Antimicrobial resistance and its detection in Staphylococcus saprophyticus urinary isolates.

The aim of this study was to describe the antibiotic susceptibility of clinical Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolates collected prospectively from urine specimens over a 2-month period from September to October 2022 at a single centre in Melbourne, Australia. Species identification was performed by MALDI-TOF MS. All isolates underwent phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing by disc diffusion using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines and VITEK2, and mecA polymerase chain reaction. A total of 302 S. saprophyticus isolates from 298 patients were included in this study. Most specimens (91.1%) were referred by community general practitioners from non-hospitalised patients. Antimicrobial resistance to non-ß-lactam antibiotics was uncommon; trimethoprim susceptibility was 97%; trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 98%; nitrofurantoin, 100%; and ciprofloxacin, 100% (100% ciprofloxacin susceptible, increased exposure by EUCAST breakpoints). Methicillin resistance (by mecA detection) was the most common form of urinary antibiotic resistance at 5.6%. VITEK2 susceptibility testing for methicillin resistance had a poor specificity of 61.8% (95% CI 55.8-67.4%) compared to mecA detection. These findings indicate that empiric antibiotic recommendations of trimethoprim, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and nitrofurantoin for treatment of urinary S. saprophyticus remain appropriate.

Debriefing Gold: Harnessing the Power of Debriefing Data to Inform Education.

Debriefing is a critical element in healthcare, both in the clinical environment and in the simulation lab. Often, what is said at a debriefing is not recorded, leading to loss of critical data that could be used to inform future simulations, education, and systems improvement. In this perspective piece, we explain the powerful role that capturing debriefing data can have for identifying themes to improve learners' knowledge and skills, as well as inform data-driven systems change and initiatives.

Hospital-wide cardiac arrest in situ simulation to identify and mitigate latent safety threats.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest resuscitation requires well-executed teamwork to produce optimal outcomes. Frequency of cardiac arrest events differs by hospital location, which presents unique challenges in care due to variations in responding team composition and comfort levels and familiarity with obtaining and utilizing arrest equipment. The objective of this initiative is to utilize unannounced, in situ, cardiac arrest simulations hospital wide to educate, evaluate, and maximize cardiac arrest teams outside the traditional simulation lab by systematically assessing and capturing areas of opportunity for improvement, latent safety threats (LSTs), and key challenges by hospital location. METHODS: Unannounced in situ simulations were performed at a city hospital with multidisciplinary cardiac arrest teams responding to a presumed real cardiac arrest. Participants and facilitators identified LSTs during standardized postsimulation debriefings that were classified into equipment, medication, resource/system, or technical skill categories. A hazard matrix was used by multiplying occurrence frequency of LST in simulation and real clinical events (based on expert opinion) and severity of the LST based on agreement between two evaluators. RESULTS: Seventy-four in situ cardiac arrest simulations were conducted hospital wide. Hundreds of safety threats were identified, analyzed, and categorized yielding 106 unique latent safety threats: 21 in the equipment category, 8 in the medication category, 41 in the resource/system category, and 36 in the technical skill category. The team worked to mitigate all LSTs with priority mitigation to imminent risk level threats, then high risk threats, followed by non-imminent risk LSTs. Four LSTs were deemed imminent, requiring immediate remediation post debriefing. Fifteen LSTs had a hazard ratio greater than 8 which were deemed high risk for remediation. Depending on the category of threat, a combination of mitigating steps including the immediate fixing of an identified problem, leadership escalation, and programmatic intervention recommendations occurred resulting in mitigation of all identified threats. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-wide in situ cardiac arrest team simulation offers an effective way to both identify and mitigate LSTs. Safety during cardiac arrest care is improved through the use of a system in which LSTs are escalated urgently, mitigated, and conveyed back to participants to provide closed loop debriefing. Lastly, this hospital-wide, multidisciplinary initiative additionally served as an educational needs assessment allowing for informed, iterative education and systems improvement initiatives targeted to areas of LSTs and areas of opportunity.

Regional differences in the care and outcomes of acute stroke patients in Australia: an observational study using evidence from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the processes and outcomes of care in patients who had a stroke treated in urban versus rural hospitals in Australia. DESIGN: Observational study using data from a multicentre national registry. SETTING: Data from 50 acute care hospitals in Australia (25 urban, 25 rural) which participated in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry during the period 2010-2015. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were divided into two groups (urban, rural) according to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification Remoteness Area classification. Data pertaining to 28 115 patients who had a stroke were analysed, of whom 8159 (29%) were admitted to hospitals located within rural areas. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Regional differences in processes of care (admission to a stroke unit, thrombolysis for ischaemic stroke, discharge on antihypertensive medication and provision of a care plan), and survival analyses up to 180 days and health-related quality of life at 90-180 days. RESULTS: Compared with those admitted to urban hospitals, patients in rural hospitals less often received thrombolysis (urban 12.7% vs rural 7.5%, p<0.001) or received treatment in stroke units (urban 82.2% vs rural 76.5%, p<0.001), and fewer were discharged with a care plan (urban 61.3% vs rural 44.7%, p<0.001). No significant differences were found in terms of survival or overall self-reported quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Rural access to recommended components of acute stroke care was comparatively poorer; however, this did not appear to impact health outcomes at approximately 6 months.

Patterns of Use and Discontinuation of Secondary Prevention Medications After Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether certain patient, acute care, or primary care factors are associated with medication initiation and discontinuation in the community after stroke or TIA. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using prospective data on adult patients with first-ever acute stroke/TIA from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (April 2010 to June 2014), linked with nationwide medication dispensing and Medicare claims data. Medication users were those with ≥1 dispensing in the year postdischarge. Discontinuation was assessed among medication users and defined as having no medication supply for ≥90 days in the year postdischarge. Multivariable competing risks regression, accounting for death during the observation period, was conducted to investigate factors associated with time to medication discontinuation. RESULTS: Among 17,980 registry patients with stroke/TIA, 91.4% were linked to administrative datasets. Of these, 9,817 adults with first-ever stroke/TIA were included (45.4% female, 47.6% aged ≥75 years, and 11.4% intracerebral hemorrhage). While most patients received secondary prevention medications (79.3% antihypertensive, 81.8% antithrombotic, and 82.7% lipid-lowering medication), between one-fifth and one-third discontinued treatment over the subsequent year postdischarge (20.9% antihypertensive, 34.1% antithrombotic, and 28.5% lipid-lowering medications). Prescription at hospital discharge (sub-hazard ratio [SHR] 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-0.79), quarterly contact with a primary care physician (SHR 0.62; 95% CI 0.57-0.67), and prescription by a specialist physician (SHR 0.87; 95% CI 0.77-0.98) were all inversely associated with antihypertensive discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of use of secondary prevention medications after stroke/TIA are not optimal, with many survivors discontinuing treatment within 1 year postdischarge. Improving postdischarge care for patients with stroke/TIA is needed to minimize unwarranted discontinuation.

Characteristics of patients referred for assessment of decision-making capacity in the acute medical setting of an outer-metropolitan hospital-A retrospective case series.

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of older people referred for assessment of decision-making capacity in the acute hospital setting. METHODS: A retrospective chart audit was undertaken for 98 consecutive medical inpatients referred for capacity assessments between February 2015 and August 2017 in an outer-metropolitan hospital. The data were analysed using descriptive and univariate analysis. RESULTS: In this case series, 56% of patients had a diagnosis of dementia. Social isolation was common; 70% were not presently married, and 63% had no community services. For 90% of patients, the referral was to determine the person's capacity to make their own accommodation decisions-usually to return home on discharge. Of those with impaired capacity, 54% were discharged to residential aged care, whilst most who retained capacity were discharged home (73%). Those with impaired capacity were more likely to have a diagnosis of dementia and a prolonged length of stay (both P < 0.001).

A Simulated Mass Casualty Incident Triage Exercise: SimWars.

Introduction: This multipatient simulation exercise encompasses triage by hospital medical providers during a mass casualty incident (MCI) involving gas line explosion with building collapse. The SimWars format allows two teams to participate in identical simulations coupled with active audience observation, followed by facilitated group discussion. The exercise requires real-time knowledge application of MCI management and helps learners develop a framework for rapidly classifying and dispositioning MCI patients. Methods: Two teams of provider pairs completed MCI triage of 12 simulated patients in 8 minutes with an objective of quickly and accurately dispositioning within hospital bed availability. Participants included emergency medicine and surgery physicians, with active observation by mixed provider audiences. Observers completed a checklist per patient (category: urgent/emergent/not emergent, disposition: bed type/location). At simulation conclusion, a 45-minute facilitated discussion compared observers' self-assessment of MCI patient management with the simulation teams' decisions. Finally, an expert panel discussed management decisions and MCI triage pearls. Results: Team performances (N = 4) and audience responses (N = 164) were similar on seven of 12 patients, allowing robust discussion. Participants completed an evaluation at exercise conclusion; 37% reported good/excellent ability to accomplish MCI initial triage and disposition before this exercise compared to 100% after, a statistically significant 63% increase. All postsurvey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the exercise would change their MCI clinical practice. Discussion: The two-team format allows comparison of how different teams handle MCI triage, and active observation allows comparison of audience and team decision making.

Difficult Delivery and Neonatal Resuscitation: A Novel Simulation for Emergency Medicine Residents.

INTRODUCTION: Newborn delivery and resuscitation are rare, but essential, emergency medicine (EM) skills. We evaluated the effect of simulation on EM residents' knowledge, confidence, and clinical skills in managing shoulder dystocia and neonatal resuscitation. METHODS: We developed a novel simulation that integrates a shoulder dystocia with neonatal resuscitation and studied a convenience sample of EM residents. Each 15-minute simulation was run with one learner, a simulated nurse, and a standardized patient in situ in the emergency department. The learner was required to reduce a shoulder dystocia and then perform neonatal resuscitation. We debriefed with plus/delta format, standardized teaching points, and individualized feedback. We assessed knowledge with a nine-question multiple choice test, confidence with five-point Likert scales, and clinical performance using a checklist of critical actions. Residents repeated all measures one year after the simulation. RESULTS: A total of 23 residents completed all measures. At one-year post-intervention, residents scored 15% higher on the knowledge test. All residents increased confidence in managing shoulder dystocia on a five-point Likert scale (1.4 vs 2.8) and 80% increased confidence in performing neonatal resuscitation (1.8 vs 3.0). Mean scores on the checklist of critical actions improved by 19% for shoulder dystocia and by 27% for neonatal resuscitation. CONCLUSION: Implementing simulation may improve EM residents' knowledge, confidence, and clinical skills in managing shoulder dystocia and neonatal resuscitation.

Objective structured clinical examination as a novel tool in inflammatory bowel disease fellowship education.

BACKGROUND: Experiential learning in medical education, as exemplified by objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), is a well-validated approach for improving trainee performance. Furthermore, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has identified OSCEs as an ideal method for assessing the core competency of interpersonal and communication skills. Here, we describe a novel educational tool, the inflammatory bowel disease OSCE (IBD OSCE), to assess and improve this clinical skill set in Gastroenterology fellows. METHODS: We developed a 4-station IBD OSCE that assessed shared decision making, physician-physician communication, and physician-patient consultative skills specifically related to the care of patients with IBD. Each station was videotaped and observed live by faculty gastroenterologists. Behaviorally anchored checklists were scored independently by a faculty observer and the standardized patient/physician, who both provided feedback to the fellow immediately after each case. Post-OSCE, fellows attended a debriefing session on patient communication and were surveyed to assess their perspective on the examination's educational value. RESULTS: Twelve second-year gastroenterology fellows from 5 fellowship programs participated in the IBD OSCE. Fellows performed well in all measured domains and rated the experience highly for its educational value. Fellows cited IBD as an area of relative deficiency in their education compared with other knowledge areas within gastroenterology. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first OSCE designed specifically for the evaluation of skills as they relate to IBD management. Using OSCEs for IBD education provides an opportunity to robustly assess core competencies and the role of the physician as an educator.

The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) as a reliable screening tool for dementia when administered via videoconferencing in elderly post-acute hospital patients.

The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is a six-domain screening tool for dementia. We measured the practicality and reliability of administering the RUDAS in a telemedicine setting. Inpatients were recruited from a Geriatric and Rehabilitation Unit. Each patient was administered the RUDAS both face-to-face (FTF) and via videoconferencing (VC). The assessment format (FTF or VC) and the allocation of doctor (Doctor 1 or Doctor 2) to format were randomized. Scores from each assessment format were compared. The outcome of no difference was decided based on a difference in mean of no more than ± one point. Percentage agreement (agreement being ±2 points) was calculated on individual test scores. Forty-two patients (average age 75 years) completed the two assessments. Their mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 24.7 (range 10-30). The mean RUDAS score for both FTF and VC assessment was 24.9 (difference between the means 0.04), i.e. there was no significant difference. The results suggest that the RUDAS can be reliably administered via VC in post acute patients as an alternative to FTF administration.

How does prosthesis head size affect vibration transmission in ossiculoplasty?

OBJECTIVES: The transmission of vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the stapes footplate by an ossicular reconstruction prosthesis is affected by the size of the prosthesis head. We sought to determine if augmenting or reducing the head size of prosthesis had a systematic effect on transmission of vibrations to the stapes. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a fresh cadaveric temporal bone middle ear study. METHODS: The incus was replaced with a prosthesis using a tympanic membrane to stapes head (TASH)-type hydroxyapatite prosthesis in nine fresh cadaveric temporal bones. Three prosthesis head sizes were created: unaltered, reduced, and augmented. Stapes vibrations were measured with a laser Doppler vibrometer in response to acoustic frequency chirps at 90 dB SPL. RESULTS: All three head size prostheses resulted in smaller stapes vibrations than the intact ear. There was no difference in the vibration transmission between the three different head sizes. All prostheses showed a vibration loss of 10 to 15 dB compared to the intact ear. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Within the range of sizes tested, prosthesis head size had little impact on vibration transmission to the stapes footplate.

Effect of adhesion on the acoustic functioning of partial ossicular replacement prostheses in the cadaveric human ear.

BACKGROUND: Adhesion formation following ossiculoplasty surgery has been implicated as a cause of the progressive deterioration of an initially good postoperative hearing result. Scar tissue between the partial ossicular reconstruction prosthesis (PORP) and adjacent middle ear structures is a common finding at revision surgery. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of simulated scarring on the microacoustic transmission characteristics of a PORP in the fresh cadaveric human temporal bone. METHODS: Cortical mastoidectomy and extended posterior tympanotomy permitted access to reflective markers placed on the stapes footplate. A sound stimulus at 80 to 95 dB was presented to the closed external ear canal and displacements were measured with the laser Doppler vibrometer. PORPs were placed in cadaveric specimens, and the shaft of the prosthesis was cemented to the adjacent promontory using dental cement. Serial measurements were made from the stapes footplate as the adhesive was allowed to harden, a process that we have taken to simulate the gradual fixation of the prosthesis by scarring in the live patient. RESULTS: There was a consistent reduction in stapes footplate displacement as the cement hardened. CONCLUSION: The gradual adhesion of a PORP to the promontory produces a consistent reduction in microacoustic transfer to the stapes footplate in the fresh human cadaveric model.

Electrosurgical adenoid ablation.

OBJECTIVE: The technique of adenoidectomy has undergone many refinements over the years with, most recently, the addition of electrosurgery alone as a viable method for removal of adenoid tissue. Several studies have suggested good efficacy with this method. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of adenoidectomy by electrosurgical ablation by the following measures: reduction of the adenoid size, blood loss, and postoperative complications. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this prospective study, we reviewed patients who underwent electrosurgical adenoid ablation for either nasal obstructive symptoms or chronic otitis media with effusion requiring a second or greater set of pressure equalization tubes and adenoidectomy. Preoperative and postoperative videonasopharyngoscopy were performed and evaluated. A grading system for adenoid size for the endoscopic parameters was used. The amount of blood loss and postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: On preoperative nasopharyngoscopy, 7 of 23 children had a grade II adenoid size, 15 of 23 had grade III adenoid pads, and 1 of 23 had grade IV adenoid size. Postoperative follow-up at 6 to 8 weeks revealed that 19 of 23 children showed no evidence of adenoid tissue. Three of 23 children had only tiny residual tissue that fell into grade I and one had regrowth of tissue to fit into grade III. Eight patients were seen at 6 months postoperatively, four of whom were followed up to 12 months postoperatively; all showed no evidence of regrowth of adenoid tissue. Average blood loss for the procedure was 2.6 cc. No postoperative complications (postoperative bleed, dehydration requiring hospitalization, infection, velopharyngeal insufficiency) were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: Electrosurgical adenoid ablation is a safe method with minimal intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complications. Follow-up at 6 to 8 weeks and up to 1 year postoperatively suggests that it is an effective method in removing adenoid tissue and alleviating nasal obstruction.