Emergency medicine resident perspectives on well-being during COVID-19: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency medicine (EM) clinician well-being has been negatively impacted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Resident physicians are particularly vulnerable yet less is known about their perspectives. METHODS: The objective of this study was to use qualitative methods to understand EM residents' perspectives on well-being during COVID-19. EM residents at an urban, academic institution in the USA were recruited via email and participated in virtual, semi-structured interviews between November 2020 and February 2021. Interviews were conducted by a trained qualitative researcher, recorded, transcribed and de-identified by a third party vendor. All transcripts were double coded by two trained study team members using thematic analysis to identify the themes and interviews were stopped when no new themes emerged. RESULTS: Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was reached with residents in their first 4 years of training: 6 postgraduate year (PGY)-1 (35%), 6 PGY-2 (35%), 2 PGY-3 (12%) and 3 PGY-4 (18%). Five themes were identified: (1) isolation from peers in training contrasting with a collective call to action, (2) desire for increased acknowledgement and structured leadership support, (3) concerns about personal needs and safety within the clinical environment, (4) fear of missed educational opportunities and lack of professional development and (5) need for enhanced mental and physical health resources. CONCLUSIONS: This qualitative study elucidated factors inside and outside of the clinical environment which impacted EM resident well-being. The findings suggest that programme and health system leadership can focus on supporting peer-to-peer and faculty connections, structured guidance and mentorship on resident career development and develop programmes which bolster resident on-shift support and acknowledgement. These lessons can be used by training programmes to better support residents, but the generalisability is limited due to the single-centre design and participation.

Eclampsia.

Audience: Emergency medicine residents. Introduction: Eclampsia is the development of a generalized seizure in pregnant patients with hypertension of pregnancy.1 Eclampsia exists on the spectrum of hypertension-related disorders in pregnancy, occurs in 1 out of 1,000-10,000 deliveries,1-3and is associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.4 Given the emergent nature of eclampsia and the benefit of rapid treatment, emergency medicine (EM) physicians need to quickly recognize and treat this rare pathology. Although residents have three to four years before becoming an attending, not all emergent pathologies may present clinically during their training. It is important to simulate rare, treatable conditions such as eclampsia to give learners exposure confidence in managing this disease. Educational Objectives: By the end of this simulation session, learners will be able to:Demonstrate care of a gravid patient with altered mental statusDemonstrate care of a gravid patient with seizuresRecognize care involved in assessment of fetal statusExecute appropriate subspecialty consultationRecognize the clinical signs and symptoms of eclampsiaDistinguish different treatment options for eclampsiaIdentify magnesium toxicity and reversal agentDifferentiate the spectrum of preeclampsia. Educational Methods: As an educational strategy, simulation allows learners to partake in experiential learning. By creating a safe and supportive learning environment, simulation allows learners to facilitate deliberate practice and transfer learning in debriefing sessions. High-fidelity sessions involve software and technology to mimic realistic patient environments, which also activate learners' affective states to aid in decision-making abilities in complex medical cases.This session was conducted using a high-fidelity mannequin, SimMom (Laerdal), and a controlling Laerdal LLEAP Software. Faculty-led debriefing followed the simulation case and included discussion regarding presentation, spectrum, and management of the obstetrical emergency.5. Research Methods: Resident participants completed an evaluation form consisting of questions on a 5-point Likert scale assessing the realism and usefulness of the simulation. Results: All 18 residents who participated in the simulation completed an evaluation form, and all agreed or strongly agreed the case was realistic and useful. Discussion: Incorporating high-stakes, low-frequency presentations through simulation can be readily applied in residency education and well-received by residents. Increasing the difficulty through adjusting the clinical history and exam may challenge learners further. Topics: Medical simulation, eclampsia, pregnancy, obstetrics, emergency medicine.

Defining well-being: A case-study among emergency medicine residents at an academic center: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated burnout is linked to reduced quality of care, decreased patient experience, and higher cost. The National Academy of Medicine has emphasized the importance of supporting clinician well-being across healthcare; however, well-being is poorly defined, especially early in emergency medicine training. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to explore and understand the attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives of emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians surrounding well-being. A secondary objective was to identify priority areas of focus to promote a culture of well-being for EM trainees. APPROACH: We conducted semi-structured focus groups of EM resident physicians at an urban, academic institution with a 4-year training curriculum. Focus group interviews were transcribed and constructivist aggregated themes were identified using content analysis with a constant comparative coding approach. RESULTS: Seventeen EM residents participated in semi-structured qualitative focus groups (PGY1 = 6, PGY2 = 6, PGY3 = 2, PGY4 = 3). Six key themes related to well-being emerged spanning clinical and nonclinical areas: (1) a focus on basic needs being met, (2) on-shift operational structure, (3) individual feedback, (4) feeling valued for clinical contributions, (5) a sense of community within the clinical environment, and (6) a sense of personal ownership over time. CONCLUSIONS: Shifting the focus for medical trainees away from mitigating burnout and toward proactively promoting well-being is important. Understanding the perspectives and key themes in how EM residents define well-being can help support trainees early in their careers. Using qualitative methods, this study identified six key themes that can guide trainees, educational leaders, and academic hospital systems as they work toward building a culture of well-being early in graduate medical education.

Applying Educational Theory and Best Practices to Solve Common Challenges of Simulation-based Procedural Training in Emergency Medicine.

OBJECTIVES: Procedural competency is an essential prerequisite for the independent practice of emergency medicine. Multiple studies demonstrate that simulation-based procedural training (SBPT) is an effective method for acquiring and maintaining procedural competency and preferred over traditional paradigms ("see one, do one, teach one"). Although newer paradigms informing SBPT have emerged, educators often face circumstances that challenge and undermine their implementation. The goal of this paper is to identify and report on best practices and theory-supported solutions to some of these challenges as derived using a process of expert consensus building and reviews of the existing literature on SBPT. METHODS: The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Simulation Academy SBPT Workgroup convened approximately 8 months prior to the 2019 SAEM Annual Meeting to perform a review of the literature and participate in a consensus-building process to identify solutions (in the form of best practices and educational theory) to these challenges faced by educators engaging in SBPT. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS: Thirteen distinct educational challenges to SBPT emerged from the expert group's primary literature reviews and consensus-building processes. Three domains emerged upon further analysis of the 13 challenges: learner, educator, and curriculum. Six challenges within the "learner" domain were selected for comprehensive discussion in this paper, as they were deemed representative of the most common and most significant threats to ideal SBPT. Each of the six challenges aligns with one of the following themes: 1) maximizing active learning, 2) maintaining learner engagement, 3) embracing learner diversity, 4) optimizing cognitive load, 5) promoting mindfulness and reflection, and 6) emphasizing deliberate practice for mastery learning. Over 20 "special treatments" for mitigating the impact of the 13 challenges were derived from the secondary literature search and consensus-building process prior to and during the preconference workshop; 11 of these that best address the six learner-centered challenges are explored, including implications for educators involved in SBPT. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATORS: We propose multiple consensus-generated solutions (in the form of best practices and applied educational theory) that we believe are suitable and well aligned to overcome commonly encountered learner-centered challenges and threats to optimal SBPT.

Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Quality of Single-best Answer Multiple-choice Questions.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the ubiquity of single-best answer multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in assessments throughout medical education, question writers often receive little to no formal training, potentially decreasing the validity of assessments. While lengthy training opportunities in item writing exist, the availability of brief interventions is limited. METHODS: We developed and performed an initial validation of an item-quality assessment tool and measured the impact of a brief educational intervention on the quality of single-best answer MCQs. RESULTS: The item-quality assessment tool demonstrated moderate internal structure evidence when applied to the 20 practice questions (κ=.671, p<.001) and excellent internal structure when applied to the true dataset (κ=0.904, p<.001). Quality scale scores for pre-intervention questions ranged from 2-6 with a mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 3.79 ± 1.23, while post-intervention scores ranged from 4-6 with a mean ± SD of 5.42 ± 0.69. The post-intervention scores were significantly higher than the pre-intervention scores, x 2(1) =38, p <0.001. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated short-term improvement in single-best answer MCQ writing quality after a brief, open-access lecture, as measured by a simple, novel, grading rubric with reasonable validity evidence.

Implicit Bias Education and Emergency Medicine Training: Step One? Awareness.

OBJECTIVE: Prior research suggests that health care providers are susceptible to implicit biases, specifically prowhite biases, and that these may contribute to health care disparities by influencing physician behavior. Despite these findings, implicit bias training is not currently embedded into emergency medicine (EM) residency training and few studies exist that evaluate the effectiveness of implicit bias training on awareness during residency conference. We sought to conduct a mixed-methods program evaluation of a formalized educational intervention targeted on the topic of implicit bias. METHODS: We used a design thinking framework to develop a curricular intervention. The intervention consisted of taking the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) on race to introduce the concept of implicit bias, followed by a facilitated discussion to explore participant's perceptions on whether implicit bias may lead to variations in care. The facilitated discussion was audio recorded, transcribed, and coded for emerging themes. An online survey assessed participant awareness of these topics before and after the intervention and was analyzed using paired t-tests. RESULTS: After the intervention, participant's awareness of their individual implicit biases increased by 33.3% (p = 0.003) and their awareness of how their IAT results influences how they deliver care to patients increased by 9.1% (p = 0.03). Emerging themes included skepticism of the implicit bias test results with the desire to have "neutral" results, acknowledgment that pattern recognition may lead to "blind spots" in care, recognition that bias exists on a personal and systemic level, and interest in regular educational interventions to address implicit bias. CONCLUSIONS: This novel educational intervention on implicit bias resulted in improvement in participants' awareness of their implicit biases and how it may affect their patient care. Our intervention can serve as a model for other residency programs to develop and implement an intervention to create awareness of implicit bias and its potential impact on patient care.

Rodenticide Causing Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Resident Simulation.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is becoming more common with an aging population. Lower GI bleeding is less common than its upper GI bleed counterpart. Incidence of bleeding is increasing because more patients are on anticoagulation medication. Abnormal coagulation can lead to this life-threatening condition requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment by a skilled medical provider. Simulation can be used to practice recognition of this disease process and work through treatment algorithms. Methods: This simulation case used a high-fidelity simulator to teach emergency medicine providers how to manage lower GI bleeding in a patient with abnormal coagulation secondary to intentional ingestion of rodenticide. The case simulated a 58-year-old female with history of bipolar disorder presenting with brisk rectal bleeding. Residents were expected to identify the type of GI bleed, leading to recognition that the patient was in hemorrhagic shock; they then had to appropriately reverse the anticoagulation and resuscitate with blood products. Afterward, learners were given a short survey to evaluate the case and debriefing process. Results: The case was performed at the University of Pennsylvania Simulation Center as part of the Emergency Medicine Resident Simulation Curriculum. Twenty-eight learners took part; of these, 20 (71%) found the simulation realistic, and 24 (86%) agreed or strongly agreed that the simulation was useful. Discussion: Main learning points include management of lower GI bleeding and reversal of abnormal anticoagulation. This simulation case is straightforward to run, requires minimal resources, and has been well received by learners at our institution.

Academic Primer Series: Five Key Papers for Consulting Clinician Educators.

INTRODUCTION: Clinician educators are often asked to perform consultations for colleagues. Invitations to consult and advise others on local problems can help foster great collaborations between centers, and allows for an exchange of ideas between programs. In this article, the authors identify and summarize several key papers to assist emerging clinician educators with the consultation process. METHODS: A consensus-building process was used to generate a list of key papers that describe the importance and significance of educational consulting, informed by social media sources. A three-round voting methodology, akin to a Delphi study, determined the most impactful papers from the larger list. RESULTS: Summaries of the five most highly rated papers on education consultation are presented in this paper. These papers were determined by a mixed group of junior and senior faculty members, who have summarized these papers with respect to their relevance for their peer groups. CONCLUSION: Five key papers on the educational consultation process are presented in this paper. These papers offer background and perspective to help junior faculty gain a grasp of consultation processes.

Assessing EM Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Milestones Using a Novel Debate Format.

Graduate medical education is increasingly focused on patient safety and quality improvement; training programs must adapt their curriculum to address these changes. We propose a novel curriculum for emergency medicine (EM) residency training programs specifically addressing patient safety, systems-based management, and practice-based performance improvement, called "EM Debates." Following implementation of this educational curriculum, we performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the curriculum through resident self-assessment. Additionally, a cross-sectional study to determine the ED clinical competency committee's (CCC) ability to assess residents on specific competencies was performed. Residents were overall very positive towards the implementation of the debates. Of those participating in a debate, 71% felt that it improved their individual performance within a specific topic, and 100% of those that led a debate felt that they could propose an evidence-based approach to a specific topic. The CCC found that it was easier to assess milestones in patient safety, systems-based management, and practice-based performance improvement (sub-competencies 16, 17, and 19) compared to prior to the implementation of the debates. The debates have been a helpful venue to teach EM residents about patient safety concepts, identifying medical errors, and process improvement.