Transfusion futility thresholds and mortality in geriatric trauma: Does frailty matter?

BACKGROUND: Data on massive transfusion (MT) in geriatric trauma patients is lacking. This study aims to determine geriatric transfusion futility thresholds (TT) and TT variations based on frailty. METHODS: Patients from 2013 to 2018 TQIP database receiving MT were stratified by age and frailty. TTs and outcomes were compared between geriatric and younger adults and among geriatric adults based on frailty status. RESULTS: The TT was lower for geriatric than younger adults (34 vs 39 units; p â€‹= â€‹0.03). There was no difference in TT between the non-frail, frail, and severely frail geriatric adults (37, 30 and 25 units, respectively, p â€‹> â€‹0.05). Geriatric adults had higher mortality than younger adults (63.1% vs 45.8%, p < 0.01). Non-frail geriatric adults had the highest mortality (69.4% vs 56.5% vs 56.2%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric patients have a lower TT than younger adults, irrespective of frailty. This may help improve outcomes and optimize MT utilization.

Factors Influencing the Dissemination of Tweets at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2018.

BACKGROUND: Social media is increasingly used in surgery, facilitating the dissemination of knowledge. Social media can potentially aid networking, education, and information exchange. This study explored the impact of tweet components and tweeter characteristics during a large surgical congress to inform recommendations for optimizing social media use at future surgical conferences. METHODS: Twitter activity was monitored during the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2018 using NodeXL to extract tweets containing the conference hashtag #ACSCC18 (or #ACSCC2018). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of retweet activity, also testing for multicollinearity and interactions among variables. RESULTS: There were 4386 tweets that contained #ACSCC18 (or #ACSCC2018) posted from 1023 Twitter accounts. A larger group of Twitter accounts just retweeted. Other Twitter accounts with a stake in the conference neither tweeted nor retweeted. In a multivariable analysis of original tweets, the following were all independently associated with retweets, in decreasing order of effect size: mention of other tweeters, multimedia, inclusion of other hashtags, and the number of followers. In contrast with other conferences, the inclusion of a weblink (URL)-for example, link to paper or blog-was not associated with retweets. DISCUSSION: This study helps understand social media impact at surgical conferences. Engage by tweeting and retweeting. Mention other tweeters, add multimedia, include congress hashtags and topic-specific hashtags, and build your followers. Although not associated with retweet activity in this study, the inclusion of URLs can still contribute in substantiating the disseminated content based on findings at other conferences.

Global Impact of Social Media on Women in Surgery.

The professional use of social media is increasingly prevalent today, particularly in medicine and surgery. Several recent movements have highlighted the strengths of this forum for networking and mentorship for females in surgery who otherwise may lack mentors locally. We sought to describe modern uses for and strengths of social media for women in surgery globally via a systematic review of the literature. Multiple efforts and avenues have promoted gender equality in surgery, while also uniting female surgeons in a collaborative virtual network of colleagues. In particular, movements on Twitter, such as #ILookLikeASurgeon and #NYerORCoverChallenge, as well as other collaborative virtual fora have brought visibility to female surgeons, while drawing the young population of students and trainees toward surgical careers. Social media provides a unique opportunity for female trainees and established surgeons alike to network and establish mentorship relationships, which may aid in fostering interest in surgery and closing the gender gap in our field.

Closed Facebook™ groups and CME credit: a new format for continuing medical education.

BACKGROUND: The International Hernia Collaboration (IHC) is a closed Facebook™ group that allows international surgeons to post clinical questions and exchange transparent feedback with the intent to optimize patient outcomes. Despite the educational value of closed FB groups, CME credits have not been available to members. To determine feasibility of and user interest in earning CME credit through social media, the IHC piloted a series of expert lectures followed by an interactive Facebook Live session as a novel pathway offering CME credit. METHODS: Nine monthly lectures and Facebook Live sessions were presented. CME credit was offered for the final seven lectures. Participation in the form of views, comments, and likes was quantified by a Facebook analytics service and an engagement score, defined as [(the number of comments × 2) + (the number of reactions)], was calculated for each lecture and Facebook Live session. CME credit was obtained through a two-question quiz. RESULTS: Of 5400 + Facebook members of the IHC, an average of 1116 (20.4 ± 4.0%) viewed the live session event following each lecture (n = 9 events). The average Facebook engagement score for Facebook Live was 259 ± 75, a significant difference with the average Facebook engagement score on the IHC (40.8) over the same time period (p < 0.001). On average, 16 users [range 8-35, (n = 7 events)] claimed CME credit for each educational series. CONCLUSIONS: Closed Facebook groups can be a useful media to offer educational content and CME credit. The pilot IHC Lecture and Facebook Live series offering CME credit resulted in significantly more engagement amongst its members compared to other posts during the same time period. A small portion of participants qualified for CME credit. Future social media educational series may increase participants qualifying for CME by streamlining the interface to obtain CME credit.

A Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) statement on closed social media (Facebook®) groups for clinical education and consultation: issues of informed consent, patient privacy, and surgeon protection.

INTRODUCTION: Closed social media groups (CSMG), including closed Facebook® groups, are online communities providing physicians with platforms to collaborate privately via text, images, videos, and live streaming in real time and optimize patient care. CSMG platforms represent a novel paradigm in online learning and education, so it is imperative to ensure that the public and patients trust the physicians using these platforms. Informed consent is an essential aspect of establishing this trust. With the launch of several of its own CSMG, Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) sought to define its position on CSMG platforms and provide an informed consent template for educating and protecting patients, surgeons, and institutions. METHODS: A review of the literature (2012-2018) discussing the informed consent process for posting clinical scenarios, photography, and/or videography on social media was performed. Pertinent articles and exemplary legal counsel-approved CSMG policies and informed consent forms were reviewed by members of the SAGES Facebook® Task Force. RESULTS: Eleven articles and two institutional CSMG policies discussing key components of the informed consent process, including patient transparency and confidentiality, provider-patient partnerships, ethics, and education were included. Using this information and expert opinion, a SAGES-approved statement and informed consent template were formulated. CONCLUSIONS: SAGES endorses the professional use of medical and surgical CSMG platforms for education, patient care optimization, and dissemination of clinical information. Despite the growing use of social media as an integral tool for surgical practice and education, issues of informed consent still exist and remain the responsibility of the physician contributor. Responsible, ethical, and compliant use of CSMG platforms is essential. Surgeons and patients embracing CSMG for quality improvement and optimized outcomes should be legally protected. SAGES foresees the use of this type of platform continuing to grow.

The Evolving Surgeon Image.

The stereotype of the abrasive, technically gifted white male surgeon is ubiquitous among members of the public and the medical profession. Yet modern surgeons are far more diverse and socially adept than the stereotype suggests. While the stereotype is largely a relic of days gone by, it continues to influence patients' expectations and surgeons' interactions with their clinical colleagues. The #ILookLikeASurgeon movement and subsequent #NYerORCoverChallenge demonstrate the changing face of surgery and the roles of social media in resisting the social and cultural force of long-standing stereotypes.

The academic tweet: Twitter as a tool to advance academic surgery.

Social media, Twitter in particular, has emerged as an essential tool for surgeons. In the realm of academic surgery, it enables surgeons to advance the core values of academic surgery, as outlined by the Association for Academic Surgery: inclusion, leadership, innovation, scholarship, and mentorship. This article details the ways in which surgeons are using Twitter to embody these values and how the Twitter account for the Association of Academic Surgeons accomplishes its goal of inspiring and developing young academic surgeons.

Self-Awareness and Cultural Identity as an Effort to Reduce Bias in Medicine.

In response to persistently documented health disparities based on race and other demographic factors, medical schools have implemented "cultural competency" coursework. While many of these courses have focused on strategies for treating patients of different cultural backgrounds, very few have addressed the impact of the physician's own cultural background and offered methods to overcome his or her own unconscious biases. In hopes of training physicians to contextualize the impact of their own cultural background on their ability to provide optimal patient care, the authors created a 14-session course on culture, self-reflection, and medicine. After completing the course, students reported an increased awareness of their blind spots and that providing equitable care and treatment would require lifelong reflection and attention to these biases. In this article, the authors describe the formation and implementation of a novel medical school course on self-awareness and cultural identity designed to reduce unconscious bias in medicine. Finally, we discuss our observations and lessons learned after more than 10 years of experience teaching the course.

History of Social Media in Surgery.

In many ways, the history of surgeons on Twitter echoes the initial resistance and ultimate mass adoption of laparoscopic surgery that led to the field of minimally invasive surgery. At its inception, social media was similarly met with skepticism and concerns of threats to professionalism. Despite these concerns, numerous surgeons and other physicians pioneered the use of social media to establish a virtual medical community and share scientific knowledge regarding a variety of topics including medical conferences, journal publications, and more. After these initial successes, surgeons' views have evolved, leading to mass adoption of social media and participation on Twitter as a means of professional networking and dissemination of science. This article chronicles that history.