"What's Going to Happen?": Internal Medicine Resident Experiences of Uncertainty in the Care of Older Adults.

PURPOSE: Internal medicine residents care for clinically complex older adults and may experience increased moral distress due to knowledge gaps, time constraints, and institutional barriers. We conducted a phenomenological study to explore residents' experiences and challenges through the lens of uncertainty. METHODS: Between January and March 2022, six focus groups were conducted comprising a total of 13 internal medicine residents in postgraduate years 2 and 3, who had completed a required 2-week geriatrics rotation. Applying the Beresford taxonomy of uncertainty as a conceptual model, data were analyzed using the framework method. RESULTS: All challenging experiences described by residents caring for older adults were linked to uncertainty. Sources of uncertainty were categorized and mapped to the Beresford taxonomy: (1) lack of geriatrics knowledge or clinical guidelines (technical); (2) difficulty applying knowledge to complex older adults (conceptual); and (3) lack of longitudinal relationship with the older patient (personal). Residents identified capacity evaluation and discharge planning as two major geriatric knowledge areas linked with uncertainty. While the majority of residents reacted to uncertainty with some degree of distress, several reported positive coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Internal medicine residents face uncertainty when caring for older adults, particularly related to technical and conceptual factors. Strategies for mitigating uncertainty in the care of older adults are needed given links with moral distress and trainee well-being.

A Health System-Wide Initiative to Decrease Opioid-Related Morbidity and Mortality.

BACKGROUND: The opioid overdose crisis now claims more than 40,000 lives in the United States every year, and many hospitals and health systems are responding with opioid-related initiatives, but how best to coordinate hospital or health system-wide strategy and approach remains a challenge. METHODS: An organizational opioid stewardship program (OSP) was created to reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality in order to provide an efficient, comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to address the epidemic in one health system. An executive committee of hospital leaders was convened to empower and launch the program. To measure progress, metrics related to care of patients on opioids and those with opioid use disorder (OUD) were evaluated. RESULTS: The OSP created a holistic, health system-wide program that addressed opioid prescribing, treatment of OUD, education, and information technology tools. After implementation, the number of opioid prescriptions decreased (-73.5/month; p < 0.001), mean morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per prescription decreased (-0.4/month; p < 0.001), the number of unique patients receiving an opioid decreased (-52.6/month; p < 0.001), and the number of prescriptions ≥ 90 MME decreased (-48.1/month; p < 0.001). Prescriptions and providers for buprenorphine increased (+6.0 prescriptions/month and +0.4 providers/month; both p < 0.001). Visits for opioid overdose did not change (-0.2 overdoses/month; p = 0.29). CONCLUSION: This paper describes a framework for a new health system-wide OSP. Successful implementation required strong executive sponsorship, ensuring that the program is not housed in any one clinical department in the health system, creating an environment that empowers cross-disciplinary collaboration and inclusion, as well as the development of measures to guide efforts.

Changes in Energy Expenditure Determined by Indirect Calorimetry in Severe Burn Patients During the Acute Phase.

BACKGROUND: Severe burn injuries are a major health problem globally. A profound and prolonged hypermetabolic response develops in severe burn injuries and it is crucial to monitor the patients' energy requirements in order to meet them adequately. The aim of the present study was to examine the energy changes during the acute phase using the indirect calorimetry (IC) method in severe burn patients. METHODS: The study included 15 severe burn patients. Patients with FiO2 >60%, tube thoracostomy, closed underwater drain (CUWD) and air leakage were excluded from the study. Patients' demographic data, burn percentages, burn types, duration of stay in intensive care, mortality and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were recorded. Indirect calorimeter measurements were taken once from the patients upon their first arrival and during the following four weeks. Resting energy expenditure (REE), basal metabolic rate (BMR), oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), body temperatures, presence of sepsis, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Modified Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) scores were recorded. The data were analysed using SPSS 24 and p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the study, 13 (86.67%) of the patients were male. Patients' mean age was 45.27±18.16 years, and mean BMI 25.99±4.22 kg/m2. Five patients (33.33%) had chronic diseases. The average burn percentage was 45%, with 7 (46.67%) patients having a burn percentage of ≤40%, while 8 (53.33%) had a burn percentage of >40%. A total of 14 (93.33%) had flame burns; 3 (20.00%) patients deceased, and 12 (80.00%) were discharged. The mean APACHE II score was 11.53±6.83. The measured mean values of REE, VO2, VCO2 and fever were seen to be the highest in the first week after admission and decreases were observed in the subsequent weeks. SOFA score averages were the highest at admission, and decreased in the following weeks. CONCLUSION: Severe burn patients were observed to go through the hypermetabolic process in the acute phase and their energy requirements were high particularly in the first week. It was concluded that regular IC monitoring can be beneficial to fully meet the energy requirements of severe burn patients due to the prolonged hypermetabolic process.

Acute kidney injury in burns in the intensive care unit: A retrospective research.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the common complications, associated with high mortality and morbidity in patients with burn injuries. This study aimed to determine the frequency of AKI development, its affective factors, and mortality rates according to kidney disease improving global outcomes (KDIGO) criteria in the burn patients. METHODS: The study included patients who are hospitalized for at least 48 h and aged >18 years, whereas patients with a renal transplant, chronic renal failure, undergoing hemodialysis, <18 years of age, with a glomerular filtration rate of <15 on admission, and toxic epidermal necrolysis was excluded from the study. KDIGO criteria were used to evaluate the occurrence of AKI. Burn mech-anism, total body surface area, inhalation injury respiratory tract burn, fluid replacement at 72 h with Parkland Formula, mechanical ventilator support, inotrope/vasopressor support, intensive care unit, lenght of stay, mortality, abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI), acute physiology, and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) ve Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients were included in our study, of which 26 (54.2%) developed AKI (+), whereas 22 (45.8%) did not (-). The mean total burn surface area was 47.30% in the AKI (+) group and 19.88% in the AKI (-) group. Mean scores of ABSI, II (APACHE II), and SOFA, the mechanical ventilation and inotrope/vasopressor support and the presence of sepsis were significantly higher in the AKI (+). No mortality was determined in the AKI (-) group, whereas 34.6% in the AKI (+) group which was significantly high. CONCLUSION: AKI was related to high morbidity and mortality in patients with burns. Using KDIGOs, classification in daily fol-low-up is useful in early diagnosis.

Tension-free inguinal hernia repair with transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in elderly high-risk patients.

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair is still being studied today because it is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world and is used in people of all ages. Although many centers use spinal anesthetic to treat inguinal hernias, complications such as hypotension from peripheral vasodilation, delayed mobilization from paralysis, urine retention and post-spinal headache might occur. Regional blocks are a significant component of multimodal anaesthesia that promotes postoperative recovery. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthetic block technique that is effective on the parietal peritoneum, skin, and anterior abdominal wall. METHODS: This study aimed to show that TAP block administration may be done safely without the use of an extra anesthetic treatment, especially in older patients who may experience complications from general or spinal anesthesia. Without either general, spinal or epidural anesthetic, we conducted a tension-free - Lichtenstein - inguinal hernia repair operation with only TAP block application. This retrospective case-control study received ethics committee approval (decision number 21-5T/108). Between September and December 2019, patients who underwent elective Lichtenstein hernia repair in our clinic were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: We think that inguinal hernia repair can be safely performed with only TAP block and that TAP block application has fewer anaesthesia-related complications such as postspinal headache and urinary retention compared with spinal anaesthesia, and that it can be used as an alternative to spinal anaesthesia in patients who cannot tolerate general anaesthesia. CONCLUSION: Even hernia surgery can be very challenging in patients with advanced age and comorbidities. We wanted to show the feasibility of the TAP block method as an alternative to anaesthesia in such patients.

Diversity Is Not Enough: Advancing a Framework for Antiracism in Medical Education.

Medical students, residents, and faculty have begun to examine and grapple with the legacy and persistence of structural racism in academic medicine in the United States. Until recently, the discourse and solutions have largely focused on augmenting diversity across the medical education continuum through increased numbers of learners from groups underrepresented in medicine (UIM). Despite deliberate measures implemented by medical schools, residency programs, academic institutions, and national organizations, meaningful growth in diversity has not been attained. To the contrary, the UIM representation among medical trainees has declined or remained below the representation in the general population. Inequities continue to be observed in multiple domains of medical education, including grading, admission to honor societies, and extracurricular obligations. These inequities, alongside learners' experiences and calls for action, led the authors to conclude that augmenting diversity is necessary but insufficient to achieve equity in the learning environment. In this article, the authors advance a 4-step framework, built on established principles and practices of antiracism, to dismantle structural racism in medical education. They ground each step of the framework in the concepts and skills familiar to medical educators. By drawing parallels with clinical reasoning, medical error, continuous quality improvement, the growth mindset, and adaptive expertise, the authors show how learners, faculty, and academic leaders can implement the framework's 4 steps-see, name, understand, and act-to shift the paradigm from a goal of diversity to a stance of antiracism in medical education.

Building Longitudinal Relationships Into a Traditional Block Clerkship Model: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PURPOSE: The authors describe the implementation of the novel Longitudinal Clinical Experiences with Patients (LCEP) curriculum, designed to integrate continuity and longitudinal patient relationships into a traditional block clerkship (BC), and present a mixed-methods analysis evaluating program effectiveness to assess its feasibility, value, and impact. METHOD: This was a mixed-methods study of 54 Harvard Medical School students who participated in the LCEP during their core clerkship (third) year during the 2013-2014 academic year. Fifty-two students responded to an electronic survey about the patients they followed during the LCEP. Forty-two students completed confidential live interviews. Unique groups of 13-15 students were interviewed at 3 times during the year to assess students' perceptions of the LCEP over time. The data were analyzed using a content analysis framework. RESULTS: On average, students followed 3.3 LCEP patients over the clerkship year. Ninety-four percent (n = 49/52) of students were able to follow 2 or more patients longitudinally. Most students met their longitudinal patient in the inpatient setting (71%, n = 37/52). Subsequent encounters were most often in the ambulatory setting. Students described scheduling logistics as key to the success or failure of the program. Many students described the challenges of competing priorities between their BC responsibilities and longitudinal opportunities. Students found the LCEP deepened their understanding of the patient experience, the health care system, and disease progression. Over the course of an academic year, an increased proportion of students (60%) highlighted understanding the patient experience as a core value obtained through the LCEP. CONCLUSIONS: The LCEP was feasible and proved successful in promoting longitudinal patient relationships within a traditional BC model. Prioritizing the depth of experience with a smaller number of patients may reduce the barriers described by students. The results suggest that such a hybrid program promotes patient-centeredness.

Residents Take the Lead: A Modern Collaborative Approach to Research During Residency.

BACKGROUND: Participation in scholarship is a requirement for Internal Medicine (IM) residencies, but programs struggle to successfully integrate research into busy clinical schedules. In 2013, the IM residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital implemented the Housestaff Research Project (HRP)- a novel residency-wide research initiative designed to facilitate participation in scholarship. The HRP had two components-a formal research curriculum and an infrastructure that provided funding and mentorship for resident-led, housestaff wide projects. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods study of 190 IM residents and two HRP-supported research projects. Seventy-seven residents responded to an electronic survey about their interests in research exposure in residency. Fifty-six residents responded to an electronic survey about their participation in the HRP. The success of HRP-supported projects was evaluated through resident comments, interviews with three residents leading the first two HRPs and a description of the success of the projects based on resident involvement and dissemination of the results. RESULTS: Eighty-seven percent (n= 67/77) of residents were interested in additional research exposure during residency. Ninety-five percent (n = 53/56) of residents had heard of the HRP, and 77% had participate in at least one aspect of it. Approximately 20 residents were directly involved in the two resident-led projects. HRP-supported projects resulted in presentations at three local and three national conferences, one manuscript in press, and one manuscript in preparation. The resident project leaders felt that a strength and unique aspect of the HRP was the collaboration with co-residents. CONCLUSION: The HRP successfully created a culture of research and scholarship within the residency. The HRP leaders and residents that participated in HRP-supported projects expressed the most direct benefits from the program. All residents were exposed to research concepts and methods. Future directions for the HRP include selecting projects that maximize the number of resident participants and integrating a more robust research curriculum.

Characteristics of failure to thrive in a referral population: implications for treatment.

Failure to thrive (FTT) in children is an important pediatric problem. Environmental and behavioral causes predominate, and detrimental effects on neurocognitive development are well documented. Multidisciplinary clinics designed to identify and treat FTT are effective but have not been widely adopted. A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with FTT seen at the authors' large inner-city children's hospital over a 40-month period, including those referred to a new multidisciplinary clinic. Over 40 months, only 75 children were referred and only 20 had moderate or severe FTT (z-score <-2.0). Nutritional status improved with treatment, but the small number of referrals who were severely affected led to the closing of the clinic. Recommendations for evaluating and treating children with mild FTT in primary care settings and a standardized definition of FTT that warrants more intensive treatment would help ensure that children were referred and treated appropriately.