How we achieve satisfaction in training - A German-wide survey on preferred training conditions among trainers and trainees for board certification in gastroenterology.

BACKGROUND: a majority of resident physicians in Germany are not satisfied with their training conditions. However, training satisfaction is important for physician retention and patient care. Although federal and state laws define the general training regulations and conditions, considerable variability still exists concerning their implementation in the healthcare units. Little is known about the expectations concerning training for gastroenterology board certification by trainers and trainees in Germany. This lack of data hinders discussion on and improvement of training in gastroenterology in Germany. AIM: assessment of preferred training conditions among trainers and trainees for board certification in gastroenterology in Germany. METHODS: an anonymous, voluntary survey consisting of single- and multiple-choice questions utilizing the Likert scale and fill-in responses was circulated to all members of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs und Stoffwechselerkrankungen), as well as through the student council mailing lists of all German medical schools. The survey aimed to assess the consent regarding the ideal implementation of training regulations for gastroenterology board certification. Department heads, senior physicians, board-certified physicians, and outpatient-care physicians were classified as trainers and residents and students as trainees. Subgroups defined by place of work, age, gender, professional position, employment status, and parental status were investigated. RESULTS: 958 responses were included in the final analysis. We found a broad consensus among trainers and trainees on most aspects of our survey. Considerable differences were seen in items on part-time work, overtime, protected time for research, and advanced endoscopy training. CONCLUSION: the broad consensus seen in this survey is indicative of a shared vision for training conditions among trainers and trainees. However, the areas of dissent identified in this survey may assist trainers to better understand the expectations of trainees. Furthermore, this survey creates a sound basis upon which training conditions for board certification in gastroenterology in Germany can be discussed and improved.

Pneumothorax detection with thoracic ultrasound as the method of choice in interventional pulmonology - A retrospective single-center analysis and experience.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that thoracic ultrasound (TUS) is not inferior to chest radiography (CR) in detecting pneumothorax (PTX). It is unclear if adopting TUS can reduce the number of CR in the daily clinical routine. This retrospective study investigates the utilization of post-interventional CR and TUS for PTX detection after the introduction of TUS as the method of choice in an interventional pulmonology unit. METHODS: All interventions with CR or TUS for ruling out PTX performed in the Pneumology Department of the University Hospital Halle (Germany) 2014 to 2020 were included. The documented TUS and CR performed before (period A) and after the introduction of TUS as the method of choice (period B), as well as the number of diagnosed and missed PTX were recorded. RESULTS: The study included 754 interventions (110 in period A and 644 in period B). The proportion of CR decreased from 98.2% (n = 108) to 25.8% (n = 166) (p < 0.001). During period B, a total of 29 (4.5%) PTX were diagnosed. Of these, 28 (96.6%) were detected on initial imaging (14 by CR, 14 by TUS ). One PTX (0.2%) was initially missed by TUS, none by CR. Confirmatory investigations were ordered more frequently after TUS (21 of 478, 4.4%) than after CR (3 of 166, 1.8%). CONCLUSION: The use of TUS in interventional pulmonology can effectively reduce the number of CR and thus save resources. However, CR may still be favored in specific circumstances or if pre-existing conditions limit sonographic findings.

The Patient's Point of View: COVID-19 and Neuroendocrine Tumor Disease.

The assessment of cancer patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been mainly reported from a physician's perspective. Patients with rare tumor entities such as neuroendocrine tumors (NET), which require a complex and specialized care infrastructure, were highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Using a structured questionnaire consisting of a general section on the disease and a special COVID-19 section to record medical care, vaccination behavior as well as social and psycho-emotional parameters were collected from NET patients. The survey was distributed via direct medical contact and via the patient organization NETZWERK NeT. A total of 684 patients participated in the survey and 79.2% (n = 542) of the participants answered the questionnaire completely (54 questions). Patient characteristics were comparable to those in large NET registries. The majority of participants were patients with pancreatic and small bowel NET on somatostatin analogue (SSA) therapy. Medical care under COVID-19 was adequate and appointment cancellations and postponements were not common. Nevertheless, the majority of patients were worried about adequate treatment for their tumor disease during the crisis. Most of the participants considered themselves to be at risk of severe COVID-19 infection and were therefore very concerned. This was accompanied by an extremely high vaccination readiness rate of 90%. Increased distress in the social and psycho-emotional domains in the course of the crisis reflected a need for optimization in the medical care of NET patients, although the rate of COVID-19 positive participants was low (3.7%). Therefore, patient-reported measurements are required to identify and address all areas of medical care. Overall, our survey provides an essential contribution to the care of NET patients during the COVID-19 pandemic from the patient's perspective.

Pleuropulmonary pathologies in the early phase of acute pancreatitis correlate with disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory failure worsens the outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) and underlying factors might be early detectable. AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence and prognostic relevance of early pleuropulmonary pathologies and pre-existing chronic lung diseases (CLD) in AP patients. METHODS: Multicentre retrospective cohort study. Caudal sections of the thorax derived from abdominal contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) performed in the early phase of AP were assessed. Independent predictors of severe AP were identified by binary logistic regression analysis. A one-year survival analysis using Kaplan-Meier curves and log rank test was performed. RESULTS: 358 patients were analysed, finding pleuropulmonary pathologies in 81%. CECTs were performed with a median of 2 days (IQR 1-3) after admission. Multivariable analysis identified moderate to severe or bilateral pleural effusions (PEs) (OR = 4.16, 95%CI 2.05-8.45, p<0.001) and pre-existing CLD (OR = 2.93, 95%CI 1.17-7.32, p = 0.022) as independent predictors of severe AP. Log rank test showed a significantly worse one-year survival in patients with bilateral compared to unilateral PEs in a subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing awareness of the prognostic impact of large and bilateral PEs and pre-existing CLD could facilitate the identification of patients at high risk for severe AP in the early phase and thus improve their prognosis.

Skepticism towards advancing VR technology - student acceptance of VR as a teaching and assessment tool in medicine.

Objective: The high didactic potential of Virtual Reality (VR) contrasts with the point of view of students that the technology only has a relatively low significance for current and future teaching. This discrepancy was studied in a differentiated manner in order to gear the further development and implementation of VR towards the target group. Methods: From January 2020 to July 2020, medical students (N=318) were asked to watch ten videos online and rate them on the basis of acceptance indicators (e.g., fun and fairness). Using obstetrics as an example, the videos demonstrated five levels of VR technology functionality (e.g., haptic and adaptive feedback), some of which were visionary, in two use scenarios (teaching and the OSCE). The individual and aggregate indicators were compared with non-parametric testing procedures across application scenarios, functional levels and genders. In addition, correlations between the acceptance and the factors of semester, age, computer affinity, and previous VR experience were analyzed. Results: Across all functional levels, VR was more likely to be accepted in the classroom than in the OSCE. Comparisons across functional levels also revealed that the VR ready to be marketed was significantly more accepted than the visionary functions. This skepticism toward advancing VR technology was most pronounced with regard to the vision of autonomous VR examinations and among female students with a low computer affinity. Conclusion: The results suggest that the students' reservations are due to a lack of experience with the VR technology. In order for young physicians to become familiar with the technology and to be able to use it competently in the everyday clinical practice in the future, VR should not only be used as a teaching tool but also be part of the curriculum. Practical examinations using VR, on the other hand, are only recommended once the technology has become established in teaching and has been proven to be reliable.

Finding the Appropriate Therapeutic Strategy in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas: Guideline Recommendations Meet the Clinical Reality.

The systemic treatment of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors is based on placebo-controlled trials and long-established chemotherapy approaches. In addition, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) was approved as a parallel approach for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET), in addition to small bowel NET, after the NETTER-1 trial. The current ESMO and NCCN guidelines attempted to describe treatment algorithms for pancreatic NET based on the current data. In our survey, we recorded therapy decisions for the first- until the third-line of therapy in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) using fictional case reports and discussed these in the context of the current ESMO guidelines. Compared with the recommendations of the guidelines, PRRT was used more frequently and earlier. In patients with NET G1/G2 Ki-67 < 10%, the therapy algorithm consisting of somatostatin analogs (SSA)-PRRT-targeted therapy is a relevant approach. In clinical situations where chemotherapy is primarily used (remission pressure, Ki-67 > 10%), second-line PRRT was found acceptance and was often considered prior to targeted therapies. Despite the lack of prospective controlled trials, our study demonstrated the pivotal impact of PRRT. Therefore, further studies should compare PRRT with chemotherapy in pancreatic NETs in different clinical settings in first- and second-line approaches.

Capability of processed EEG parameters to monitor conscious sedation in endoscopy is similar to general anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Reliable and safe sedation is a prerequisite for endoscopic interventions. The current standard is rather safe, yet, an objective device to measure sedation depth is missing. To date, anaesthesia monitors based on processed electroencephalogram (EEG) have not been utilised in conscious sedation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate EEG parameters to differentiate consciousness in endoscopic propofol sedation. METHODS: In total, 171 patients aged 21-83 years (ASA I-III) undergoing gastrointestinal and bronchial endoscopy were enrolled. Standard monitoring and a frontotemporal two-channel EEG were recorded. The state of consciousness was identified by repeated requests to squeeze the investigator's hand. RESULTS: In total, 1132 state-of-consciousness (SOC) transitions were recorded in procedures ranging from 5 to 69 min. Thirty-four EEG parameters from the frequency domain, time-frequency domain and complexity measures were calculated. Area under the curve ranged from 0.51 to 0.82 with complexity and optimised frequency domain parameters yielding the best results. CONCLUSION: Prediction of the SOC with processed EEG parameters is feasible, and the results for sedation in endoscopic procedures are similar to those reported from general anaesthesia. These results are insufficient for a clinical application, but prediction capability may be increased with optimisation and modelling.

Professional Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on Handling NET Patients.

The treatment and monitoring of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NET) has been a major challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey, we investigated the influence of COVID-19 on the care of NET patients in the German speaking countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The multidisciplinarity of all treating physicians in the outpatient and inpatient sector was reflected in our survey. Furthermore, we were able to present findings pertaining to the university and non-university medical care. Overall, only a minority of appointments were cancelled, mostly as a result of medical prioritization and less for fear of infection by patients. In the university sector, longer delays for diagnostic measures were observed in comparison to non-university care. During the COVID-19 crisis, NET patients rarely changed their current therapy, but the pandemic impacted the assessment of the different treatment modalities at risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease. This survey provides the first real-world data on the treatment of NET patients from the physicians' perspective during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite delays in diagnostic procedures and outpatient appointments, only a minority of physicians foresee a major impact of COVID-19 on NET patient care.

German bronchoscopy unit readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide survey.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented. Among the aerosol generating procedures, bronchoscopy in particular is an indispensable diagnostic and therapeutic tool that comes with a high risk of infection. Therefore, national societies have issued guidance statements. However, the individual ability of bronchoscopy units to follow these recommendations is largely unknown. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide survey from 1 April 2020 to 7 April 2020 to which 218 German endoscopy units, 105 solely bronchoscopy and 113 interdisciplinary, responded. The survey was distributed electronically via the German Respiratory Society. RESULTS: While 17% of units did not cancel any interventions, 16% cancelled >80% of their interventions. 73% were unable to completely separate high-risk patients. Most procedural measures, such as risk stratification in patients (95%), training to handle COVID-19 patients and personal protective equipment (PPE) (91%), risk adapted use of PPE (85%) and self-monitoring for staff (84%) were adopted well. Unit managers expected shortages in PPE (74%), staff shortages (68%) and severe financial losses (63%). CONCLUSION: In the short-term, PPE shortages are perceived to be the most imminent threat to bronchoscopic activity as a whole. In this era of uncertainty, sound evidence to guide bronchoscopy units and an international concerted effort are urgently needed to formulate recommendations on facts and adapted to local conditions as described in this study.

[Challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in gastrointestinal endoscopy: expectations and implementation of recommendations]. / Gastrointestinale Endoskopie in Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie: Umsetzung von Empfehlungen und Erwartungen für die Zukunft.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major challenge for health care systems worldwide. Recent data suggests an increased risk for personnel of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy units for SARS-CoV-2 infections. Several societies have provided recommendations for the current situation, but their feasibility is unclear and real-world data on preparedness of endoscopy units are lacking. AIMS & METHODS: A web-based survey among German GI-endoscopy heads was conducted from April 1 to April 7, 2020. It comprised 33 questions based on the ESGE (European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) recommendations and was distributed electronically by the German Society of Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS). RESULTS: Of 551 completed surveys, 202 (37 %) endoscopy units cancelled less than 40 % of their procedures. Small-volume units (< 4000 procedures/year) cancelled significantly less procedures than high-volume units (> 4000). Complete spatial separation of high-risk patients was possible in only 17 %. Most units systematically identified patients at risk (91 %) and used risk adapted personal protective equipment (PPE, 85 %). For the future, shortages in PPE (83 %), staff (69 %) and relevant financial losses (80 %) were expected. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations on structural measures were only partially fulfilled and cancellations of procedures were heterogeneous. Clear definitions of indications to perform endoscopies during such a pandemic are needed. Further, structural recommendations should be adapted and strategies to compensate financial losses need to be developed.

[Acute Abdominal Pain: Hospital Admission or Not - And What Happens Then?] / Akuter Bauchschmerz: einweisen oder nicht? Und was dann?

Acute abdominal pain (AAP) is a common symptom and reason for encounter in family practices and emergency rooms. About every tenth hospital emergency room consultation is dealing with AAP, the most important reason is the "suspected acute abdomen". Important diagnostic considerations and clarification steps in family practice and emergency room are presented with the question: in which cases further treatment must be inpatient - or can be done on an outpatient basis. Acute abdominal pain has a complex differential diagnostic spectrum. Early detection of urgent cases is crucial to the outcome. The most important diagnostic means are history ("inductive foraging"), physical examination and sonography. "Yellow flags" provide valuable information for risk groups. Interdisciplinary cooperation is crucial, in doubt: "four eyes principle". If the cause is unclear, follow-up should be planned.