Dr. Google to Dr. ChatGPT: assessing the content and quality of artificial intelligence-generated medical information on appendicitis.

INTRODUCTION: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have recently been posited as potential sources of online medical information for patients making medical decisions. Existing online patient-oriented medical information has repeatedly been shown to be of variable quality and difficult readability. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the content and quality of AI-generated medical information on acute appendicitis. METHODS: A modified DISCERN assessment tool, comprising 16 distinct criteria each scored on a 5-point Likert scale (score range 16-80), was used to assess AI-generated content. Readability was determined using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) scores. Four popular chatbots, ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4, Bard, and Claude-2, were prompted to generate medical information about appendicitis. Three investigators independently scored the generated texts blinded to the identity of the AI platforms. RESULTS: ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, Bard, and Claude-2 had overall mean (SD) quality scores of 60.7 (1.2), 62.0 (1.0), 62.3 (1.2), and 51.3 (2.3), respectively, on a scale of 16-80. Inter-rater reliability was 0.81, 0.75, 0.81, and 0.72, respectively, indicating substantial agreement. Claude-2 demonstrated a significantly lower mean quality score compared to ChatGPT-4 (p = 0.001), ChatGPT-3.5 (p = 0.005), and Bard (p = 0.001). Bard was the only AI platform that listed verifiable sources, while Claude-2 provided fabricated sources. All chatbots except for Claude-2 advised readers to consult a physician if experiencing symptoms. Regarding readability, FKGL and FRE scores of ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, Bard, and Claude-2 were 14.6 and 23.8, 11.9 and 33.9, 8.6 and 52.8, 11.0 and 36.6, respectively, indicating difficulty readability at a college reading skill level. CONCLUSION: AI-generated medical information on appendicitis scored favorably upon quality assessment, but most either fabricated sources or did not provide any altogether. Additionally, overall readability far exceeded recommended levels for the public. Generative AI platforms demonstrate measured potential for patient education and engagement about appendicitis.

Online information for incisional hernia repair: What are patients reading?

PURPOSE: Patients increasingly access online materials for health-related information. Using validated assessment tools, we aim to assess the quality and readability of online information for patients considering incisional hernia (IH) repair. METHODS: The top three online search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) were searched in July 2022 for "Incisional hernia repair" and "Surgical hernia repair". Included websites were classified as academic, hospital-affiliated, commercial, and unspecified. The quality of information was assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria (0-4), DISCERN instrument (16-80), and the presence of Health On the Net code (HONcode) certification. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) tests. RESULTS: 25 unique websites were included. The average JAMA and DISCERN scores of all websites were 0.68 ± 1.02 and 36.50 ± 10.91, respectively. Commercial sites showed a significantly higher DISCERN mean score than academic sites (p = 0.034), while no significant difference was demonstrated between other website categories. 3 (12%) websites reported HONcode certification and had significantly higher JAMA (p = 0.016) and DISCERN (p = 0.045) mean scores than sites without certification. Average FRE and FKGL scores were 39.84 ± 13.11 and 10.62 ± 1.76, respectively, corresponding to college- and high school-level comprehensibility. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest online patient resources on IH repair are of poor overall quality and may not be comprehensible to the public. Patients accessing internet resources for additional information on IH repair should be made aware of these inadequacies and directed to sites bearing HONcode certification.

A Multicenter Analysis of the Early Impact of COVID-19 on Junior Resident Operative Case Volume.

INTRODUCTION: Institutions have reported decreases in operative volume due to COVID-19. Junior residents have fewer opportunities for operative experience and COVID-19 further jeopardizes their operative exposure. This study quantifies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident operative exposure using resident case logs focusing on junior residents and categorizes the response of surgical residency programs to the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective multicenter cohort study was conducted; 276,481 case logs were collected from 407 general surgery residents of 18 participating institutions, spanning 2016-2020. Characteristics of each institution and program changes in response to COVID-19 were collected via surveys. RESULTS: Senior residents performed 117 more cases than junior residents each year (P < 0.001). Prior to the pandemic, senior resident case volume increased each year (38 per year, 95% confidence interval 2.9-74.9) while junior resident case volume remained stagnant (95% confidence interval 13.7-22.0). Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, junior residents reported on average 11% fewer cases when compared to the three prior academic years (P = 0.001). The largest decreases in cases were those with higher resident autonomy (Surgeon Jr, P = 0.03). The greatest impact of COVID-19 on junior resident case volume was in community-based medical centers (246 prepandemic versus 216 during pandemic, P = 0.009) and institutions which reached Stage 3 Program Pandemic Status (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Residents reported a significant decrease in operative volume during the 2019 academic year, disproportionately impacting junior residents. The long-term consequences of COVID-19 on junior surgical trainee competence and ability to reach cases requirements are yet unknown but are unlikely to be negligible.

EQIP's First Year: A Step Closer to Higher Quality in Surgical Education.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the first year of the Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) DESIGN: The Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) was formed by the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) in 2018 as a continuous educational quality improvement program. Over 18 months, thirteen discrete goals for the establishment of EQIP were refined and executed through a collaborative effort involving leaders in surgical education. Alpha and beta pilots were conducted to refine the data queries and collection processes. A highly-secure, doubly-deidentified database was created for the ingestion of resident and program data. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 36 surgical training programs with 1264 trainees and 1500 faculty members were included in the dataset. 51,516 ERAS applications to programs were also included. Uni- and multi-variable analysis was then conducted. RESULTS: EQIP was successfully deployed within the timeline described in 2020. Data from the ACGME, ABS, and ERAS were merged with manually entered data by programs and successfully ingested into the EQIP database. Interactive dashboards have been constructed for use by programs to compare to the national cohort. Risk-adjusted multivariable analysis suggests that increased time in a technical skills lab was associated with increased success on the ABS's Qualifying Examination, alone. Increased time in a technical skills lab and the presence of a formal teaching curriculum were associated with increased success on both the ABS's Qualifying and Certifying Examination. Program type may be of some consequence in predicting success on the Qualifying Examination. CONCLUSIONS: The APDS has proved the concept that a highly secure database for the purpose of continuous risk-adjusted quality improvement in surgical education can be successfully deployed. EQIP will continue to improve and hopes to include an increasing number of programs as the barriers to participation are overcome.

The APDS General Surgery Education Quality Improvement Program (EQIP).

BACKGROUND: Although the ACGME has called for outcomes-based evaluation of residency programs, few metrics or benchmarks exist connecting educational processes with resident educational outcomes. To address this deficiency, a national Education Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) for General Surgery training is proposed. METHODS: We describe the initial efforts to create this platform. In addition, a national survey was administered to 330 Program Directors to assess their interest in and concerns about a continuous educational quality improvement project. RESULTS: We demonstrate that through a collaborative process and the support of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), we were able to develop the groundwork for a national surgical educational improvement project, now called EQIP. The survey response rate was 45.8% (152 of 332 programs) representing a mix of university (55.3%), university-affiliated (18.4%), independent (24.3%), and military (2.0%) programs. Most respondents (66.2%) had not previously heard of EQIP. Most respondents (69.7%) believe that educational outcomes can be measured. The majority of respondents indicated they believed EQIP could be successful (57%). Only 2.3% thought EQIP would not be successful. Almost all programs (98.7%) expressed a willingness to participate, although 19.1% did not believe that they had adequate resources to participate. CONCLUSION: The APDS EQIP platform holds promise as a useful and achievable method to obtain educational outcomes data. These data can be used as a basis for continuous surgical educational quality improvement. General Surgery Program Directors have expressed enthusiasm for EQIP and are willing to participate in the program examining outcomes of General Surgery training programs, with an ultimate goal of improving overall residency training.

Trainee Utilization of the SCORE Curriculum is Associated With Improved ABSITE Performance: A Multi-institutional Study.

BACKGROUND: The Surgical Council on Resident Education's (SCORE) structured educational curriculum for general surgery residents uses a 2-year repeating cycle of modules and quizzes called "This Week in SCORE" (TWIS) to organize and sequence the curricular content on the SCORE portal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of using the SCORE content and TWIS curriculum on American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) performance. To date, no multi-institutional studies have examined this effect. METHODS: Eight residency programs participated, including university and community-based programs. SCORE usage overall, TWIS usage, and ABSITE percentile scores (adjusted for post-graduate year [PGY]) were analyzed for the academic years 2017 to 2020. SCORE usage was defined as number of SCORE logins annually per resident with "low usage" ≤10 times and "high usage" >10 times. TWIS usage was defined as "low usage" (no TWIS quizzes done) or "high usage" (≥1 TWIS quiz per year). RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty-eight trainees were evaluated. Trainees with high SCORE and TWIS usage consistently achieved a higher ABSITE percentile score. This difference was maintained in subgroup analysis by PGY with the greatest impact in PGY-1 and PGY-2 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of multiple aspects of SCORE content appears to have a significant positive impact on ABSITE performance across all levels of postgraduate training. This multi-institutional study of a large number of users is the first to demonstrate that increased usage of SCORE content appears to be a predictor of ABSITE performance success.

Power of the collective: A review of multimodal internet-based surgical education resources in the 21st century.

Electronic resources have changed surgical education in the 21st century. Resources spanning from digital textbooks to multiple choice question banks, online society meetings, and social media can facilitate surgical education. The COVID pandemic drastically changed the paradigm for education. The ramifications of Zoom lectures and online surgical society meetings will last into the future. Educators and learners can be empowered by the many available electronic resources to enhance surgical training and education.

Multi-institutional Collaborative Surgery Education Didactics: Virtual Adaptations During a Global Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted graduate medical education, impacting Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-mandated didactics. We aimed to study the utility of 2 methods of virtual learning: the daily National Surgery Resident Lecture Series (NSRLS), and weekly "SCORE School" educational webinars designed around the Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) curriculum. DESIGN AND SETTING: NSRLS: The National Surgery Resident Lecture Series was a daily virtual educational session initially led by faculty at an individual surgical residency program. Thirty-eight lectures were assessed for number of live viewings (March 23, 2020-May 15, 2020). SCORE SCHOOL: Attendance at eleven weekly SCORE educational webinars was characterized into live and asynchronous viewings (May 13, 2020-August 5, 2020). Each 1-hour live webinar was produced by SCORE on a Wednesday evening and featured nationally recognized surgeon educators using an online platform that allowed for audience interaction. RESULTS: NSRLS: There were a mean of 71 live viewers per NSRLS session (range 19-118). Participation began to decline in the final 2 weeks as elective case volumes increased, but sessions remained well-attended. SCORE SCHOOL: There were a range of 164-3889 live viewers per SCORE School session. Sessions have most commonly been viewed asynchronously (89.8% of viewings). Live viewership decreased as the academic year ended and then rebounded with the start of the new academic year (range 4.9%-27%). Overall, the eight webinars were viewed 11,135 times. Each webinar continues to be viewed a mean of 43 times a day (range 0-102). Overall, the eleven webinars have been viewed a total of 22,722 times. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual didactics aimed at surgical residents are feasible, well-attended (both live and recorded), and have high levels of viewer engagement. We have observed that careful coordination of timing and topics is ideal. The ability for asynchronous viewing is particularly important for attendance. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt healthcare systems, training programs must continue to adapt to education via virtual platforms.

Ad astra per aspera (Through Hardships to the Stars): Lessons Learned from the First National Virtual APDS Meeting, 2020.

OBJECTIVE: After COVID-19 rendered in-person meetings for national societies impossible in the spring of 2020, the leadership of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) innovated via a virtual format in order to hold its national meeting. DESIGN: APDS leadership pre-emptively considered factors that would be important to attendees including cost, value, time, professional commitments, education, sharing of relevant and current information, and networking. SETTING: The meeting was conducted using a variety of virtual formats including a web portal for entry, pre-ecorded poster and oral presentations on the APDS website, interactive panels via a web conferencing platform, and livestreaming. PARTICIPANTS: There were 298 registrants for the national meeting of the APDS, and 59 participants in the New Program Directors Workshop. The registrants and participants comprised medical students, residents, associate program directors, program directors, and others involved in surgical education nationally. RESULTS: There was no significant difference detected for high levels of participant satisfaction between 2019 and 2020 for the following items: overall program rating, topics and content meeting stated objectives, relevant content to educational needs, educational format conducive to learning, and agreement that the program will improve competence, performance, communication skills, patient outcomes, or processes of care/healthcare system performance. CONCLUSIONS: A virtual format for a national society meeting can provide education, engagement, and community, and the lessons learned by the APDS in the process can be used by other societies for utilization and further improvement.

#SurgEdVidz: Using Social Media to Create a Supplemental Video-Based Surgery Didactic Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: A general surgery resident may have competing clinical responsibilities that limit the ability to participate in educational didactics. Social media is an alternative delivery method for educational content that can be viewed at a resident's convenience. We sought to assess the feasibility of using social media to provide educational content for surgical residents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We created a novel, supplemental surgical curriculum consisting of two-minute videos based on the This Week in SCORE modules. Videos were posted to Twitter weekly, indexed with the #SurgEdVidz hashtag and uploaded to YouTube to create a catalog of videos. Twitter and YouTube analytics were used to calculate public viewership and impact. RESULTS: A total of 43 videos were disseminated between January 30, 2019 and January 31, 2020. An average of 6.9 h (SD: 1.4; range: 5.0-10.0) was required to generate each video, including 1.5 h (SD: 0.6; range: 0-2.0) for content review and 5.4 h (SD: 1.1; range: 4.0-8.0) for video production. Between the two platforms, videos generated a total of 51,313 views with an average of 1193 views (SD: 715; range: 412-4096) per video. Account followers are geographically distributed across 28 states, 28 countries, and six continents. CONCLUSIONS: Social media can serve as an effective tool for the distribution of surgical educational content. Twitter, in conjunction with YouTube, allows for rapid dissemination of didactic content packaged into brief videos that is flexible in viewership with low time commitment. Social media offers visibility and engagement beyond the classroom without geographical or temporal borders.

Underrepresented Minorities in General Surgery Residency: Analysis of Interviewed Applicants, Residents, and Core Teaching Faculty.

BACKGROUND: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires diversity in residency. The self-identified race/ethnicities of general surgery applicants, residents, and core teaching faculty were assessed to evaluate underrepresented minority (URM) representation in surgery residency programs and to determine the impact of URM faculty and residents on URM applicants' selection for interview or match. STUDY DESIGN: Data from the 2018 application cycle were collated for 10 general surgery programs. Applicants without a self-identified race/ethnicity were excluded. URMs were defined as those identifying as black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and a multivariate model. RESULTS: Ten surgery residency programs received 9,143 applications from 3,067 unique applicants. Applications from white, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, black/African American, and American Indian applicants constituted 66%, 19%, 8%, 7% and 1%, respectively, of those applications selected to interview and 66%, 13%, 11%, 8%, and 2%, respectively, of applications resulting in a match. Among programs' 272 core faculty and 318 current residents, 10% and 21%, respectively, were identified as URMs. As faculty diversity increased, there was no difference in selection to interview for URM (odds ratio [OR] 0.83; 95% CI 0.54 to 1.28, per 10% increase in faculty diversity) or non-URM applicants (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.81). Similarly, greater URM representation among current residents did not affect the likelihood of being selected for an interview for URM (OR 1.20; 95%CI 0.90 to 1.61) vs non-URM applicants (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.45). Current resident and faculty URM representation was correlated (r = 0.8; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Programs with a greater proportion of URM core faculty or residents did not select a greater proportion of URM applicants for interview. However, core faculty and resident racial diversity were correlated. Recruitment of racially/ethnically diverse trainees and faculty will require ongoing analysis to develop effective recruitment strategies.

Career advancement in surgical education.

Having been inspired by prior master surgeon educators, many seek careers as surgeon educators. However, the definition of surgeon educator has developed into a complex and exciting career trajectory that requires delineation beyond master surgeon teacher. The integration of the science of knowledge and skill acquisition into surgical training and administration has led to multiple career paths within the areas previously associated broadly with surgical education. In this article, we define the many paths of the surgeon educator and take the reader through a potential framework for establishing a mission while simultaneously taking steps in personal and professional development that promote career advancement in surgical education.

Mid-Year Medical Knowledge Milestones and ABSITE Scores in First-Year Surgery Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Surgery milestone ratings in the "Knowledge of Diseases and Conditions" (MK1) sub competency have been shown to correlate with American Board of Surgery In Training Examination (ABSITE) scores, and hypothesized to predict them. To better assess the predictive value of the MK1 milestone and avoid the potential bias caused by previous years' ABSITE scores, we designed a study including only first-year (PGY-1) residents and analyzed the correlation between their mid-year MK1 ratings and their scores in the ABSITE they took approximately a month later. METHODS: De-identified United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 scores, mid-year MK1 milestone ratings and the subsequent ABSITE standard scores for the five academic years from 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 were collected and tabulated for 247 PGY-1 preliminary- and categorical-track residents from ten ACGME-accredited surgery residency programs. RESULTS: The mid-year rating of PGY-1 residents' MK1 was predictive of their subsequent first ABSITE score for the entire cohort and for the categorical residents' subset. Notably, controlling for all other independent predictors, each half-point increase in MK1 rating was associated with a 25-point increase in ABSITE score. Preliminary residents performed significantly worse on the ABSITE, and their scores did not correlate significantly with their MK1 ratings. CONCLUSIONS: The mid-year rating of PGY-1 residents' MK1 was predictive of their subsequent first ABSITE score for the entire cohort and for the categorical but not the preliminary residents. This finding suggests that evaluators correctly rated MK1 higher in the categorical residents who did perform better on the subsequent ABSITE.

SCORE - Leveling the Playing Field for Surgical Training Programs.

OBJECTIVE: The Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) web portal provides a uniform, comprehensive, competency-based curriculum for general surgery residents. One of SCORE's principal founding goals was to provide equal opportunity for access of educational resources at programs across the United States which reported having a range of resources. We aimed to determine if there was a difference in portal usage by trainees in independent versus university programs, and across geographic areas. METHODS: Using analytic software, we measured SCORE usage by trainees in 246 subscribing programs from August 2015 to March 2017. The primary outcome was the average duration of SCORE use per login. Secondary outcomes were the geographic region of each program, and university versus independent designation. Encounters lasting >8 hours (comprising 7% of the data set) were excluded to eliminate the likelihood of failure to log off the portal. RESULTS: Over the study period, there were 669,501 SCORE sessions with 22% of these lasting 1 to 5 minutes, 33% lasting 6 to 30 minutes, and 28% lasting 31 to 120 minutes. Between the university (64.4% of encounters) and independent (35.6% of encounters) program types, there was no significant difference in average visit length overall, or in the normally-distributed designated time categories (t test -1.0, p = 0.3). When mean encounter length per program was compared by geographic regions, there was also no difference in the three time categories (ANOVA p = 0.9, 0.2, and 0.5, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Most (50%) of SCORE encounters lasted 30 minutes of less, confirming prior work that shows trainees use the portal in relatively short bursts of activity. While there were more encounters from university program trainees (proportional with their greater numbers), the mean duration of an individual encounter did not significantly differ by program type as a whole or by region. These results suggest that SCORE is an equally accessible educational resource and is used by surgical trainees, regardless of program type or geographic region.

Underrepresented Minorities are Underrepresented Among General Surgery Applicants Selected to Interview.

OBJECTIVE: Diversity is an ill-defined entity in general surgery training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently proposed new common program requirements including verbiage requiring diversity in residency. "Recruiting" for diversity can be challenging within the constraints of geographic preference, type of program, and applicant qualifications. In addition, the Match process adds further uncertainty. We sought to study the self-identified racial/ethnic distribution of general surgery applicants to better ascertain the characteristics of underrepresented minorities (URM) within the general surgery applicant pool. DESIGN: Program-specific data from the Electronic Residency Application Service was collated for the 2018 medical student application cycle. Data were abstracted for all participating programs' applicants and those selected to interview. Applicants who did not enter a self-identified race/ethnicity were excluded from analysis. URM were defined as those identifying as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan. Appropriate statistical analyses were accomplished. SETTING: Ten general surgery residency programs-5 independent programs and 5 university programs. PARTICIPANTS: Residency applicants to the participating general surgery residency programs. RESULTS: Ten surgery residency programs received 10,312 applications from 3192 unique applicants. Seven hundred and seventy-eight applications did not include a self-identified race/ethnicity and were excluded from analysis. The racial/ethnic makeup of applicants in this study cohort was similar to that from 2017 to 2018 Electronic Residency Application Service data of 4262 total applicants to categorical general surgery. Programs received a median of 1085 (range: 485-1264) applications each and altogether selected 617 unique applicants for interviews. Overall, 2148 applicants graduated from US medical schools, and of those, 595 (28%) were offered interviews. The mean age of applicants was 28.8 ± 3.8 years and 1316 (41%) were female. Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, Black, and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan applicants constituted 12%, 8%, and 1% of total applicants, but only 8%, 6%, and 1% of those selected for interview. Overall, 29% of applicants had United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores ≤220; 37 (6%) of those selected for interviews had a USMLE Step 1 score of ≤220. A higher proportion of URM applicants had USMLE scores ≤220 compared to White and Asian applicants. Non-white self-identification was a significant independent predictor of a lower likelihood of interview selection. Female gender, USMLE Step 1 score >220, and graduating from a US medical school were associated with an increased likelihood of being selected to interview. CONCLUSIONS: URM applicants represented a disproportionately smaller percentage of applicants selected for interview. USMLE Step 1 scores were lower among the URM applicants. Training programs that use discreet USMLE cutoffs are likely excluding URM at a higher rate than their non-URM applicants. Attempts to recruit racially/ethnically diverse trainees should include program-level analysis to determine disparities and a focused strategy to interview applicants who might be overlooked by conventional screening tools.

ERAS and the NRMP and Their Roles in Residency Recruitment-A Primer for Surgical Program Directors.

The process of residency recruitment involves medical schools, training programs, and applicants. These 3 constituencies collaborate through 2 nonprofit organizations-Electronic Residency Application Service and the National Resident Match Program. An overview of both organizations and their functions is presented to help surgical training directors better understand the roles of these 2 important stakeholders in recruitment.

Trends in the clinical presentation, treatment, and survival for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We assessed trends in the clinical presentation, treatment, and survival for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using data from the SEER program (2004-2014). All patients diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma over 2 eras were included (A: 2004-2009 vs. B: 2010-2014). Outcomes of interest were the likelihood of metastatic disease at diagnosis, utilization of resection, and overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 62,201 patients were included in this study [Era B - 31,998 (51.4%)]. Patients diagnosed in Era B were significantly less likely to have metastatic pancreatic cancer at diagnosis, and demonstrated improved long-term survival after risk-adjustment. Similarly, patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer that were diagnosed in Era B were independently more likely to undergo resection. The observed association between era of diagnosis and survival was independent of resection status and the presence of metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: There have been significant improvements in pancreatic cancer care over the last decade, as evidenced by earlier diagnosis, increased utilization of surgery, and improvement in overall survival for both resected and un-resected patients.

The Revised 2017 MSPE: Better, But Not "Outstanding".

AIM: The medical student performance evaluation (MSPE) is relied on as an objective summary evaluation by surgical program directors. In 2017, an MSPE task force released recommendations for best practice for their format and content. The purpose of this study was to analyze US medical schools' adherence to these guidelines. METHODS: MSPEs from 113 of 147 Liaison committee on Medical Education (LCME)-accredited medical schools were analyzed for measurable attributes such as word counts, transparent clerkship grading, comparative performance data, and statements of professionalism. 2017 MSPEs were compared to a baseline group of 45 MSPEs from 2016 to measure change over time. Measurable attributes were compared using the Fisher exact and Mann Whitney-U tests. A p value < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. RESULTS: We analyzed 113 MSPEs from 2017. The median page count decreased by one from the prior year, with a narrower range of variation. 96% of schools reported a discreet grade in surgery. We observed substantial compliance with the recommendation for a statement of professionalism, noteworthy characteristics, and comparative clerkship data. More schools were observed to report school-wide rankings. There were significant variations in the graphical depiction of student achievement. CONCLUSIONS: In response to the 2017 task force guidelines, MSPEs have become more standardized and transparent with regard to medical student evaluation. There is increased (but not ubiquitous) adherence with the recommendation for three noteworthy characteristics and statements of professionalism. Of particular importance to surgical program directors, 95.6% of 2017 MSPEs report a grade in the surgical clerkship and 85.8% include school-wide comparative clerkship performance data. Still, only 69.9% currently report school-wide summative performance data.

Improving Information Transfer during Transitions of Care via Standardized Handoffs.

Multiple studies have shown the detrimental effect of miscommunication during transitions of care. The aim of this study is to determine whether a certain method of "sign-out" can improve information transmission and thereby reduce medical errors. Surgical interns underwent a 90-minute training session before starting residency in five previously verified methods of sign-out. They were randomly assigned to six groups (five methods and a control group). They were then given seven simulated patient charts with varying levels of medical complexity. They were then instructed to "sign-out" the patients to randomly selected colleagues. The control group did not use any of the previously taught methods and passed on information in a manner of their choosing. None of the methods consistently results in excellent transitions of care. Patient information values ranged from 26 to 40 (depending on complexity). Major points were consistently missed by all methods, but this may have been a component of the time constraint placed on this study. The "SIGNOUT?" method resulted in superior data transmission when compared with the control group (P = 0.0401). The only method that seemed to be significantly inferior was the "9Ds" method (P = 0.0610). The "SIGNOUT?" method leads to the largest amount of relevant information transmitted to the incoming team. There was no statistically significant difference among the other methods. Improvement in "sign-out" modalities and training may improve transmission of relevant patient information, but larger studies are needed to verify the data seen in this small, single-site study.