Components of effective letters of recommendation: A cross-sectional survey of academic faculty.

INTRODUCTION: Conventional merit-based criteria, including standardized test scores and grade point averages, have become less available to residency programs to help distinguish applicants, making other components of the application, including letters of recommendation (LORs), important surrogate markers for performance. Despite their impact on applications, there is limited published data on LORs in the international setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of academic faculty was conducted between 9 January 2023 and 12 March 2023 at two large academic medical centers in the United Arab Emirates. Descriptive statistics were used to tabulate variable frequencies. RESULTS: Of the 98 respondents, the majority were male (n = 67; 68.4%), Western-trained (n = 66; 67.3%), mid-career physicians (n = 46; 46.9%). Most respondents (n = 77; 78.6%) believed that the purpose of an LOR was to help an applicant match into their desired program. Letters rarely included important skills, such as leadership (n = 37; 37.8%), applicant involvement in research (n = 43; 43.9%), education (n = 38; 38.8%), or patient advocacy (n = 30; 30.6%). Most faculty (n = 81; 82.7%) were not familiar with standardized letters of recommendation. Only 7.3% (n = 7) of respondents previously received training in writing LORs, but 87.7% (n = 86) expressed an interest in this professional development opportunity. CONCLUSION: There is variability in perceptions and practices related to LOR writing in our international setting, with several areas for improvement. Given the increasing importance of LORs to a candidate's application, faculty development is necessary.

Global "systemness" in medical education: A rationale and framework to assess performance.

Healthcare is global. The challenges of the "triple aim" - achieving high-quality healthcare, maximal value, and an excellent patient experience and outcomes - are universal. Medical education is similarly global with worldwide efforts towards competency-based reform, the adoption and adaptation of accreditation standards, and the expansion of international collaborations between healthcare organizations (HCOs). The focus of many of these efforts centers around recognizing education as a talent pipeline to serve local and global healthcare needs. Accordingly, many U.S.-based academic medical centres are pursuing an increasingly global footprint by developing international partnerships between HCOs. The educational leadership at the Cleveland Clinic (an HCO that has ventured internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates) has adopted a "systemness" approach to medical education collaboratives. Systemness describes the ability of academic health systems to leverage existing structures, expertise, and other resources to address broadly shared educational needs across geographies, disseminate best practices, and ultimately improve the care that is delivered. The rationale for systemness, a concept derived from the healthcare administration and business world, affords the opportunity to achieve educational outcomes through synergy that exceeds the capability of any single component of a system. In this perspective, we posit a "systemness" taxonomy to be used to assess the performance and success of international collaborations in medical education and provide examples of its application to existing international partnerships in medical education. This framework is grounded in developmental assessment approaches, akin to those used in assessing learner performance, and defines levels of educational collaboration proficiencies, ultimately towards the alignment of these efforts with the health needs of the communities they serve. As global medical education collaboratives advance, ongoing assessment of existing partnerships and further research will be needed to define competencies and integrative activities that define high-performing medical education partnerships.

Medical Resident Awareness of Predatory Journal Practices in an International Medical Education System.

INTRODUCTION: Learning research methodology is increasingly becoming an essential part of graduate medical education worldwide, with many regulatory and accreditation bodies requiring residents to participate in scholarship. Research methodology workshops have become a standard part of medical curricula; however, there is limited data on how much training on journal selection and the publication process trainees receive. The alarming growth of predatory journals has made it increasingly difficult for researchers, especially trainees and early career physicians, to distinguish these publications from reputable journals. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of reputable and predatory publishing practices amongst medical trainees in an international medical education setting in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS: A survey on credible journal practices based on the 'Think. Check. Submit' initiative was sent to all graduate medical education trainees at two large academic medical centers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Descriptive statistics were used to tabulate variable frequencies. RESULTS: Over half of the 160 respondents reported receiving prior research methodology training and 42.5% had at least one publication. The majority of the trainees selected impact factor and the quality of the peer-review process as characteristics of reputable journals. Ambiguous editorial board and rapid publication process were recognized as characteristics of predatory journals by >65% of trainees, however, 95% of all trainees were unaware of Beall's list or other resources to help select a journal for publication. 15.2% of trainees who received unsolicited emails from publishers submitted their manuscripts to the unfamiliar journals, citing peer recommendation and pressure to publish from their training programs as reasons. CONCLUSION: Trainees in the United Arab Emirates were mostly unaware of reputable publication practices and are vulnerable to publishing in predatory journals. Policy and educational reform are necessary to maintain the credibility and integrity of the scientific process.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Physician Group's WhatsApp Chat: Qualitative Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Social media has emerged as an effective means of information sharing and community building among health professionals. The utility of these platforms is likely heightened during times of health system crises and global uncertainty. Studies have demonstrated that physicians' social media platforms serve to bridge the gap of information between on-the-ground experiences of health care workers and emerging knowledge. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to characterize the use of a physician WhatsApp (WhatsApp LLC) group chat during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Through the lens of the social network theory, we performed a qualitative content analysis of the posts of a women physician WhatsApp group located in the United Arab Emirates between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, that is, during the initial surge of COVID-19 cases. RESULTS: There were 6101 posts during the study period, which reflected a 2.6-fold increase in platform use when compared with platform use in the year prior. A total of 8 themes and 9 subthemes were described. The top 3 uses of the platform were requests for information (posts: 2818/6101, 46.2%), member support and promotion (posts: 988/6101, 16.2%), and information sharing (posts: 896/6101, 14.7%). A substantial proportion of posts were related to COVID-19 (2653/6101, 43.5%), with the most popular theme being requests for logistical (nonmedical) information. Among posts containing COVID-19-related medical information, it was notable that two-thirds (571/868, 65.8%) of these posts were from public mass media or unverified sources. CONCLUSIONS: Health crises can potentiate the use of social media platforms among physicians. This reflects physicians' tendency to turn to these platforms for information sharing and community building purposes. However, important questions remain regarding the accuracy and credibility of the information shared. Our findings suggest that the training of physicians in social media practices and information dissemination may be needed.

Does provider gender matter in endoscopy? An international perspective.

There is a growing body of literature on the importance of provider gender on patient-related metrics, including satisfaction, compliance, follow-up, and health-related outcomes. Studies have shown that female patients are more likely to factor gender when choosing their physicians than male patients and are much more likely to choose female physicians when provided the option of selecting providers. Early studies in this field have consistently demonstrated a significant gender preference for female endoscopists by female patients. In this perspective, we review findings from United States and international literature on patient-provider gender concordance for endoscopic procedures. We present the current state, describe our experience in an international setting in the Middle East, and offer strategies to promote the advancement of women in gastroenterology, many of which have been successfully implemented to address the health preferences and needs of our female patients.

Residency training in the time of COVID-19: A framework for academic medical centers dealing with the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: As cases of COVID-19 climb worldwide, academic medical centers (AMCs) are scrambling to balance the increasing demand for medical services while maintaining safe learning environments. The scale and nature of the current pandemic, limitations on key resources, risks of transmission, and the impact on trainee wellbeing pose additional challenges to AMCs. We propose a framework for AMCs to utilize in facilitating health system, organization and program-level adjustments to meet the needs of medical trainees during the pandemic. APPROACH: In February 2020, we developed a three-level approach to the pandemic response of training programs at our AMC. The first level involved AMC alignment and engagement with regulatory stakeholders. The second level utilized the graduate medical education committee and leveraged organizational functions such as human resources, finance, and clinical departments. The third level of intervention focused on common approaches used by programs to ensure continuity of learning in the context of dynamic changes in workflows and service operations. EVALUATION: Outcomes at each level are reported. These include the co-development of a national framework on medical trainee responses to COVID-19, the composition of an operational guidance document, organizational protocols to accommodate novel challenges posed by the pandemic, and multiple program-level interventions. REFLECTION: This methodical approach, employed during a global crisis, was critical in facilitating interventions required to fulfill the mission of AMCs. Future steps include assessing the impact of these changes on trainee performance and the applicability of the approach in diverse settings.

The Use of Social Media by Female Physicians in an International Setting: A Mixed Methods Study of a Group WhatsApp Chat.

Background: The past decade has witnessed an increase in informal and bottom up driven "she-for-she" efforts, often using social media, to promote the advancement of women in medicine. Yet, this area of research is nascent with limited information on the use of social media platforms by female physicians, especially in the international medical arena. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a social media platform by a diverse group of female physicians in an international setting. Materials and Methods: The study used a mixed methods approach, including quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis of the content of posts of a women physicians WhatsApp group during a 1-year time period (June 1, 2018-May 31, 2019). Results: The group consisted of 122 members with 4897 posts during the 1-year time period. Nine themes were identified including requests for medical information, logistics, personal recommendations, promotion, celebration, community engagement, education, women's empowerment, and employment inquiries. Engagement was high with 72% of members posting during the last 30 days of analysis and 92% of questions posted receiving a response, often within minutes. There were no instances of unprofessional social media behavior. Conclusions: The social media platform was effective in enabling female physicians to expand networks, exchange ideas, share scientific information, celebrate accomplishments, and provide support to colleagues. Creating a social media forum for women physicians may be an effective tool to foster a network of support and community.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Needs of Institutional GME Leaders: A Multinational Characterization of Designated Institutional Officials.

BACKGROUND: Since 2012, several academic centers in the Middle East have attained accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I). An emerging group of GME leaders have assumed the role of designated institutional official (DIO), leading their institutions to accreditation. Despite these DIOs' key positions in driving GME reform, there is a lack of published studies on the roles, responsibilities, and needs of DIOs in international settings. OBJECTIVE: We examined the characteristics, roles, responsibilities, and needs of DIOs in the Middle East. METHODS: A questionnaire was electronically distributed from December 2018 to February 2019 to all current and former DIOs in ACGME-I accredited institutions in the Middle East. RESULTS: Of 16 surveys sent, 11 (69%) were returned. All DIOs were physicians; the majority were women less than 55 years of age, and assumed the role of DIO in the past decade. Most DIOs felt prepared for the position and well supported by their institution and their program directors. All reported having additional roles beyond the DIO position. Most identified the most challenging aspect of their role related to GME budgets, training for their responsibilities, sharing best practices and documents such as DIO job descriptions and other key documents, and DIO training. CONCLUSIONS: ACGME-I accreditation is a critical driver of efforts to define the DIO role. DIOs in the Middle East share common perceptions, experiences, and needs. Further research should identify professional development needs in an increasingly diverse international worldwide DIO community.