Igniting Inquiry: Development and Implementation of a Novel Journal Club Curriculum in an Emergency Medicine Residency.

BACKGROUND: The journal club is a long-standing pillar of medical education and medical practice, although its components and format are quite variable. In addition, selecting literature for discussion must strike a delicate balance between reviewing seminal and durable articles with that of emerging evidence, all while complementing a residency curriculum. Although the critical appraisal of literature is a fundamental skill of the practicing physician, a universal curriculum has not yet been optimized to facilitate journal club. OBJECTIVE: We sought to design and implement a comprehensive, complementary, and evidence-based journal club curriculum that was modular in design, reproducible, and effective at generating participation. METHODS: Our novel curricular design incorporates many evidence-based components, including optimizing the learning environment, providing ease of access to resources, and using educational methodology that immerses learners in the experience in a structured manner. In addition, the curriculum complements, but does not duplicate, the core residency curriculum. In 2020, we analyzed our data, using descriptive and comparative statistical methods. RESULTS: We demonstrated significant improvement in common metrics used to analyze the efficacy of the journal club, including attendance and participation. Significant improvements were seen in both resident and attending participation. CONCLUSIONS: Our design methods used resources easily available to our residency program and commonly available to others, with minimal time and resource cost. Further study is required to measure long-term educational outcomes.

EMS agencies with high rates of field termination of resuscitation and longer scene times also have high rates of survival.

AIM: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) management dichotomizes strategies to (1) "scoop-and-run" to a higher level of care or (2) "treat on the X" with the goal of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before transport, with field termination of resuscitation (FTOR) of unsuccessful resuscitations. We hypothesized that EMS agencies with greater average time on-scene and higher rates of field termination of resuscitation would have more favorable outcomes. METHODS: The Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) was used to identify OOHCA cases from 2013 to 2018. Agencies in the top and bottom quartiles of on-scene time were categorized as high (HiOST) and low (LoOST); in the top and bottom quartiles of field termination rate were categorized as high (HiTOR) and low (LoTOR). Generalized estimating equation models compared top and bottom quartiles. RESULTS: We classified 95 agencies as HiOST (average > 25.1 min) or LoOST (average < 19.3 min). We classified 95 agencies as HiTOR (average > 46.5% FTOR) or LoTOR (average < 23.5% FTOR). Controlling for agency characteristics, HiOST had a higher survival to discharge for transported patients (28.1% vs 23.1%, OR = 2.8, 95 %CI 2.1-3.6, p < 0.001), ROSC on emergency department arrival, and favorable neurologic outcome than LoOST. HiTOR had a higher survival to discharge for transported patients (25.6% vs 19.3%, OR = 3.3, 95 %CI 2.5-4.4, p < 0.001), ROSC on emergency department arrival, and favorable neurologic outcome than LoTOR. CONCLUSION: EMS agencies with higher rates of FTOR and longer on-scene times for patients with OOHCA have higher overall patient survival, ROSC, and favorable neurologic function.

Pupil Prose Appraisal: Four Practical Solutions to Medical Student Documentation and Feedback in the Emergency Department.

Documentation is part of a critical foundation of skills in the undergraduate medical education curriculum. New compliance rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will impact student documentation practices. Common barriers to student documentation include limited access to the electronic medical record, variable clerkship documentation expectations, variable advice regarding utilizing the electronic medical record, and limited time for feedback delivery. Potential solutions to these barriers are suggested to foster documentation skill development. Recommendations are also given to mitigate compliance and legal risk.