Transition to Residency: National Study of Factors Contributing to Variability in Learner Milestones Ratings in Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine.

PURPOSE: The developmental trajectory of learning during residency may be attributed to multiple factors, including variation in individual trainee performance, program-level factors, graduating medical school effects, and the learning environment. Understanding the relationship between medical school and learner performance during residency is important in prioritizing undergraduate curricular strategies and educational approaches for effective transition to residency and postgraduate training. This study explores factors contributing to longitudinal and developmental variability in resident Milestones ratings, focusing on variability due to graduating medical school, training program, and learners using national cohort data from emergency medicine (EM) and family medicine (FM). METHOD: Data from programs with residents entering training in July 2016 were used (EM: n=1,645 residents, 178 residency programs; FM: n=3,997 residents, 487 residency programs). Descriptive statistics were used to examine data trends. Cross-classified mixed-effects regression were used to decompose variance components in Milestones ratings. RESULTS: During postgraduate year (PGY)-1, graduating medical school accounted for 5% and 6% of the variability in Milestones ratings, decreasing to 2% and 5% by PGY-3 for EM and FM, respectively. Residency program accounted for substantial variability during PGY-1 (EM=70%, FM=53%) but decreased during PGY-3 (EM=62%, FM=44%), with greater variability across training period in patient care (PC), medical knowledge (MK), and systems-based practice (SBP). Learner variance increased significantly between PGY-1 (EM=23%, FM=34%) and PGY-3 (EM=34%, FM=44%), with greater variability in practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI), professionalism (PROF), and interpersonal communication skills (ICS). CONCLUSIONS: The greatest variance in Milestone ratings can be attributed to the residency program and to a lesser degree, learners, and medical school. The dynamic impact of program-level factors on learners shifts during the first year and across the duration of residency training, highlighting the influence of curricular, instructional, and programmatic factors on resident performance throughout residency.

Ambulatory Care Use among Patients with Spina Bifida: Change in Care from Childhood to Adulthood.

PURPOSE: We examined the ambulatory health care visit use of children with spina bifida, adults who transitioned to adult care and adults who continued to seek care in a pediatric setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated use during a 1-year period of patients with spina bifida who visited any outpatient medical clinic within an integrated health care system. Patients were categorized as pediatric (younger than 18 years) or adult (age 18 or older). Adults were divided into those who did not fully transition to adult care and patients who fully transitioned (adult). Frequency and type of health care use were compared. Subanalysis was performed for patients 18 to 25 years old to examine variables associated with successful complete transition to adult care. RESULTS: During 1 year 382 children, 88 patients who did not transition and 293 adult patients with spina bifida had 4,931 clinic visits. Children had greater ambulatory care use (7.25 visits per year) compared to fully transitioned adults (5.33 visits per year, p=0.046). Children more commonly visited surgical clinics (52.3% of visits) and adults more commonly visited medical clinics (48.9%) (p <0.005). Adult transitioned patients were more likely to be female (p=0.004). Of the patients 18 to 25 years old, those who did not transition to adult care had similar outpatient visit types but greater use of inpatient and emergency care than those who transitioned. CONCLUSIONS: Children with spina bifida used more ambulatory care than adults and were more likely to visit a surgical specialist. Adult patients with spina bifida who successfully transitioned to adult care were more likely to be female, and patients who failed to transition were more likely to receive more inpatient and emergency care.