratory blood testing is one of the most high-volume medical procedures and continues to increase steadily with instances of inappropriate testing resulting in significant financial implications. Studies have suggested that the design of a standard hospital admission order form and laboratory request forms influence physician test ordering behaviour, reducing inappropriate ordering and promoting resource stewardship. AIM/METHOD: To redesign the standard medicine admission order form-laboratory request section to reduce inappropriate blood urea nitrogen (BUN) testing. RESULTS: A redesign of the standard admission order form used by general internal medicine physicians and residents in two large teaching hospitals in one health zone in Alberta, Canada led to a significant step reduction in the ordering of the BUN test on hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: Redesigning the standard medicine admission order form-laboratory request section can have a beneficial effect on the reduction in BUN ordering altering physician ordering patterns and behaviour.

Providing quality improvement training in an advanced pharmacy practice experience elective.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Quality Improvement (QI) science is a burgeoning component of healthcare systems and the practice of pharmacy. There is limited published literature on the implementation of QI training in undergraduate pharmacy education. We describe the development and implementation of QI training in an experiential course. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: A QI curriculum was developed for an existing eight-week pharmacy practice elective experience for year four pharmacy students. The curriculum was divided into two, four-week blocks, combining didactic instruction and applied learning activities. A partnership between university departments and a local health organization provided a QI preceptor along with an interdisciplinary clinical team in an acute care setting to improve clinical services. FINDINGS: Six students have completed the elective along with completing three QI projects. The Kirkpatrick 4 level model guided course evaluation. A curriculum strength was no additional cost or educational burden on the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Students recognized benefit from (1) course flexibility and independence to learn, (2) clear expectations and weekly guidance from the preceptor, (3) alignment of weekly readings and real-time application of QI concepts, and (4) the Institute for Healthcare Improvement education modules. Reducing the number of assigned tasks per week and improving availability of the clinical QI team to support student learning were identified as areas for improvement. SUMMARY: This elective course demonstrated a starting point from which QI education can be formally included in pharmacy undergraduate education.

Applying improvement science to establish a resident sustained quality improvement (QI) educational model.

BACKGROUND: Prior to 2017, internal medicine (IM) residents at the University of Alberta did not have a standardised quality improvement (QI) educational curriculum. Our goal was to use QI principles to develop a resident sustained curriculum using the Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) training course. METHODS: Three one-year Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were conducted. The EPIQ course was delivered to postgraduate year (PGY) 1-3 residents (n=110, PDSA 1) in 2017, PGY-1 residents (n=27, PDSA 2) in 2018 and PGY-1 residents (n=28, PDSA 3) in 2019. Trained residents were recruited as facilitators for PDSA 2 and 3. Residents worked through potential QI projects that were later presented for evaluation. Precourse and postcourse surveys and tests were conducted to assess knowledge acquisition and curriculum satisfaction. Process, outcome and balancing measures were also evaluated. RESULTS: In PDSA 1, 98% felt they had acquired understanding of QI principles (56% increase), 94% of PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents preferred this QI curriculum compared with previous training, and 65% of residents expressed interest in pursuing a QI project (15% increase). In PDSA 2, tests scores of QI principles improved from 77.6% to 80%, and 40% of residents expressed interest in becoming a course facilitator. In PDSA 3, self-rated confidence with QI methodology improved from 53% to 75%. A total of 165 residents completed EPIQ training and 11 residents became course facilitators. CONCLUSIONS: Having a structured QI curriculum and working through practical QI projects provided valuable QI training for residents. Feedback was positive, and with each PDSA cycle there was increased resident interest in QI. Developing this curriculum using validated QI tools highlighted areas of change opportunity thereby enhancing acceptance. As more cycles of EPIQ are delivered and more residents become facilitators, it is our aim to have this curriculum sustained by future residents.

Trauma of Hospitalization Is Common in Medical Inpatients But Is Not Associated with Post-Discharge Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Trauma of hospitalization is characterized by patient-reported disturbances in sleep, mobility, nutrition, and/or mood and one study suggested it was associated with more 30-day readmissions. OBJECTIVE: To define the trauma of hospitalization in medical inpatients and determine whether higher rates of disturbance correlate with adverse post-discharge outcomes. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was conducted between June 2018 and August 2019 with patients reporting disturbances in sleep, mobility, nutrition, and/or mood. High trauma of hospitalization was defined as disturbance in 3 or 4 domains. PARTICIPANTS: General medicine inpatients at an academic hospital in Edmonton, Canada. MAIN MEASURES: 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day rates of death, unplanned hospital readmission, or emergency department (ED) visit. KEY RESULTS: Of 299 patients (mean age 65.9 years, 47.8% female, mean Charlson score 3.6, and mean length of stay 8.2 days), 260 (87.0%) reported disturbance in at least one domain (most commonly nutrition or mobility) during their hospitalization, 179 (59.9%) reported disturbances in multiple domains, and 87 (29.1%) met the criteria for high trauma of hospitalization. Patients who reported a high trauma of hospitalization did not differ from those reporting less hospitalization disturbances in terms of demographics, burden of comorbidities, or length of stay, but did report higher rates of pre-hospital disturbances in sleep (32.3% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.03), nutrition (77.4% vs. 54.4%, p = 0.02), and mood (41.9% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.0007). High trauma of hospitalization was not significantly associated with death, readmission, or ED visit at 7 days (12.6% vs. 11.3%, aOR 1.13 [95% CI 0.52-2.46]), 30 days (31.0% vs. 32.1%, aOR 1.03 [95% CI 0.59-1.79]), or 90 days (52.9% vs. 50.9%, aOR 1.16 [95% CI 0.69-1.94]) after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital disturbances in sleep, mobility, nutrition, and mood are common in medical inpatients but were not associated with post-discharge outcomes.

The Evolution of General Internal Medicine (GIM)in Canada: International Implications.

General internal medicine (GIM), like other generalist specialties, has struggled to maintain its identity in the face of mounting sub-specialization over the past few decades. In Canada, the path to licensure for general internists has been through the completion of an extra year of training after three core years of internal medicine. Until very recently, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) did not recognize GIM as a distinct entity. In response to a societal need to train generalist practitioners who could care for complex patients in an increasingly complex health care setting, the majority of universities across Canada voluntarily developed structured GIM training programs independent of RCPSC recognition. However, interest amongst trainees in GIM was declining, and the GIM workforce in Canada, like that in many other countries, was in danger of serious shortfalls. After much deliberation and consultation, in 2010, the RCPSC recognized GIM as a distinct subspecialty of internal medicine. Since this time, despite the challenges in the educational implementation of GIM as a distinct discipline, there has been a resurgence of interest in this field of medicine. This paper outlines the journey of the Canadian GIM to educational implementation as a distinct discipline, the impact on the discipline, and the implications for the international GIM community.

Physician experience and outcomes among patients admitted to general internal medicine teaching wards.

BACKGROUND: Physician scores on examinations decline with time after graduation. However, whether this translates into declining quality of care is unknown. Our objective was to determine how physician experience is associated with negative outcomes for patients admitted to hospital. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving all patients admitted to general internal medicine wards over a 2-year period at all 7 teaching hospitals in Alberta, Canada. We used files from the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons to determine the number of years since medical school graduation for each patient's most responsible physician. Our primary outcome was the composite of in-hospital death, or readmission or death within 30 days postdischarge. RESULTS: We identified 10 046 patients who were cared for by 149 physicians. Patient characteristics were similar across physician experience strata, as were primary outcome rates (17.4% for patients whose care was managed by physicians in the highest quartile of experience, compared with 18.8% in those receiving care from the least experienced physicians; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-1.06). Outcomes were similar between experience quartiles when further stratified by physician volume, most responsible diagnosis or complexity of the patient's condition. Although we found substantial variability in length of stay between individual physicians, there were no significant differences between physician experience quartiles (mean adjusted for patient covariates and accounting for intraphysician clustering: 7.90 [95% CI 7.39-8.42] d for most experienced quartile; 7.63 [95% CI 7.13-8.14] d for least experienced quartile). INTERPRETATION: For patients admitted to general internal medicine teaching wards, we saw no negative association between physician experience and outcomes commonly used as proxies for quality of inpatient care.

Safely and effectively reducing inpatient length of stay: a controlled study of the General Internal Medicine Care Transformation Initiative.

PURPOSE: Whether improving the efficiency of hospital care will worsen post-discharge outcomes is unclear. We designed this study to evaluate the General Internal Medicine (GIM) Care Transformation Initiative implemented at one of the seven teaching hospitals in the Canadian province of Alberta. METHODS: Controlled before-after study of GIM patients hospitalised at the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH, intervention site, n=1896) or the six other teaching hospitals in Alberta-three in Edmonton (intra-regional controls (IRC), n=4550) and three in Calgary (extra-regional controls (ERC), n=4095). The primary effectiveness outcome was risk-adjusted length of stay (LOS) and the primary safety outcome was 'mortality during index hospitalisation or all-cause readmission or death within 30-days of discharge'. RESULTS: LOS for GIM patients decreased by 0.68 days at Alberta teaching hospitals between 2009 and 2012; GIM patients hospitalised at the UAH exhibited a further 20% relative decline in adjusted LOS (total reduction=1.43 days, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.92 days) from PRE to POST. Interrupted time series (ITS) confirmed that the 1.43 day reduction at the UAH was statistically significant (level change p=0.003), while the declines at the IRC (p=0.37) and ERC (p=0.45) were not. Our safety outcome did not change for UAH patients (18.4% PRE-intervention vs 17.8% POST-intervention, adjusted OR 1.02 (95%CI 0.80 to 1.31), p=0.42 on ITS), nor for those hospitalised at the IRC (p=0.33) or the ERC (p=0.73) sites. CONCLUSIONS: The Care Transformation Initiative was associated with substantial reductions in LOS without increasing post-discharge events commonly quoted as proxies for quality.

Impact of personal goals on the internal medicine R4 subspecialty match: a Q methodology study.

BACKGROUND: There has been a decline in interest in general internal medicine that has resulted in a discrepancy between internal medicine residents' choice in the R4 subspecialty match and societal need. Few studies have focused on the relative importance of personal goals and their impact on residents' choice. The purpose of this study was to assess if internal medicine residents can be grouped based on their personal goals and how each group prioritizes these goals compared to each other. A secondary objective was to explore whether we could predict a resident's desired subspecialty choice based on their constellation of personal goals. METHODS: We used Q methodology to examine how postgraduate year 1-3 internal medicine residents could be grouped based on their rankings of 36 statements (derived from our previous qualitative study). Using each groups' defining and distinguishing statements, we predicted their subspecialties of interest. We also collected the residents' first choice in the subspecialty match and used a kappa test to compare our predicted subspecialty group to the residents' self-reported first choice. RESULTS: Fifty-nine internal medicine residents at the University of Alberta participated between 2009 and 2010 with 46 Q sorts suitable for analysis. The residents loaded onto four factors (groups) based on how they ranked statements. Our prediction of each groups' desired subspecialties with their defining and/or distinguishing statements are as follows: group 1 - general internal medicine (variety in practice); group 2 - gastroenterology, nephrology, and respirology (higher income); group 3 - cardiology and critical care (procedural, willing to entertain longer training); group 4 - rest of subspecialties (non-procedural, focused practice, and valuing more time for personal life). There was moderate agreement (kappa = 0.57) between our predicted desired subspecialty group and residents' self-reported first choice (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that most residents fall into four groups based on a constellation of personal goals when choosing an internal medicine subspecialty. The key goals that define and/or distinguish between these groups are breadth of practice, lifestyle, desire to do procedures, length of training, and future income potential. Using these groups, we were able to predict residents' first subspecialty group with moderate success.

Determinants of internal medicine residents' choice in the Canadian R4 fellowship match: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There is currently a discrepancy between Internal Medicine residents' decisions in the Canadian subspecialty fellowship match (known as the R4 match) and societal need. Some studies have been published examining factors that influence career choices. However, these were either demographic factors or factors pre-determined by the authors' opinion as possibly being important to incorporate into a survey. METHODS: A qualitative study was undertaken to identify factors that determine the residents choice in the subspecialty (R4) fellowship match using focus group discussions involving third and fourth year internal medicine residents RESULTS: Based on content analysis of the discussion data, we identified five themes:1) Practice environment including acuity of practice, ability to do procedures, lifestyle, job prospects and income 2) Exposure in rotations and to role models 3) Interest in subspecialty's patient population and common diseases 4) Prestige and respect of subspecialty 5) Fellowship training environment including fellowship program resources and length of training CONCLUSIONS: There are a variety of factors that contribute to Internal Medicine residents' fellowship choice in Canada, many of which have been identified in previous survey studies. However, we found additional factors such as the resources available in a fellowship program, the prestige and respect of a subspecialty/career, and the recent trend towards a two-year General Internal Medicine fellowship in our country.