Harnessing the Power of Generative AI for Clinical Summaries: Perspectives From Emergency Physicians.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The workload of clinical documentation contributes to health care costs and professional burnout. The advent of generative artificial intelligence language models presents a promising solution. The perspective of clinicians may contribute to effective and responsible implementation of such tools. This study sought to evaluate 3 uses for generative artificial intelligence for clinical documentation in pediatric emergency medicine, measuring time savings, effort reduction, and physician attitudes and identifying potential risks and barriers. METHODS: This mixed-methods study was performed with 10 pediatric emergency medicine attending physicians from a single pediatric emergency department. Participants were asked to write a supervisory note for 4 clinical scenarios, with varying levels of complexity, twice without any assistance and twice with the assistance of ChatGPT Version 4.0. Participants evaluated 2 additional ChatGPT-generated clinical summaries: a structured handoff and a visit summary for a family written at an 8th grade reading level. Finally, a semistructured interview was performed to assess physicians' perspective on the use of ChatGPT in pediatric emergency medicine. Main outcomes and measures included between subjects' comparisons of the effort and time taken to complete the supervisory note with and without ChatGPT assistance. Effort was measured using a self-reported Likert scale of 0 to 10. Physicians' scoring of and attitude toward the ChatGPT-generated summaries were measured using a 0 to 10 Likert scale and open-ended questions. Summaries were scored for completeness, accuracy, efficiency, readability, and overall satisfaction. A thematic analysis was performed to analyze the content of the open-ended questions and to identify key themes. RESULTS: ChatGPT yielded a 40% reduction in time and a 33% decrease in effort for supervisory notes in intricate cases, with no discernible effect on simpler notes. ChatGPT-generated summaries for structured handoffs and family letters were highly rated, ranging from 7.0 to 9.0 out of 10, and most participants favored their inclusion in clinical practice. However, there were several critical reservations, out of which a set of general recommendations for applying ChatGPT to clinical summaries was formulated. CONCLUSION: Pediatric emergency medicine attendings in our study perceived that ChatGPT can deliver high-quality summaries while saving time and effort in many scenarios, but not all.

Childbearing and Family Leave Policies for Physicians at US Children's Hospitals.

The objective of this study was to examine the childbirth and parental leave policies for physicians at children's hospitals. We obtained institutional policies from 15 hospitals in 2021. The median duration of full salaried leave was 8 weeks (range, 2-12 weeks). Leave policies vary widely among US children's hospitals.

Video-Assisted Laryngoscopy for Pediatric Tracheal Intubation in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Study of Clinical Outcomes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between video-assisted laryngoscopy (use of a videolaryngoscope regardless of where laryngoscopists direct their gaze), first-attempt success, and adverse airway outcomes. METHODS: We conducted an observational study using data from 2 airway consortiums that perform prospective surveillance: the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEAR4KIDS) and a pediatric emergency medicine airway education collaborative. Data collected included patient and procedural characteristics and procedural outcomes. We performed multivariable analyses of the association of video-assisted laryngoscopy with individual patient outcomes and evaluated the association between site-level video-assisted laryngoscopy use and tracheal intubation outcomes. RESULTS: The study cohort included 1,412 tracheal intubation encounters performed from January 2017 to March 2021 across 11 participating sites. Overall, the first-attempt success was 70.0%. Video-assisted laryngoscopy was associated with increased odds of first-attempt success (odds ratio [OR] 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 2.73) and decreased odds of severe adverse airway outcomes (OR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.85) including decreased severe hypoxia (OR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.87). Sites varied substantially in the use of video-assisted laryngoscopy (range from 12.9% to 97.8%), and sites with high use of video-assisted laryngoscopy (> 80%) experienced increased first-attempt success even after adjusting for individual patient laryngoscope use (OR 2.30; 95% CI, 1.79 to 2.95). CONCLUSION: Video-assisted laryngoscopy is associated with increased first-attempt success and fewer adverse airway outcomes for patients intubated in the pediatric emergency department. There is wide variability in the use of video-assisted laryngoscopy, and the high use is associated with increased odds of first-attempt success.

Development of a paediatric airway management checklist for the emergency department: a modified Delphi approach.

BACKGROUND: Airway management checklists have improved paediatric patient safety in some clinical settings, but consensus on the appropriate components to include on a checklist for paediatric tracheal intubation in the ED is lacking. METHODS: A multidisciplinary panel of 14 experts in airway management within and outside of paediatric emergency medicine participated in a modified Delphi approach to develop consensus on the appropriate components for a paediatric airway management checklist for the ED. Panel members reviewed, modified and added to the components from the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children airway safety checklist for paediatric intensive care units using a 9-point appropriateness scale. Components with a median score of 7.0-9.0 and a 25th percentile score ≥7.0 achieved consensus for inclusion. A priori, the modified Delphi method was limited to a maximum of two rounds for consensus on essential components and one additional round for checklist creation. RESULTS: All experts participated in both rounds. Consensus was achieved on 22 components. Twelve were original candidate items and 10 were newly suggested or modified items. Consensus components included the following categories: patient assessment and plan (5 items), patient preparation (5 items), pharmacy (2 items), equipment (7 items) and personnel (3 items). The components were formatted into a 17-item clinically usable checklist. CONCLUSIONS: Using the modified Delphi method, consensus was established among airway management experts around essential components for an airway management checklist intended for paediatric tracheal intubation in the ED.

Management of the Difficult Airway.

ABSTRACT: Airway management is a fundamental component of care during resuscitation of critically ill and injured children. In addition to predicted anatomic and physiologic differences in children compared with adults, certain conditions can predict potential difficulty during pediatric airway management. This review presents approaches to identifying pediatric patients in whom airway management is more likely to be difficult, and discusses strategies to address such challenges. These strategies include optimization of effective bag-mask ventilation, alternative approaches to laryngoscopy, use of adjunct airway devices, modifications to rapid sequence intubation, and performance of surgical airways in children. The importance of considering systems of care in preparing for potentially difficult pediatric airways is also discussed.

Association between the number of endotracheal intubation attempts and rates of adverse events in a paediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Challenges in emergent airway management in children can affect intubation success. It is unknown if number of endotracheal intubation attempts is associated with rates of adverse events in the paediatric ED setting. OBJECTIVE: We sought to (1) Identify rates of intubation-related adverse events, (2) Evaluate the association between the number of intubation attempts and adverse events in a paediatric ED, and (3) Determine the effect of videolaryngoscopy on these associations. DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study of patients who underwent endotracheal intubation in a paediatric ED in the USA between January 2004 and December 2018. Data on patient-related, provider-related and procedure-related characteristics were obtained from a quality assurance database and the health record. Our primary outcome was frequency of intubation-related adverse events, categorised as major and minor. The number of intubation attempts was trichotomised to 1, 2, and 3 or greater. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between the number of intubation attempts and odds of adverse events, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: During the study period, 628 patients were intubated in the ED. The overall rate of adverse events was 39%. Hypoxia (19%) was the most common major event and mainstem intubation (15%) the most common minor event. 72% patients were successfully intubated on the first attempt. With two intubation attempts, the adjusted odds of any adverse event were 3.26 (95% CI 2.11 to 5.03) and with ≥3 attempts the odds were 4.59 (95% CI 2.23 to 9.46). Odds similarly increased in analyses of both major and minor adverse events. This association was consistent for both traditional and videolaryngoscopy. CONCLUSION: Increasing number of endotracheal intubation attempts was associated with higher odds of adverse events. Efforts to optimise first attempt success in children undergoing intubation may mitigate this risk and improve clinical outcomes.

The Impact of Videolaryngoscopy on Endotracheal Intubation Success by a Pediatric/Neonatal Critical Care Transport Team.

INTRODUCTION: Endotracheal intubation may be required for the transport of critically ill neonates and children. Data suggest that first pass success (FPS) is associated with lower rates of complications. Thus, understanding factors associated with FPS can have important implications for clinical outcomes. We aimed to determine the impact of videolaryngoscopy (VL) on FPS by a pediatric critical care transport team (CCTT). Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study on pediatric patients (≤ 18 years of age) requiring endotracheal intubation by a tertiary care-based pediatric CCTT between 2011 and 2019. Patients were categorized as neonatal (≤ 28 days of age, either preterm or term) or pediatric (> 28 days of age). All intubation attempts using VL were performed with the C-MAC videolaryngoscope. Our primary outcome was rate of FPS. Descriptive statistics of patient, provider, and procedure characteristics were calculated. Multivariate regression was used to test the association between FPS and type of laryngoscope (video versus direct) adjusting for significant clinical predictors. Results: Over the study period, 135 patients were intubated by the CCTT. Sixty percent of these patients were neonates, and 40% were pediatric. The overall FPS rate was 61%, with lower rates in neonates (54%) and higher rates in pediatric patients (70%). Use of videolaryngoscopy increased over the study period. First pass success rate using the C-MAC videolaryngoscope was 72% compared to 42% for direct laryngoscopy across the whole study population. In adjusted analyses, FPS using VL was significantly higher in the pediatric patient population (aOR 12.42 [95%CI 3.33, 46.29]), but not in neonates (aOR 1.08 [0.44, 2.63]). Use of VL increased significantly over the study period. Conclusion: We found use of a C-MAC videolaryngoscope by a critical care transport team was associated with improved FPS during endotracheal intubation of pediatric patients but not neonates, after controlling for other patient and provider characteristics. In addition to the impact on FPS, use of VL may offer additional educational and quality benefits.

Technical factors associated with first-pass success during endotracheal intubation in children: analysis of videolaryngoscopy recordings.

BACKGROUND: First-pass success (FPS) during intubation is associated with lower morbidity for paediatric patients. Using videolaryngoscopy (VL) recordings, we reviewed technical aspects of intubation, including factors associated with FPS in children. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of intubation attempts performed using video-assisted laryngoscopy in a paediatric ED between January 2014 and December 2018. Data were abstracted from a quality assurance database, the electronic medical record and VL recordings. Our primary outcome was FPS. Intubation practices were analysed using descriptive statistics. Patient and procedural characteristics associated with FPS in univariate testing and clinical factors identified from the literature were included as covariates in a multivariable logistic regression. An exploratory analysis examined the relationship between position of the glottic opening on the video screen and FPS. RESULTS: Intubation was performed during 237 patient encounters, with 231 using video-assisted laryngoscopy. Data from complete video recordings were available for 129 attempts (59%); an additional 31 (13%) had partial recordings. Overall, 173 (73%) of first attempts were successful. Adjusting for patient age, placing the blade tip into the vallecula adjusted OR ((aOR) 7.2 (95% CI 1.7 to 30.1)) and obtaining a grade 1 or 2a-modified Cormack-Lehane glottic view on the videolaryngoscope screen (aOR 6.1 (95% CI 1.5 to 25.7) relative to grade 2b) were associated with increased FPS in the subset of patients with complete recordings. Exploratory analysis suggested that FPS is highest (81%) and duration is shortest when the glottic opening is located in the second quintile of the video screen. CONCLUSIONS: Placement of the blade tip into the vallecula regardless of blade type, sufficient glottic visualisation and locating the glottic opening within the second quintile of the video screen were associated with FPS using video-assisted laryngoscopy in the paediatric ED.

Use of the C-MAC Macintosh 0 Blade for Intubation of Infants in the Emergency Department.

ABSTRACT: First-pass success rates during intubation of infants in the emergency department have been shown to be low. Video laryngoscopy is being increasingly used during advanced airway management in the emergency department, but available data have not supported improved outcomes with use in pediatrics. The newly available Macintosh size 0 (curved) blade for the C-MAC video laryngoscope offers a narrower blade for use in infants. We describe the use of the new C-MAC Macintosh 0 blade for intubation of 2 infants with apnea secondary to respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis. The included video recording demonstrates the favorable glottic view and improved maneuverability offered by the narrower blade but also highlights the limitation in use beyond young infants given the short blade length.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Emergency Department Procedural Sedation With Propofol: 2018 Update.

We update an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the administration of propofol for emergency department procedural sedation. Both the unique considerations of using this drug in the pediatric population and the substantial new research warrant revision of the 2007 advisory. We discuss the indications, contraindications, personnel requirements, monitoring, dosing, coadministered medications, and adverse events for propofol sedation.

Factors Associated with Misplaced Endotracheal Tubes During Intubation in Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND: Correct positioning of the endotracheal tube (ETT) during emergent pediatric intubations can be challenging, and incorrect placement may be associated with higher rates of complications. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to: 1) assess the prevalence of clinically undetected misplaced ETTs after intubation in the pediatric emergency department; 2) identify predictors of ETT misplacement; and 3) evaluate for any association between intubation-related complications and ETT position. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the primary outcome was rate of unrecognized low or high ETTs detected on confirmatory chest radiographs. The secondary outcome was frequency of complications (i.e., hypoxemia, difficult ventilation, atelectasis, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and aspiration) associated with misplaced ETTs. Multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the associations between patient and procedural characteristics and misplaced ETTs and between ETT position and complications. RESULTS: Seventy-seven of 201 (38.3%) intubations performed in the emergency department resulted in clinically unrecognized misplaced ETTs. Of the misplaced tubes, 45 of 77 (58%) were identified as low and 32 (42%) were high. In multivariable analyses, female sex and decreasing age were associated with increased risk of low tube placement (odds ratio for female sex, 2.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.1-5.1]; odds ratio of decreasing age, 1.16 [95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.3]). Low tube misplacement was associated with an increased risk of intubation-related complications compared to both correct and high tube placement (p < 0.05, Chi-square). CONCLUSION: Clinically unrecognized ETT misplacement occurs frequently in the pediatric emergency department, with low placement being most common, particularly in girls and younger children. Measures to improve clinical or radiographic recognition of incorrect tube position should be considered.

Embedding Interprofessional Education in Clinical Settings: Medical and Dental Student Perceptions of a Patient Interview-Storytelling Experience.

PROBLEM: Interprofessional education (IPE) is valued but difficult to deliver, given logistical and other barriers. Centering IPE around patients and grounding it in authentic practice settings are challenging within early undergraduate medical education. APPROACH: This intervention facilitated student-patient conversations to elicit patient reflections on the health care professionals who keep them healthy and care for them when they are unwell. After being introduced to the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies, first-year medical (n = 127) and dental (n = 34) students conducted a brief semistructured patient interview, using an interview card with guiding questions, during a precepted outpatient clinic session in March-May 2021. Students transcribed patients' stories and wrote their own reflections on the interview card. These reflections were used as a stimulus for a class IPE discussion. The authors employed a pragmatic qualitative research approach to explore what students learned about interprofessional collaboration from reflecting on patients' stories. OUTCOMES: Of the 161 students, 158 (98%) completed an interview card. Sixteen health professions were represented in patients' stories. The patients' stories prompted students to recognize and expand their understanding of the IPEC competencies. Students' responses reflected synthesis of the competencies into 3 themes: students value patient-centered holistic care as the goal of interprofessional collaboration; students reflect emerging professional and interprofessional identities in relating to patients, teams, and systems; and students appreciate interprofessional care is complex and challenging, requiring sustained effort and commitment. NEXT STEPS: Next steps include continuing to integrate patient voices through structured conversations across the undergraduate and graduate medical education spectrum and adapting the model to support conversations with other health professionals engaged in shared patient care. These experiences could foster ongoing deliberate reflection by students on their professional and interprofessional identity development but would require investments in student time and faculty development.

It Takes a Village: Optimal Graduate Medical Education Requires a Deliberately Developmental Organization.

Coaching is proposed as a means of improving the learning culture of medicine. By fostering trusting teacher-learner relationships, learners are encouraged to embrace feedback and make the most of failure. This paper posits that a cultural shift is necessary to fully harness the potential of coaching in graduate medical education. We introduce the deliberately developmental organization framework, a conceptual model focusing on three core dimensions: developmental communities, developmental aspirations, and developmental practices. These dimensions broaden the scope of coaching interactions. Implementing this organizational change within graduate medical education might be challenging, yet we argue that embracing deliberately developmental principles can embed coaching into everyday interactions and foster a culture in which discussing failure to maximize learning becomes acceptable. By applying the dimensions of developmental communities, aspirations, and practices, we present a six-principle roadmap towards transforming graduate medical education training programs into deliberately developmental organizations.

Alternative care sites and resident exposure in pediatric emergency medicine: Who, what, and where.

Objectives: Emergency medicine (EM) physicians and pediatricians who provide acute pediatric care depend on clinical exposure during residency to learn pediatric EM. Increasing volumes of pediatric patients, especially with behavioral health complaints, have stressed pediatric emergency departments (ED) and prompted clinical operations innovations including alternative care sites outside the main ED. We investigated the impact of these recent trends and resulting alternative care sites on the exposure of residents to core pediatric conditions. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed patient encounters between July 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, at a pediatric ED that hosts one pediatric and three EM residencies. During the study, the hospital employed alternative care sites in response to increased and shifting patient populations. Median patients per resident per academic year were compared before and after the opening of alternative care sites, overall and stratified by patient factors (age, sex, Emergency Severity Index [ESI], and diagnostic category). The study also compared the percentage of residents who saw no patients with a given diagnosis between the two periods. Results: Of 231,101 patient encounters, 199,947 were seen in the main ED and 31,154 in alternative care sites. The median number of patients seen by a single resident in a single academic year ranged from 82 to 136 for pediatric residents and from 128 to 183 for EM residents. The median number of patients per resident per year did not decrease for any age group, sex, ESI level, or diagnosis across the two periods. Residents saw a median of 19 more patients with psychiatric diagnoses (95% CI 15.4-22.7) in the more recent period. Seven diagnoses were not seen by at least 20% of residents during both periods. Conclusions: Current pediatric ED capacity challenges can be addressed with alternative care sites without decreasing volume or variety of patients seen by residents.

Coaching the coach: A randomized controlled study of a novel curriculum for procedural coaching during intubation.

Background: Videolaryngoscopy allows real-time procedural coaching during intubation. This study sought to develop and assess an online curriculum to train pediatric emergency medicine attending physicians to deliver procedural coaching during intubation. Methods: Curriculum development consisted of semistructured interviews with 12 pediatric emergency medicine attendings with varying levels of airway expertise analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Following development, the curriculum was implemented and assessed through a multicenter randomized controlled trial enrolling participants in one of three cohorts: the coaching module, unnarrated video recordings of intubations, and a module on ventilator management. Participants completed identical pre and post assessments asking them to select the correct coaching feedback and provided reactions for qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Content from interviews was synthesized into a video-enhanced 15-min online coaching module illustrating proper technique for intubation and strategies for procedural coaching. Eighty-seven of 104 randomized physicians enrolled in the curriculum; 83 completed the pre and post assessments (80%). The total percentage correct did not differ between pre and post assessments for any cohort. Participants receiving the coaching module demonstrated improved performance on patient preparation, made more suggestions for improvement, and experienced a greater increase in confidence in procedural coaching. Qualitative analysis identified multiple benefits of the module, revealed that exposure to video recordings without narration is insufficient, and identified feedback on suggestions for improvement as an opportunity for deliberate practice. Conclusions: This study leveraged clinical and educational digital technology to develop a curriculum dedicated to the content expertise and coaching skills needed to provide feedback during intubations performed with videolaryngoscopy. This brief curriculum changed behavior in simulated coaching scenarios but would benefit from additional support for deliberate practice.

High-risk criteria for the physiologically difficult paediatric airway: A multicenter, observational study to generate validity evidence.

BACKGROUND: Single-center studies have identified risk factors for peri-intubation cardiac arrest in the emergency department (ED). The study objective was to generate validity evidence from a more diverse, multicenter cohort of patients. METHODS: We completed a retrospective cohort study of 1200 paediatric patients who underwent tracheal intubation in eight academic paediatric EDs (150 per ED). The exposure variables were 6 previously studied high-risk criteria for peri-intubation arrest: (1) persistent hypoxemia despite supplemental oxygen, (2) persistent hypotension, (3) concern for cardiac dysfunction, (4) post-return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), (5) severe metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.1), and (6) status asthmaticus. The primary outcome was peri-intubation cardiac arrest. Secondary outcomes included extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulation and in-hospital mortality. We compared all outcomes between patients that met one or more versus no high-risk criteria, using generalized linear mixed models. RESULTS: Of the 1,200 paediatric patients, 332 (27.7%) met at least one of 6 high-risk criteria. Of these, 29 (8.7%) suffered peri-intubation arrest compared to zero arrests in patients meeting none of the criteria. On adjusted analysis, meeting at least one high-risk criterion was associated with all 3 outcomes - peri-intubation arrest (AOR 75.7, 95% CI 9.7-592.6), ECMO (AOR 7.1, 95% CI 2.3-22.3) and mortality (AOR 3.4, 95% 1.9-6.2). Four of 6 criteria were independently associated with peri-intubation arrest: persistent hypoxemia despite supplemental oxygen, persistent hypotension, concern for cardiac dysfunction, and post-ROSC. CONCLUSIONS: In a multicenter study, we confirmed that meeting at least one high-risk criterion was associated with paediatric peri-intubation cardiac arrest and patient mortality.