Research Initiative Supporting Excellence at the University of Cincinnati (RISE-UC): A Program to Develop and Support Research-Active Faculty Members.

A combination of forces have markedly increased challenges to research-active faculty achieving sustained success. This article describes how one department at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM) implemented a strategic plan, the Research Initiative Supporting Excellence at the University of Cincinnati (RISE-UC), to promote the research activity of its research-active faculty, fiscal year (FY) 2011-FY 2021. RISE-UC was implemented and regularly updated to address evolving needs. RISE-UC supported faculty members pursuing research via fiscal and administrative services to grow a critical mass of investigators; establish a shared governance model; create pathways for developing physician-scientists; develop discrete and targeted internal research funding; establish an Academic Research Service (ARS) unit (as infrastructure to support research); enhance faculty member mentorship; and recognize, celebrate, and reward research success. RISE-UC was informed by shared governance and resulted in substantial increases in total size of the faculty and external funding. More than 50% of Physician-Scientist Training Program graduates are active researchers at UCCOM. The internal awards program realized a return on investment of ~16.4-fold, and total external direct cost research funds increased from ~$55,400,000 (FY 2015) to ~$114,500,000 (FY 2021). The ARS assisted in the submission of 57 grant proposals and provided services faculty members generally found very helpful or helpful. The peer-mentoring group for early-career faculty members resulted in 12 of 23 participants receiving major grant funding (≥ $100,000; spring 2017-spring 2021) from sources including National Institutes of Health awards, Department of Defense funding, Veterans Affairs funding, and foundation awards. Research recognition included ~$77,000/year in incentive payments to faculty members for grant submissions and grants awarded. RISE-UC is an example of a comprehensive approach to promote research faculty member success and may serve as a model for other institutions with similar aspirations.

A multiple choice testing program coupled with a year-long elective experience is associated with improved performance on the internal medicine in-training examination.

BACKGROUND: The Internal Medicine In-Training Exam (IM-ITE) assesses the content knowledge of internal medicine trainees. Many programs use the IM-ITE to counsel residents, to create individual remediation plans, and to make fundamental programmatic and curricular modifications. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between a multiple-choice testing program administered during 12 consecutive months of ambulatory and inpatient elective experience and IM-ITE percentile scores in third post-graduate year (PGY-3) categorical residents. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and four categorical internal medicine residents. Forty-five residents in the 2008 and 2009 classes participated in the study group, and the 59 residents in the three classes that preceded the use of the testing program, 2005-2007, served as controls. INTERVENTION: A comprehensive, elective rotation specific, multiple-choice testing program and a separate board review program, both administered during a continuous long-block elective experience during the twelve months between the second post-graduate year (PGY-2) and PGY-3 in-training examinations. MEASURES: We analyzed the change in median individual percent correct and percentile scores between the PGY-1 and PGY-2 IM-ITE and between the PGY-2 and PGY-3 IM-ITE in both control and study cohorts. For our main outcome measure, we compared the change in median individual percentile rank between the control and study cohorts between the PGY-2 and the PGY-3 IM-ITE testing opportunities. RESULTS: After experiencing the educational intervention, the study group demonstrated a significant increase in median individual IM-ITE percentile score between PGY-2 and PGY-3 examinations of 8.5 percentile points (p < 0.01). This is significantly better than the increase of 1.0 percentile point seen in the control group between its PGY-2 and PGY-3 examination (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A comprehensive multiple-choice testing program aimed at PGY-2 residents during a 12-month continuous long-block elective experience is associated with improved PGY-3 IM-ITE performance.

Admission chest radiograph lacks sensitivity in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: : The clinical and epidemiological significance of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with a chest radiograph demonstrating no parenchymal infiltrate has not been studied. We determined the percentage of patients with a clinical diagnosis of CAP who did not have radiographic opacifications and compared this group with patients with CAP and radiographic infiltrates. METHODS: : Patients admitted with a diagnosis of CAP were identified. Clinical history, physical examination, laboratory studies, and microbiological cultures were reviewed in a random sample of 105 patients. Admission and subsequent chest radiographs were interpreted without knowledge of the clinical data. RESULTS: : Twenty-one percent (22/105) of patients with a clinical diagnosis of CAP had negative chest radiographs at presentation. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were the same in both groups. Fifty-five percent of patients with initially negative chest radiographs who had follow-up studies developed an infiltrate within 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: : In patients admitted with a clinical diagnosis of CAP, the initial chest radiograph lacks sensitivity and may not demonstrate parenchymal opacifications in 21% of patients. Moreover, greater than half of patients admitted with a negative chest radiograph will develop radiographic infiltrates within 48 hours. Further studies are needed to develop evidence-based criteria for the diagnosis of CAP.

The ambulatory long-block: an accreditation council for graduate medical education (ACGME) educational innovations project (EIP).

INTRODUCTION: Historical bias toward service-oriented inpatient graduate medical education experiences has hindered both resident education and care of patients in the ambulatory setting. AIM: Describe and evaluate a residency redesign intended to improve the ambulatory experience for residents and patients. SETTING: Categorical Internal Medicine resident ambulatory practice at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: We created a year-long continuous ambulatory group-practice experience separated from traditional inpatient responsibilities called the long block as an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Educational Innovations Project. The practice adopted the Chronic Care Model and residents received extensive instruction in quality improvement and interprofessional teams. PROGRAM EVALUATION: The long block was associated with significant increases in resident and patient satisfaction as well as improvement in multiple quality process and outcome measures. Continuity and no-show rates also improved. DISCUSSION: An ambulatory long block can be associated with improvements in resident and patient satisfaction, quality measures, and no-show rates. Future research should be done to determine effects of the long block on education and patient care in the long term, and elucidate which aspects of the long block most contribute to improvement.

Implementing duty-hour restrictions without diminishing patient care or education: can it be done?

PURPOSE: To implement and evaluate a new ward team call system that would meet the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) duty-hour requirements without compromising patient care or detracting from resident education. METHOD: The new system was implemented in the internal medicine residency program at the University Hospital at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. In 2003-04, residents and faculty were surveyed about their experiences with the new and old ward systems relative to duty-hour requirements, patient care, and resident education. Responses were given on a five-point scale (5 = strongly agree, 1 = strongly disagree). Data were compiled and compared using a two-sample t-test. RESULTS: Faculty believed the new system improved compliance with the duty-hour requirements (mean = 4.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.1-4.6), although were neutral regarding patient care (mean = 3.5, 95% CI: 3.2-3.8) and education (mean = 3.3, 95% CI: 2.9-3.6). Residents were more neutral regarding ACGME requirements (mean = 3.5, 95% CI: 3.3-3.7) and patient care (mean = 3.2, 95% CI 3.0-3.3). Residents reported a slightly negative impact on education (mean = 2.8, 95% CI: 2.5-3.0). In response to an exclusive question, residents reported that the new system did not reduce fatigue (mean = 2.7, 95% CI: 2.6-3.0). CONCLUSIONS: Respondents perceived that this ward call system met ACGME requirements and maintained quality patient care but may have sacrificed some traditional resident education tenets.

Getting physicians to make "the switch": the role of clinical guidelines in the management of community-acquired pneumonia.

The authors sought to assess physician awareness and usage of American Thoracic Society guidelines for early conversion from intravenous to oral antibiotics ("switch therapy") in those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We then determined if adoption of a CAP guideline would improve either. Patients (N = 510) hospitalized with CAP from June 2002 to May 2003 were identified retrospectively, and chart reviews were done on a random sample (130 [25%]) of these. Physicians were surveyed before and after guideline adoption. Community-acquired pneumonia guideline implementation increased physician awareness of American Thoracic Society recommendations (5% to 40%) and use of switch therapy (60% to 86%). Such use resulted in decreased overall length of stay from 3.6 to 2.4 days (P < .05) and from 2.91 to 2.41 days (P < .05) among early-switch candidates. Early-switch therapy was not optimally used prior to implementation of this CAP guideline. Adoption of the guideline increased awareness and reduced length of stay among inpatients with CAP.

Integrated advanced information management systems: a twenty-year history at the University of Cincinnati.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) has been active in the National Library of Medicine's Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) program since IAIMS' inception in 1984. UC received IAIMS planning and modeling grants in the 1980s, spent the 1990s practicing its own form of "iaims" and refining its vision, and, in May 2003, received an IAIMS operations grant in the first round of awards under "the next generation" program. This paper discusses the history of IAIMS at UC and describes the goals, methods, and strategies of the current IAIMS program. The goals of UC's IAIMS program are to: improve teaching effectiveness by improving the assessment of health professional students and residents in laboratory and clinical teaching and learning environments; improve the ability of researchers, educators, and students to acquire and apply the knowledge required to be more productive in genomic research and education; and increase the productivity of researchers and administrators in the pre-award, post-award, and compliance phases of the research lifecycle.