Resident and Program Director's Perceptions of Milestone-Based Feedback in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

INTRODUCTION: In July 2014, US residency programs fully implemented the Next Accreditation System including the use of milestone evaluation and reporting. Currently, there has been little investigation into the result of implementation of this new system. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate perceptions of Obstetrics and Gynecology residents and program directors regarding the use of milestone-based feedback and identify areas of deficiency. METHODS: A Web-based survey was sent to US-based Obstetrics and Gynecology residents and program directors regarding milestone-based assessment implementation. RESULTS: Out of 245 program directors, 84 responded to our survey (34.3% response rate). Of responding program directors, most reported that milestone-based feedback was useful (74.7%), fair (83.0%), and accurate (76.5%); however, they found it administratively burdensome (78.1%). Residents felt that milestone-based feedback was useful (62.7%) and fair (70.0%). About 64.3% of residents and 74.7% of program directors stated that milestone-based feedback is an effective tool to track resident progression; however, a sizable minority of both groups believe that it does not capture surgical aptitude. Qualitative analysis of free response comments was largely negative and highlighted the administrative burden and lack of accuracy of milestone-based feedback. CONCLUTION: Overall, both Obstetrics and Gynecology program directors and residents report that milestone-based feedback is useful and fair. Issues of administrative burden, timeliness, evaluation of surgical aptitude, and ability to act on assigned milestone levels were identified. Although this study is limited to one specialty, such issues are likely important to all residents, faculty, and program directors who have implemented the Next Accreditation System requirements.

Pregnancy outcomes in female physicians in procedural versus non-procedural specialties.

BACKGROUND: Procedural based medical specialties require a longer training period and more intensive physical demands. The impact of working in procedural versus nonprocedural fields on pregnancy outcomes is not well understood. METHODS: Data from 1559 US attending female physician mothers was gathered via an anonymous, IRB-approved online survey. RESULTS: Of the cohort, 400 (25.7%) reported practicing in a procedural field. Women in procedural fields were slightly older at the time of their most recent pregnancy. Rates of assistive reproductive technology use (procedural: 20.2% vs nonprocedural: 23.3%, P = 0.2), missing work during pregnancy (28.2% vs 24.5%, P = 0.13), cesarean delivery rate (36.0% vs 34.5%, P = 0.61), and missed work due to preterm labor (12.3% vs 12.5%, P = 0.91) were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Although proceduralists were more likely to delay pregnancy, women in procedural fields had comparable rates of reproductive assistance, cesarean delivery, and missed work due to pregnancy-related complications despite the perceived challenges facing this group.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Interest and Participation in Global Health.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate obstetrics and gynecology resident interest and participation in global health experiences and elucidate factors associated with resident expectation for involvement. METHODS: A voluntary, anonymous survey was administered to U.S. obstetrics and gynecology residents before the 2015 Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology in-training examination. The 23-item survey gathered demographic data and queried resident interest and participation in global health. Factors associated with resident expectation for participation in global health were analyzed by Pearson χ tests. RESULTS: Of the 5,005 eligible examinees administered the survey, 4,929 completed at least a portion of the survey for a response rate of 98.5%. Global health was rated as "somewhat important" or "very important" by 96.3% (3,761/3,904) of residents. "Educational opportunity" (69.2%) and "humanitarian effort" (17.7%) were cited as the two most important aspects of a global health experience. Residents with prior global health experience rated the importance of global health more highly and had an increased expectation for future participation. Global health electives were arranged by residency programs for 18.0% (747/4,155) of respondents, by residents themselves as an elective for 44.0% (1,828/4,155), and as a noncredit experience during vacation time for 36.4% (1,514/4,155) of respondents. Female gender, nonpartnered status, no children, prior global health experience, and intention to incorporate global health in future practice were associated with expectations for a global health experience. CONCLUSION: Most obstetrics and gynecology residents rate a global health experience as somewhat or very important, and participation before or during residency increases the perceived importance of global health and the likelihood of expectation for future participation. A majority of residents report arranging their own elective or using vacation time to participate, suggesting that residency programs have limited structured opportunities.

How Effective are New Milestones Assessments at Demonstrating Resident Growth? 1 Year of Data.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment tools that accrue data for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones must evaluate residents across multiple dimensions, including medical knowledge, procedural skills, teaching, and professionalism. Our objectives were to: (1) develop an assessment tool to evaluate resident performance in accordance with the Milestones and (2) review trends in resident achievements during the inaugural year of Milestone implementation. DESIGN: A novel venue and postgraduate year (PGY) specific assessment tool was built, tested, and implemented for both operating room and labor and delivery "venues." Resident development of competence and independence was captured over time. To account for variable rotation schedules, the year was divided into thirds and compared using two-tailed Fisher's exact test. SETTING: Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospitals, Boston MA. PARTICIPANTS: Faculty evaluators and obstetrics and gynecology residents. RESULTS: A total of 822 assessments of 44 residents were completed between 9/2014 and 6/2015. The percentage of labor and delivery tasks completed "independently" increased monotonically across the start of all years: 8.4% for PGY-1, 60.3% for PGY-2, 73.7% for PGY-3, and 87.5% for PGY-4. Assessments of PGY-1 residents demonstrated a significant shift toward "with minimal supervision" and "independent" for the management of normal labor (p = 0.03). PGY-3 residents demonstrated an increase in "able to be primary surgeon" in the operating room, from 36% of the time in the first 2/3 of the year, to 62.3% in the last 1/3 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Assessment tools developed to assist with Milestone assignments capture the growth of residents over time and demonstrate quantifiable differences in achievements between PGY classes. These tools will allow for targeted teaching opportunities for both individual residents and residency programs.

Antenatal magnesium treatment and neonatal illness severity as measured by the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology (SNAP).

OBJECTIVE: . To determine if antepartum administration of magnesium sulfate affects the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology (SNAP). METHODS: We reviewed a database of consecutive preterm admissions to our neonatal intensive care unit over a 12-month period. Information on delivery indication, magnesium sulfate use, betamethasone administration, neonatal SNAP scores, neonatal serum magnesium levels, and other data was collected. Data was analyzed by Chi-square, Student t-test, and multiple linear regression with P < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: During the study period, 221 cases fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria. Multiple regression revealed a significant association between antepartum magnesium use and improved SNAP scores after controlling for gestational age, glucocorticoid use, chorioamnionitis, and birthweight (SNAP score reduction = -2.25 +/- 0.78, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Antepartum administration of magnesium sulfate results in a significant improvement in the neonatal SNAP score. These results suggest that antepartum magnesium sulfate may be protective, or at least not detrimental to the newborn infant.