The Impact of Just-in-Time Simulation Training for Healthcare Professionals on Learning and Performance Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: Although just-in-time training (JIT) is increasingly used in simulation-based health professions education, its impact on learning, performance, and patient outcomes remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine whether JIT simulation training leads to improved learning and performance outcomes. We included randomized or nonrandomized interventional studies assessing the impact of JIT simulation training (training conducted in temporal or spatial proximity to performance) on learning outcomes among health professionals (trainees or practitioners). Of 4077 citations screened, 28 studies were eligible for inclusion. Just-in-time training simulation training has been evaluated for a variety of medical, resuscitation, and surgical procedures. Most JIT simulation training occurred immediately before procedures and lasted between 5 and 30 minutes. Despite the very low certainty of evidence, this systematic review suggests JIT simulation training can improve learning and performance outcomes, in particular time to complete skills. There remains limited data on better patient outcomes and collateral educational effects.

Society for Simulation in Healthcare Guidelines for Simulation Training.

BACKGROUND: Simulation has become a staple in the training of healthcare professionals with accumulating evidence on its effectiveness. However, guidelines for optimal methods of simulation training do not currently exist. METHODS: Systematic reviews of the literature on 16 identified key questions were conducted and expert panel consensus recommendations determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. OBJECTIVE: These evidence-based guidelines from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare intend to support healthcare professionals in decisions on the most effective methods for simulation training in healthcare. RESULTS: Twenty recommendations on 16 questions were determined using GRADE. Four expert recommendations were also provided. CONCLUSIONS: The first evidence-based guidelines for simulation training are provided to guide instructors and learners on the most effective use of simulation in healthcare.

Call to action: equity, diversity, and inclusion in emergency medicine resident physician selection.

OBJECTIVES: This call to action seeks to improve emergency care in Canada for equity-deserving communities, enabled by equitable representation among emergency physicians nationally. Specifically, this work describes current resident selection processes and makes recommendations to enhance the equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) of resident physician selection in Canadian emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. METHODS: A diverse panel of EM residency program directors, attending and resident physicians, medical students, and community representatives met monthly from September 2021 to May 2022 via videoconference to coordinate a scoping literature review, two surveys, and structured interviews. This work informed the development of recommendations for incorporating EDI into Canadian EM resident physician selection. At the 2022 Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Academic Symposium, these recommendations were presented to symposium attendees composed of national EM community leaders, members, and learners. Attendees were divided into small working groups to discuss the recommendations and address three conversation-facilitating questions. RESULTS: Symposium feedback informed a final set of eight recommendations to promote EDI practices during the resident selection process that address recruitment, retention, mitigating inequities and biases, and education. Each recommendation is accompanied by specific, actionable sub-items to guide programs toward a more equitable selection process. The small working groups also described perceived barriers to the implementation of these recommendations and outlined strategies for success that are incorporated into the recommendations. CONCLUSION: We call on Canadian EM training programs to implement these eight recommendations to strengthen EDI practices in EM resident physician selection and, in doing so, help to improve the care that patients from equity-deserving groups receive in Canada's emergency departments (EDs).

ABSTRAIT: OBJECTIFS: Cet appel à l'action vise à améliorer les soins d'urgence au Canada pour les collectivités méritant l'équité, grâce à une représentation équitable parmi les médecins d'urgence à l'échelle nationale. Plus précisément, ce travail décrit les processus actuels de sélection des médecins résidents et formule des recommandations pour améliorer l'équité, la diversité et l'inclusion (EDI) de la sélection des médecins résidents dans les programmes de résidence en médecine d'urgence (SE) du Canada. MéTHODES: Un groupe diversifié de directeurs du programme de résidence en GU, de médecins résidents, d'étudiants en médecine et de représentants communautaires se sont réunis mensuellement de septembre 2021 à mai 2022 par vidéoconférence pour coordonner une analyse documentaire, deux sondages et des entrevues structurées. Ces travaux ont orienté l'élaboration de recommandations pour l'intégration de l'IDE dans la sélection des médecins résidents en SE au Canada. À l'occasion du Symposium universitaire 2022 de l'Association canadienne des médecins d'urgence (ACMU), ces recommandations ont été présentées aux participants au symposium composé de dirigeants, de membres et d'apprenants de la communauté nationale de la GU. Les participants ont été divisés en petits groupes de travail pour discuter des recommandations et aborder trois questions facilitant la conversation. RéSULTATS: Les commentaires recueillis lors du symposium ont servi à formuler une dernière série de huit recommandations visant à promouvoir les pratiques de l'IDE au cours du processus de sélection des résidents qui traitent du recrutement, du maintien en poste, de l'atténuation des inégalités et des préjugés, et de l'éducation. Chaque recommandation est accompagnée de sous-éléments précis et réalisables pour orienter les programmes vers un processus de sélection plus équitable. Les petits groupes de travail ont également décrit les obstacles perçus à la mise en œuvre de ces recommandations et décrit les stratégies de réussite qui sont intégrées aux recommandations. CONCLUSION: Nous demandons aux programmes canadiens de formation en GU de mettre en œuvre ces huit recommandations afin de renforcer les pratiques d'IDE dans la sélection des médecins résidents en GU et, ce faisant, d'aider à améliorer les soins que les patients des groupes méritant l'équité reçoivent dans les services d'urgence du Canada.

Impact of accredited advanced life support course participation on in-hospital cardiac arrest patient outcomes: A systematic review.

Aim: Advanced life support courses have a clear educational impact; however, it is important to determine whether participation of one or more members of the resuscitation team in an accredited advanced life support course improves in-hospital cardiac arrest patient survival outcomes. Methods: We searched EMBASE.com, Medline, Cochrane and CINAHL from inception to 1 November 2022. Included studies were randomised or non-randomised interventional studies assessing the impact of attendance at accredited life support courses on patient outcomes. Accredited life support courses were classified into 3 contexts: Advanced Life Support (ALS), Neonatal Resuscitation Training (NRT), and Helping Babies Breathe (HBB). Existing systematic reviews were identified for each of the contexts and an adolopment process was pursued. Appropriate risk of bias assessment tools were used across all outcomes. When meta-analysis was appropriate a random-effects model was used to produce a summary of effect sizes for each outcome. Results: Of 2714 citations screened, 19 studies (1 ALS; 7 NRT; 11 HBB) were eligible for inclusion. Three systematic reviews which satisfied AMSTAR-2 criteria for methodological quality, included 16 of the studies we identified in our search. Among adult patients all outcomes including return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge and survival to 30 days were consistently better with accredited ALS training. Among neonatal patients there were reductions in stillbirths and early neonatal mortality. Conclusion: These results support the recommendation that accredited advanced life support courses, specifically Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation Training, and Helping Babies Breathe improve patient outcomes.

Validity evidence for the Quality of Assessment for Learning score: a quality metric for supervisor comments in Competency Based Medical Education.

Background: Competency based medical education (CBME) relies on supervisor narrative comments contained within entrustable professional activities (EPA) for programmatic assessment, but the quality of these supervisor comments is unassessed. There is validity evidence supporting the QuAL (Quality of Assessment for Learning) score for rating the usefulness of short narrative comments in direct observation. Objective: We sought to establish validity evidence for the QuAL score to rate the quality of supervisor narrative comments contained within an EPA by surveying the key end-users of EPA narrative comments: residents, academic advisors, and competence committee members. Methods: In 2020, the authors randomly selected 52 de-identified narrative comments from two emergency medicine EPA databases using purposeful sampling. Six collaborators (two residents, two academic advisors, and two competence committee members) were recruited from each of four EM Residency Programs (Saskatchewan, McMaster, Ottawa, and Calgary) to rate these comments with a utility score and the QuAL score. Correlation between utility and QuAL score were calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Sources of variance and reliability were calculated using a generalizability study. Results: All collaborators (n = 24) completed the full study. The QuAL score had a high positive correlation with the utility score amongst the residents (r = 0.80) and academic advisors (r = 0.75) and a moderately high correlation amongst competence committee members (r = 0.68). The generalizability study found that the major source of variance was the comment indicating the tool performs well across raters. Conclusion: The QuAL score may serve as an outcome measure for program evaluation of supervisors, and as a resource for faculty development.

Contexte: Dans la formation médicale fondée sur les compétences (FMFC), l'évaluation programmatique s'appuie sur les commentaires narratifs des superviseurs en lien avec les activités professionnelles confiables (EPA). En revanche, la qualité de ces commentaires n'est pas évaluée. Il existe des preuves de la validité du score QuAL (qualité de l'évaluation pour l'apprentissage, Quality of Assessment for Learning en anglais) pour l'évaluation de l'utilité des commentaires de rétroaction courts lors de la supervision par observation directe. Objectif: Nous avons tenté de démontrer la validité du score QuAL aux fins de l'évaluation de la qualité des commentaires narratifs des superviseurs pour une APC en interrogeant les principaux utilisateurs finaux des rétroactions : les résidents, les conseillers pédagogiques et les membres du comité de compétence. Méthodes: En 2020, les auteurs ont sélectionné au hasard 52 commentaires narratifs anonymisés dans deux bases de données d'APC en médecine d'urgence au moyen d'un échantillonnage intentionnel. Six collaborateurs (deux résidents, deux conseillers pédagogiques et deux membres de comités de compétence) ont été recrutés dans chacun des quatre programmes de résidence en médecine d'urgence (Saskatchewan, McMaster, Ottawa et Calgary) pour évaluer ces commentaires à l'aide d'un score d'utilité et du score QuAL. La corrélation entre l'utilité et le score QuAL a été calculée à l'aide du coefficient de corrélation de Pearson. Les sources de variance et la fiabilité ont été calculées à l'aide d'une étude de généralisabilité. Résultats: Tous les collaborateurs (n=24) ont réalisé l'étude complète. Le score QuAL présentait une corrélation positive élevée avec le score d'utilité parmi les résidents (r=0,80) et les conseillers pédagogiques (r=0,75) et une corrélation modérément élevée parmi les membres du comité de compétence (r=0,68). L'étude de généralisation a révélé que la principale source de variance était le commentaire, ce qui indique que l'outil a fonctionné avec une efficacité égale pour tous les évaluateurs. Conclusion: Le score QuAL peut servir de mesure des résultats pour l'évaluation des superviseurs par les programmes, et de ressource pour le perfectionnement du corps professoral.

Realist inquiry: a new way to think about overcrowding interventions.

OBJECTIVES: Physician-focused throughput initiatives are intended to mitigate the effects of emergency department (ED) overcrowding. Our tertiary care academic hospital recently piloted an emergency physician leader role intended to improve throughput. Although a separate experimental evaluation of this initiative was undertaken, it was expected that such an evaluation could not alone provide the necessary information to inform 'how' the emergency physician leader intervention worked. The objective of this study was to conduct a realist evaluation of the emergency physician leader. Realist inquiry utilizes Context Mechanism Outcome configurations to determine the impacts of interventions that are often missed by quantitative analysis. Using a realist perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the emergency physician leader initiative's effects on throughput with the goal of building transferable lessons to the implementation of future interventions. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the intervention were conducted and analyzed using thematic and template techniques specifically aimed at identifying Context Mechanism Outcomes. RESULTS: 13 interviews were conducted with physicians and nurses who identified contexts and mechanisms which promoted or impeded ED throughput. For example, in situations where there was a clear indication for imaging or management that could not be initiated within the scope of a nursing protocol, the emergency physician leader initiating these orders was felt to promote ED throughput. Conversely, in contexts where there was no nurse available to fulfill early orders, the emergency physician leader's initiation of orders was perceived to impede throughput. CONCLUSION: This evaluation provides insights into the reasoning and behaviour of individuals involved in the emergency physician leader initiative and provides a systematic approach to unraveling its complex causal pathway. Knowledge of context-mechanism-outcome relationships may help implementers design and measure the impact of future physician-focused throughput interventions.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Les initiatives de débit axées sur les médecins visent à atténuer les effets du surpeuplement des urgences. Notre hôpital universitaire de soins tertiaires a récemment mis à l'essai un rôle de chef de file des médecins d'urgence visant à améliorer le débit. Bien qu'une évaluation expérimentale distincte de cette initiative ait été entreprise, on s'attendait à ce qu'une telle évaluation ne puisse à elle seule fournir les informations nécessaires pour déterminer "comment" l'intervention du chef de file des médecins urgentistes a fonctionné. L'objectif de cette étude était de procéder à une évaluation réaliste du chef du médecin d'urgence. L'enquête réaliste utilize les configurations Contexte Mécanisme Effet pour déterminer les impacts des interventions qui sont souvent manqués par l'analyse quantitative. En utilisant une perspective réaliste, cette étude visait à évaluer les effets de l'initiative du leader des médecins d'urgence sur le débit dans le but de tirer des leçons transférables pour la mise en œuvre de futures interventions. MéTHODES: Des entretiens semi-structurés avec les principales parties prenantes de l'intervention ont été menés et analysés à l'aide de techniques thématiques et de modèles visant spécifiquement à identifier les effets du contexte et du mécanisme. RéSULTATS: 13 entretiens ont été menés avec des médecins et des infirmières qui ont identifié les contextes et les mécanismes qui favorisaient ou entravaient le débit des urgences. Par exemple, dans les situations où il y avait une indication claire d'imagerie ou de prise en charge qui ne pouvait pas être initiée dans le cadre d'un protocole infirmier, le médecin chef des urgences initiant ces commandes était considéré comme favorisant le débit des urgences. À l'inverse, dans les contextes où aucune infirmière n'était disponible pour répondre aux premières commandes, l'initiation des commandes par le médecin chef des urgences était perçue comme une entrave au débit. CONCLUSION: Cette évaluation donne un aperçu du raisonnement et du comportement des personnes impliquées dans l'initiative des chefs de file des médecins d'urgence et fournit une approche systématique pour démêler son cheminement causal complexe. La connaissance des relations contexte-mécanisme-résultat peut aider les exécutants à concevoir et à mesurer l'impact des futures interventions de débit axées sur les médecins.

Simulation for assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities in an emergency medicine residency program.

In 2018, Canadian post-graduate Emergency Medicine (EM) programs transitioned to Competence-by-Design. Residents are now assessed using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). We developed and implemented simulation for assessment to mitigate anticipated challenges with residents completing the required number of observations of resuscitation-based EPAs. Our survey of trainees who participated in these sessions suggests that it may be a feasible and acceptable method for EPA assessment.

RéSUMé: En 2018, les programmes canadiens d'études supérieures en médecine d'urgence (MU) sont passés à la Compétence par Conception. Les résidents sont désormais évalués à l'aide d'activités professionnelles confiables (APC). Nous avons développé et mis en œuvre une simulation pour l'évaluation afin d'atténuer les défis anticipés avec les résidents effectuant le nombre requis d'observations des APC basés sur la réanimation. Notre enquête auprès des stagiaires ayant participé à ces sessions suggère qu'il s'agit d'une méthode réalisable et acceptable pour l'évaluation de l'APE.

A Realist Evaluation of a 72-Hour Readmission Audit and Feedback (A&F) Intervention in Emergency Medicine.

Introduction Audit and feedback (A&F) interventions are intended to increase accountability and improve the quality of care; however, their impact can vary significantly. As performance feedback is implemented in healthcare, there is a growing need to determine how users interact with the data and how systems can achieve more consistent performance outcomes. This study aimed to understand the contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes of an emergency department 72-hour readmission A&F intervention. Methods Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders were conducted and analyzed using thematic and template analysis techniques specifically aimed at identifying context, mechanism, and outcome configurations. Results Seventeen (17) physician interviews were conducted. We identified five outcomes of the intervention and the contexts and mechanisms contributing to them. Importantly, we identified that this A&F strategy could potentially have positive (improved follow-up of cases, improved discharge communication) and negative impacts (increased physician anxiety, potentially increased resource use) on physicians and departmental efficiency. Conclusion The 72-hour readmission alert A&F intervention generates a number of distinct outcome patterns that result from a variety of mechanisms acting in different contexts. Knowledge of these context-mechanism-outcome relationships may help implementers design and tailor performance feedback strategies.

What Adult Electrocardiogram (ECG) Diagnoses or Findings are Most Important for Advanced Care Paramedics to Know?

INTRODUCTION: The interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) is an essential competency in modern paramedicine. Although educational guidelines for paramedic ECG interpretation exist, they are broad, not evidence-based, and lack prioritization in a prehospital clinical context. We conducted this study to gain consensus among stakeholders (EMS physicians, paramedic educators, and paramedic clinicians) regarding which ECG diagnoses or findings are most important for a practising advanced care paramedic to know.  Methods: This study was an internet-based Delphi survey. We purposefully sampled participants in pairs (physician/paramedic) from all 10 Canadian provinces. Individuals rated a previously developed comprehensive list of emergency ECG diagnoses or findings on the importance of paramedic recognition and impact on prehospital care using a 4-point Likert scale. The consensus was achieved with a minimum of 75% agreement on Likert rating for a single diagnosis or finding during survey rounds one to three. When consensus was not reached, stability was defined as a shift of individual ratings between rounds of 20% or less. RESULTS: All 20 participants completed the first and second rounds of the survey, and 17 (85%) completed three rounds. Overall, 32 (26.4%) of 121 potentially important ECG diagnoses or findings reached consensus, 2 (1.7%) reached stability and 87 (71.9%) reached neither consensus nor stability. Twenty-one (17.4%) diagnoses or findings were considered "Very Important", six (4.9%) "Important", and five (4.1%) "Minimally Important". In the first round of the survey, the mean rating of the importance of a paramedic knowing a specific ECG diagnosis or finding was lower in the physician group than the paramedic group on 85 (72%) of 118 initial diagnoses or findings. CONCLUSION: We have created a list of ECG diagnoses or findings prioritized for the prehospital context that may assist paramedic educators in focusing on educational interventions. Many ECG diagnoses or findings failed to reach consensus or stability, demonstrating potential disagreement regarding clinical expectations for ECG knowledge among paramedics or physicians.

What Are the Personality Types Among Emergency Medicine Physicians?

Introduction Emergency medicine physicians work in high-stress environments that strain interpersonal skills, communication, and decision-making. Personality profile assessment tools have been used in educating the corporate world to enhance self-awareness, improve communication, and decrease conflict. Despite this, personality profile assessment tools have not been applied extensively within the emergency department context. As such, we explored whether Insights Discovery (Insights, Dundee, Scotland), a registered personality assessment tool, could contribute valuable understanding into the personality landscape of emergency medicine physicians and help tailor future educational interventions. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted via online administration of the Insights Discovery questionnaire to 30 attending emergency physicians of urban tertiary-care and community emergency departments of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Results A disproportionately low number of fiery red personality types, typically described as competitive and strong-willed, existed among the study groups. No other significant differences were found between the proportions of other personality types or between physician characteristics such as gender or years of experience. Conclusion This study sheds early light on the personality characteristics of physicians within the emergency department environment, which may help individuals and departments tailor interventions to improve interpersonal communication and interactions.

Evaluation of a National Competency-Based Assessment System in Emergency Medicine: A CanDREAM Study.

BACKGROUND: In 2018, Canadian postgraduate emergency medicine (EM) programs began implementing a competency-based medical education (CBME) assessment program. Studies evaluating these programs have focused on broad outcomes using data from national bodies and lack data to support program-specific improvement. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the implementation of a CBME assessment program within and across programs to identify successes and opportunities for improvement at the local and national levels. METHODS: Program-level data from the 2018 resident cohort were amalgamated and analyzed. The number of entrustable professional activity (EPA) assessments (overall and for each EPA) and the timing of resident promotion through program stages were compared between programs and to the guidelines provided by the national EM specialty committee. Total EPA observations from each program were correlated with the number of EM and pediatric EM rotations. RESULTS: Data from 15 of 17 (88%) programs containing 9842 EPA observations from 68 of 77 (88%) EM residents in the 2018 cohort were analyzed. Average numbers of EPAs observed per resident in each program varied from 92.5 to 229.6, correlating with the number of blocks spent on EM and pediatric EM (r = 0.83, P < .001). Relative to the specialty committee's guidelines, residents were promoted later than expected (eg, one-third of residents had a 2-month delay to promotion from the first to second stage) and with fewer EPA observations than suggested. CONCLUSIONS: There was demonstrable variation in EPA-based assessment numbers and promotion timelines between programs and with national guidelines.

Regional Variation in Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Stroke in Alberta Emergency Departments.

Background and Purpose- Multiple studies have shown the 90-day risk of stroke following an emergency department (ED) diagnosis of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke is significant, with the greatest risk of recurrence being within the first 24 to 48 hours following initial symptom onset. This study explored regional differences in ED disposition, neuroimaging, and subsequent 90-day stroke risk of patients diagnosed with TIA or minor stroke in Alberta. Methods- We used administrative databases to identify ED visits, neuroimaging, and 90-day return visits for TIA or minor stroke in Alberta from April 2011 to March 2016 among adults ≥20 years of age and stratified them based on regions of presentation (Edmonton, Calgary, or nonmajor urban). Results- During the 5-year study period, 22 421 patients had index ED visits for TIA or minor stroke. All 3 regions had a similar number of ED visits for TIA/minor stroke; however, on index ED visit, Calgary had a higher proportion of computed tomographic angiography imaging (48.8%; P<0.0001) compared with Edmonton (6.7%) and nonmajor urban region (5.7%) and higher proportion of discharged patients (83%; P<0.0001) compared with Edmonton (77.7%) and nonmajor urban region (73.5%). The risk of admission for stroke within 90 days of discharge after index ED visit for TIA/minor stroke in Calgary (3.4%) was lower than Edmonton (4.5%) and the nonmajor urban region (4.6%; P=0.002). Conclusions- This study demonstrates regional variation in computed tomographic angiography for neurovascular imaging of patients presenting to the ED for TIA/minor stroke and a possible association with frequency of index visit admission and 90-day readmission for the same problem.

CAEP 2019 Academic Symposium: Got competence? Best practices in trainee progress decisions.

BACKGROUND: Competence committees play a key role in a competency-based system of assessment. These committees are tasked with reviewing and synthesizing clinical performance data to make judgments regarding residents' competence. Canadian emergency medicine (EM) postgraduate training programs recently implemented competence committees; however, a paucity of literature guides their work. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop consensus-based recommendations to optimize the function and decisions of competence committees in Canadian EM training programs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews of EM competence committee chairs were conducted and analyzed. The interview guide was informed by a literature review of competence committee structure, processes, and best practices. Inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted to identify emerging themes. Preliminary recommendations, based on themes, were drafted and presented at the 2019 CAEP Academic Symposium on Education. Through a live presentation and survey poll, symposium attendees representing the national EM community participated in a facilitated discussion of the recommendations. The authors incorporated this feedback and identified consensus among symposium attendees on a final set of nine high-yield recommendations. CONCLUSION: The Canadian EM community used a structured process to develop nine best practice recommendations for competence committees addressing: committee membership, meeting processes, decision outcomes, use of high-quality performance data, and ongoing quality improvement. These recommendations can inform the structure and processes of competence committees in Canadian EM training programs.

A randomized education trial of spaced versus massed instruction to improve acquisition and retention of paediatric resuscitation skills in emergency medical service (EMS) providers.

AIM: Resuscitation courses are typically taught in a massed format despite existing evidence suggesting skill decay as soon as 3 months after training. Our study explored the impact of spaced versus massed instruction on acquisition and long-term retention of provider paediatric resuscitation skills. METHODS: Providers were randomized to receive a paediatric resuscitation course in either a spaced (four weekly sessions) or massed format (two sequential days). Infant and adult chest compressions [CC], bag mask ventilation [BMV], and intraosseous insertion [IO] performance was measured using global rating scales. RESULTS: Forty-eight participants completed the study protocol. Skill performance improved from baseline in both groups immediately following training. 3-months post-training the infant and adult CC scores remained significantly improved from baseline testing in both the massed and spaced groups; however, the infant BMV and IO scores remained significantly improved from baseline testing in the spaced: BMV (pre, 1.8 ±â€¯0.7 vs post-3-months, 2.2 ±â€¯7; P = 0.005) IO (pre, 2.5 ±â€¯1 vs post-3-months, 3.1 ±â€¯0.5; P = 0.04) but not in the massed groups: BMV (pre, 1.6 ±â€¯0.5 vs post-3-months, 1.8 ±â€¯0.5; P = 0.98) IO (pre, 2.6 ±â€¯1.1 vs post-3-months, 2.7 ±â€¯0.2; P = 0.98). CONCLUSION: 3-month retention of CC skills are similar regardless of training format; however, retention of other resuscitation skills may be better when taught in a spaced format.

Point-of-care Resource Use in the Emergency Department: A Developmental Model.

BACKGROUND: Technologic advances, free open-access medical education (FOAM or #FOAMed), and social media have increased access to clinician-oriented medical education resources and interactions at the point of care (POC); yet, how, when, and why medical providers use these resources remains unclear. To facilitate the development and design of intuitive POC resources, it is imperative that we expand our understanding of physician knowledge-seeking behavior at the POC. METHODS: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed using a qualitative, grounded theory approach. Twelve emergency medicine providers (three medical students, three residents, and six attending physicians) were interviewed in person or via video chat to explore how POC resources are used in the emergency department (ED). A coding system was developed by two investigators and merged by consensus. A third investigator audited the analysis. RESULTS: A conceptual framework emerged from the data describing the four main uses of POC resources (deep-dive, advanced clinical decision making, teaching patients, and teaching learners) and how practitioners' main use varied based on medical expertise. Junior learners prioritize their own broad learning. Experienced learners and physicians prefer to 1) seek answers to specific focused clinical questions and 2) disseminate POC information to teach patients and learners, allowing them to devote more of their time to other clinical and teaching tasks. CONCLUSION: The conceptual framework describes how physician knowledge-seeking behavior using POC resources in the ED evolves predictably throughout training and practice. Knowledge of this evolution can be used to enhance POC resource design and guide bedside teaching strategies.

JGME-ALiEM Hot Topics in Medical Education: Analysis of a Multimodal Online Discussion About Team-Based Learning.

BACKGROUND: Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional method that is being increasingly incorporated in health professions education, although use in graduate medical education (GME) has been more limited. OBJECTIVE: To curate and describe themes that emerged from a virtual journal club discussion about TBL in GME, held across multiple digital platforms, while also evaluating the use of social media in online academic discussions. METHODS: The Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME) and the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine blog facilitated a weeklong, open-access, virtual journal club on the 2015 JGME article "Use of Team-Based Learning Pedagogy for Internal Medicine Ambulatory Resident Teaching." Using 4 stimulus questions (hosted on a blog as a starting framework), we facilitated discussions via the blog, Twitter, and Google Hangouts on Air platforms. We evaluated 2-week web analytics and performed a thematic analysis of the discussion. RESULTS: The virtual journal club reached a large international audience as exemplified by the blog page garnering 685 page views from 241 cities in 42 countries. Our thematic analysis identified 4 domains relevant to TBL in GME: (1) the benefits and barriers to TBL; (2) the design of teams; (3) the role of assessment and peer evaluation; and (4) crowdsourced TBL resources. CONCLUSIONS: The virtual journal club provided a novel forum across multiple social media platforms, engaging authors, content experts, and the health professions education community in a discussion about the importance, impediments to implementation, available resources, and logistics of adopting TBL in GME.

What adult electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnoses and/or findings do residents in emergency medicine need to know?

OBJECTIVE: There is no evidence-based description of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation competencies for emergency medicine (EM) trainees. The first step in defining these competencies is to develop a prioritized list of adult ECG findings relevant to EM contexts. The purpose of this study was to categorize the importance of various adult ECG diagnoses and/or findings for the EM trainee. METHODS: We developed a list of potentially important adult ECG diagnoses/findings and conducted a Delphi opinion-soliciting process. Participants used a 4-point Likert scale to rate the importance of each diagnosis for EM trainees. Consensus was defined as a minimum of 75% agreement at the second round or later. In the absence of consensus, stability was defined as a shift of 20% or less after successive rounds. RESULTS: A purposive sampling of 22 emergency physicians participated in the Delphi process, and 16 (72%) completed the process. Of those, 15 were from 11 different EM training programs across Canada and one was an expert in EM electrocardiography. Overall, 78 diagnoses reached consensus, 42 achieved stability and one diagnosis achieved neither consensus nor stability. Out of 121 potentially important adult ECG diagnoses, 53 (44%) were considered "must know" diagnoses, 61 (50%) "should know" diagnoses, and 7 (6%) "nice to know" diagnoses. CONCLUSION: We have categorized adult ECG diagnoses within an EM training context, knowledge of which may allow clinical EM teachers to establish educational priorities. This categorization will also facilitate the development of an educational framework to establish EM trainee competency in ECG interpretation.