"Two Years Later I'm Still Just as Angry": A Focus Group Study of Emergency and Internal Medicine Physicians on Disrespectful Communication.

Phenomenon: Disrespectful behavior between physicians across departments can contribute to burnout, poor learning environments, and adverse patient outcomes. Approach: In this focus group study, we aimed to describe the nature and context of perceived disrespectful communication between emergency and internal medicine physicians (residents and faculty) at patient handoff. We used a constructivist approach and framework method of content analysis to conduct and analyze focus group data from 24 residents and 11 faculty members from May to December 2019 at a large academic medical center. Findings: We organized focus group results into four overarching categories related to disrespectful communication: characteristics and context (including specific phrasing that members from each department interpreted as disrespectful, effects of listener engagement/disengagement, and the tendency for communication that is not in-person to result in misunderstanding and conflict); differences across training levels (with disrespectful communication more likely when participants were at different training levels); the individual correspondent's tendency toward perceived rudeness; and negative/long-term impacts of disrespectful communication on the individual and environment (including avoidance and effects on patient care). Insights: In the context of predominantly positive descriptions of interdepartmental communication, participants described episodes of perceived disrespectful behavior that often had long-lasting, negative impacts on the quality of the learning environment and clinical work. We created a conceptual model illustrating the process and outcomes of these interactions. We make several recommendations to reduce disrespectful communication that can be applied throughout the hospital to potentially improve patient care, interdepartmental collaboration, and trainee and faculty quality of life.

Enhancing Clinical Teaching in Critical Thinking, High-Value Care, and Health Care Equity.

INTRODUCTION: Faculty development in the clinical setting is challenging to implement and assess. This study evaluated an intervention (IG) to enhance bedside teaching in three content areas: critical thinking (CT), high-value care (HVC), and health care equity (HCE). METHODS: The Communities of Practice model and Theoretical Domains Framework informed IG development. Three multidepartmental working groups (WGs) (CT, HVC, HCE) developed three 2-hour sessions delivered over three months. Evaluation addressed faculty satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, and behavior change. Data collection included surveys and observations of teaching during patient care. Primary analyses compared counts of post-IG teaching behaviors per hour across intervention group (IG), comparison group (CG), and WG groups. Statistical analyses of counts were modeled with generalized linear models using the Poisson distribution. RESULTS: Eighty-seven faculty members participated (IG n = 30, CG n = 28, WG n = 29). Sixty-eight (IG n = 28, CG n = 23, WG n = 17) were observed, with a median of 3 observation sessions and 5.2 hours each. Postintervention comparison of teaching (average counts/hour) showed statistically significant differences across groups: CT CG = 4.1, IG = 4.8, WG = 8.2; HVC CG = 0.6, IG = 0.9, WG = 1.6; and HCE CG = 0.2, IG = 0.4, WG = 1.4 ( P < .001). DISCUSSION: A faculty development intervention focused on teaching in the context of providing clinical care resulted in more frequent teaching of CT, HVC, and HCE in the intervention group compared with controls. WG faculty demonstrated highest teaching counts and provide benchmarks to assess future interventions. With the creation of durable teaching materials and a cadre of trained faculty, this project sets a foundation for infusing substantive content into clinical teaching.

Self-Directed Learning in Medical Education: Training for a Lifetime of Discovery.

Issue: Life-long learning is a skill that is central to competent health professionals, and medical educators have sought to understand how adult professionals learn, adapt to new information, and independently seek to learn more. Accrediting bodies now mandate that training programs teach in ways that promote self-directed learning (SDL) but do not provide adequate guidance on how to address this requirement. Evidence: The model for the SDL mandate in physician training is based mostly on early childhood and secondary education evidence and literature, and may not capture the unique environment of medical training and clinical education. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about how medical schools and postgraduate training programs should implement and evaluate SDL educational interventions. The Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, in conjunction with the Association of American Medical Colleges, convened teams from eight medical schools from North America to address the challenge of defining, implementing, and evaluating SDL and the structures needed to nurture and support its development in health professional training. Implications: In this commentary, the authors describe SDL in Medical Education, (SDL-ME), which is a construct of learning and pedagogy specific to medical students and physicians in training. SDL-ME builds on the foundations of SDL and self-regulated learning theory, but is specifically contextualized for the unique responsibilities of physicians to patients, inter-professional teams, and society. Through consensus, the authors offer suggestions for training programs to teach and evaluate SDL-ME. To teach self-directed learning requires placing the construct in the context of patient care and of an obligation to society at large. The SDL-ME construct builds upon SDL and SRL frameworks and suggests SDL as foundational to health professional identity formation.KEYWORDSself-directed learning; graduate medical education; undergraduate medical education; theoretical frameworksSupplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2021.1938074 .

What gets resident physicians stressed and how would they prefer to be supported? A best-worst scaling study.

INTRODUCTION: Physician burnout has severe consequences on clinician well-being. Residents face numerous work-stressors that can contribute to burnout; however, given specialty variation in work-stress, it is difficult to identify systemic stressors and implement effective burnout interventions on an institutional level. Assessing resident preferences by specialty for common wellness interventions could also contribute to improved efficacy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used best-worst scaling (BWS), a type of discrete choice modelling, to explore how 267 residents across nine specialties (anaesthesiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, pathology, psychiatry, radiology and surgery) prioritised 16 work-stressors and 4 wellness interventions at a large academic medical centre during the COVID-19 pandemic (December 2020). RESULTS: Top-ranked stressors were work-life integration and electronic health record documentation. Therapy (63%, selected as 'would realistically consider intervention') and coaching (58%) were the most preferred wellness supports in comparison to group-based peer support (20%) and individual peer support (22%). Pathology, psychiatry and OBGYN specialties were most willing to consider all intervention options, with emergency medicine and internal medicine specialties least willing to consider intervention options. CONCLUSION: BWS can identify relative differences in surveyed stressors, allowing for the generation of specialty-specific stressor rankings and preferences for specific wellness interventions that can be used to drive institution-wide changes to improve clinician wellness. BWS surveys are a potential methodology for clinician wellness programmes to gather specific information on preferences to determine best practices for resident wellness.

"Friction by Definition": Conflict at Patient Handover Between Emergency and Internal Medicine Physicians at an Academic Medical Center.

INTRODUCTION: Patient handoffs from emergency physicians (EP) to internal medicine (IM) physicians may be complicated by conflict with the potential for adverse outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify the specific types of, and contributors to, conflict between EPs and IM physicians in this context. METHODS: We performed a qualitative focus group study using a constructivist grounded theory approach involving emergency medicine (EM) and IM residents and faculty at a large academic medical center. Focus groups assessed perspectives and experiences of EP/IM physician interactions related to patient handoffs. We interpreted data with the matrix analytic method. RESULTS: From May to December 2019, 24 residents (IM = 11, EM = 13) and 11 faculty (IM = 6, EM = 5) from the two departments participated in eight focus groups and two interviews. Two key themes emerged: 1) disagreements about disposition (ie, whether a patient needed to be admitted, should go to an intensive care unit, or required additional testing before transfer to the floor); and 2) contextual factors (ie, the request to discuss an admission being a primer for conflict; lack of knowledge of the other person and their workflow; high clinical workload and volume; and different interdepartmental perspectives on the benefits of a rapid emergency department workflow). CONCLUSIONS: Causes of conflict at patient handover between EPs and IM physicians are related primarily to disposition concerns and contextual factors. Using theoretical models of task, process, and relationship conflict, we suggest recommendations to improve the EM/IM interaction to potentially reduce conflict and advance patient care.

Pathway-Based Reduction of Repeat Head Computed Tomography for Patients With Complicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Implementation and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Routine follow-up head imaging in complicated mild traumatic brain injury (cmTBI) patients has not been shown to alter treatment, improve outcomes, or identify patients in need of neurosurgical intervention. We developed a follow-up head computed tomography (CT) triage algorithm for cmTBI patients to decrease the number of routine follow-up head CT scans obtained in this population. OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with protocol implications and patient outcome. METHODS: Data on all cmTBI patients presenting from July 1, 2018 to June 31, 2019, to our level 1, tertiary, academic medical center were collected prospectively and analyzed retrospectively. Descriptive analysis was performed. RESULTS: Of the 178 patients enrolled, 52 (29%) received a follow-up head CT. A total of 27 patients (15%) were scanned because of initial presentation and triaged to the group to receive a routine follow-up head CT. A total of 151 patients (85%) were triaged to the group without routine follow-up head CT scan. Protocol adherence was 89% with 17 violations. CONCLUSION: Utilizing this protocol, we were able to safely decrease the use of routine follow-up head CT scans in cmTBI patients by 71% without any missed injuries or delayed surgery. Adoption of the protocol was high among all services managing TBI patients.

Outcomes of a novel ED observation pathway for mild traumatic brain injury and associated intracranial hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that the majority of non-anticoagulated patients with small subdural or subarachnoid intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in the setting of mild traumatic brain injury do not experience clinical deterioration or require neurosurgical intervention. We implemented a novel ED observation pathway to reduce unnecessary admissions among patients with ICH in the setting of mild TBI (complicated mild TBI, cmTBI). METHODS: Prospective, single-center study of ED patients presenting to a Level-1 Trauma Center, 4/2016-12/2018. INCLUSION CRITERIA: head injury with GCS ≥ 14, minor positive CT findings (i.e. subdural hematoma <1 cm). EXCLUSION CRITERIA: GCS < 14, multi-system trauma procedural intervention or admission, epidural hematoma, skull fracture, seizure, anticoagulant/antiplatelet use beyond aspirin, physician discretion. OUTCOMES: pathway completion rate, ED length-of-stay (LOS), neurosurgical intervention, hospital LOS, 7-day return visits. RESULTS: 138 patients met all pathway criteria and were included in analysis. 113/138 (81.9%) patients were discharged home after observation with mean ED LOS of 17.3 h (median 15.4 h, SD +/- 10.5) including 91/111 (81.9%) patients transferred from outside hospitals (median 18.1 h, SD +/- 11.0). Increased age and aspirin use were correlated with pathway non-completion requiring admission, but not due to hematoma expansion. Among admitted patients, none required neurosurgical intervention. Seven (5.1%) 7-day return visits occurred, 3 (2%) related to initial cmTBI; 1 (0.9%) was admitted for neurologic monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: ED observation for patients with cmTBI resulted in an 82% pathway completion rate, including outside hospital transfers. These results suggest that patients with cmTBI may be safely discharged from the ED after a brief period of observation. Our pathway protocol and implementation involved neurosurgical consultation and the ability to perform repeat neurologic exams in the ED. Future studies should examine the feasibility of non-transfer protocols for appropriately selected patients and access to neurosurgical expertise in the community setting.

Comparison of Emergency Medicine Malpractice Cases Involving Residents to Nonresident Cases.

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on how emergency medicine (EM) malpractice cases with resident involvement differs from cases that do not name a resident. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to compare malpractice case characteristics in cases where a resident is involved (resident case) to cases that do not involve a resident (nonresident case) and to determine factors that contribute to malpractice cases utilizing EM as a model for malpractice claims across other medical specialties. METHODS: We used data from the Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO) Strategies' division Comparative Benchmarking System (CBS) to analyze open and closed EM cases asserted from 2009 to 2013. The CBS database is a national repository that contains professional liability data on > 400 hospitals and > 165,000 physicians, representing over 30% of all malpractice cases in the United States (>350,000 claims). We compared cases naming residents (either alone or in combination with an attending) to those that did not involve a resident (nonresident cohort). We reported the case statistics, allegation categories, severity scores, procedural data, final diagnoses, and contributing factors. Fisher's exact test or t-test was used for comparisons (alpha set at 0.05). RESULTS: A total of 845 EM cases were identified of which 732 (87%) did not name a resident (nonresident cases), while 113 (13%) included a resident (resident cases). There were higher total incurred losses for nonresident cases. The most frequent allegation categories in both cohorts were "failure or delay in diagnosis/misdiagnosis" and "medical treatment" (nonsurgical procedures or treatment regimens, i.e., central line placement). Allegation categories of safety and security, patient monitoring, hospital policy and procedure, and breach of confidentiality were found in the nonresident cases. Resident cases incurred lower payments on average ($51,163 vs. $156,212 per case). Sixty-six percent (75) of resident versus 57% (415) of nonresident cases were high-severity claims (permanent, grave disability or death; p = 0.05). Procedures involved were identified in 32% (36) of resident and 26% (188) of nonresident cases (p = 0.17). The final diagnoses in resident cases were more often cardiac related (19% [21] vs. 10% [71], p < 0.005) whereas nonresident cases had more orthopedic-related final diagnoses (10% [72] vs. 3% [3], p < 0.01). The most common contributing factors in resident and nonresident cases were clinical judgment (71% vs. 76% [p = 0.24]), communication (27% vs. 30% [p = 0.46]), and documentation (20% vs. 21% [p = 0.95]). Technical skills contributed to 20% (22) of resident cases versus 13% (96) of nonresident cases (p = 0.07) but those procedures involving vascular access (2.7% [3] vs 0.1% [1]) and spinal procedures (3.5% [4] vs. 1.1% [8]) were more prevalent in resident cases (p < 0.05 for each). CONCLUSIONS: There are higher total incurred losses in nonresident cases. There are higher severity scores in resident cases. The overall case profiles, including allegation categories, final diagnoses, and contributing factors between resident and nonresident cases are similar. Cases involving residents are more likely to involve certain technical skills, specifically vascular access and spinal procedures, which may have important implications regarding supervision. Clinical judgment, communication, and documentation are the most prevalent contributing factors in all cases and should be targets for risk reduction strategies.

Consensus of the Millennium Conference on Teaching High Value Care.

ISSUE: Healthcare costs have spiraled out of control, yet students and residents may lack the knowledge and skills to provide high value care, which emphasizes the best possible care while reducing unnecessary costs. EVIDENCE: Mainly national campaigns are aimed at physicians to reconsider their test ordering behaviors, identify overused diagnostics, and disseminate innovative practices. These efforts will fall short if principles of high value care are not incorporated across the spectrum of training for the next generation of physicians. IMPLICATIONS: Consensus findings of an invitational conference of 7 medical school teams consisting of academic leaders included strategies for institutions to meaningfully incorporate high value care into their medical school, residency, and faculty development curricula.

Implementation of an emergency department sign-out checklist improves transfer of information at shift change.

BACKGROUND: Transitions of care are ubiquitous in the emergency department (ED) and inevitably introduce the opportunity for errors. Few emergency medicine residency programs provide formal training or a standard process for patient handoffs. Checklists have been shown to be effective quality-improvement measures in inpatient settings and may be a feasible method to improve ED handoffs. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the use of a sign-out checklist improves the accuracy and efficiency of resident sign-out in the ED. METHODS: A prospective pre-/postinterventional study of residents rotating in the ED at a tertiary academic medical center. Trained research assistants observed resident sign-out during shift change over a 2-week period and completed a data collection tool to indicate whether or not key components of sign-out occurred and time to sign out each patient. An electronic sign-out checklist was implemented using a multi-faceted educational effort. A 2-week postintervention observation phase was conducted. Proportions, means, and nonparametric comparison tests were calculated using STATA. RESULTS: One hundred fifteen sign-outs were observed prior to checklist implementation and 114 were observed after. Significant improvements were seen in four sign-out components: reporting of history of present illness increased from 81% to 99%, ED course increased from 75% to 86%, likely diagnosis increased from 60% to 77%, and team awareness of plan increased from 21% to 41%. Use of the repeat-back technique decreased from 13% to 5% after checklist implementation and time to sign-out showed no significant change. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a checklist improved the transfer of information without increasing time to sign-out.

Diagnosis of acute neurological emergencies in pregnant and post-partum women.

Acute neurological symptoms in pregnant and post-partum women could be caused by exacerbation of a pre-existing neurological condition, the initial presentation of a non-pregnancy-related problem, or a new acute-onset neurological problem that is either unique to or occurs with increased frequency during or just after pregnancy. Pregnant and postpartum patients with headache and neurological symptoms are often diagnosed with pre-eclampsia; however, a range of other causes must also be considered, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Precise diagnosis is essential to guide subsequent management. Our ability to differentiate between the specific causes of acute neurological symptoms in pregnant and post-partum patients is likely to improve as we learn more about the pathogenesis of these disorders.

Emergency department management of pediatric patients with cyanotic heart disease and fever.

BACKGROUND: Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) are living longer and presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) in larger numbers. A greater understanding of their diagnoses and appropriate management strategies can improve outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe the ED diagnoses, management, and dispositions of pediatric CCHD patients who present with fever. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed pediatric ED patients age 18 years or younger with a previous diagnosis of CCHD who presented with a fever from January 2000 to December 2005. RESULTS: Of 809 total ED encounters, 248 (30.6%) were eligible for inclusion. Of those meeting inclusion criteria, 59 (23.8%) required supplemental oxygen and 67 (27%) received intravenous fluid. ED diagnoses were febrile illness in 120 (48.4%), pneumonia in 35 (14.1%), upper respiratory infection in 19 (7.7%), viral syndrome in 17 (6.9%), gastroenteritis in 17 (6.9%), otitis media in 10 (4.0%), bronchiolitis in 5 (2.0%), pharyngitis in 3 (1.2%), croup in 3 (1.2%), bronchitis in 3 (1.2%), urinary tract infection in 3 (1.2%), mononucleosis in 2 (0.8%), pericarditis in 2 (0.8%), influenza in 1 (0.4%), cellulitis in 1 (0.4%), bacteremia in 1 (0.4%), and potential endocarditis in 1 (0.4%). In terms of patient disposition, 53.2% were discharged, 44.4% were floor admissions, and 2.4% were intensive care unit admissions. CONCLUSIONS: A cardiac cause of fever in CCHD patients is rare. Because of limited cardiopulmonary reserve, they might require supplemental oxygen, intravenous fluids, and hospital admission.

Prospective evaluation of daily performance metrics to reduce emergency department length of stay for surgical consults.

BACKGROUND: As part of a quality improvement initiative to reduce Emergency Department (ED) length of stay (LOS) for surgical consult patients, we e-mailed performance metrics to key stakeholders on a daily basis. ED and Surgery leadership used these daily metrics to identify and remedy contributing factors for increased ED LOS in patients who received surgical consults. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a quality improvement process driven by a daily performance metric e-mail would be associated with a change in ED LOS for surgical consult patients. METHODS: Prospective before-after study looking at ED LOS for surgical consult patients after an e-mail intervention at a tertiary academic teaching hospital. All consecutive adult ED patients between July 1, 2010 and October 1, 2010 who received a general surgical consult were enrolled. The primary outcome measure was ED LOS, and secondary outcome measure was time to consultation. RESULTS: There were 916 patients who had surgical consults placed during the study period; 459 patients presented before the intervention and 457 patients presented after the intervention. The median LOS decreased 54 min, from 463 min (interquartile range [IQR] 326-617) before the intervention to 409 min (IQR 294.5-528.5) after the intervention (p < 0.001). Time to consultation decreased 25 min, from a median of 160 min (IQR 87-265) to 135 min (IQR 70-239.5) (p = 0.002). There was no difference in age, severity, number of consults, or disposition. There was also no difference in median LOS for other consultation services or in previous years during the same time period. CONCLUSIONS: ED LOS and time to consultation were decreased for surgical consult patients after initiation of daily performance metric e-mails.

Public health education for emergency medicine residents.

Emergency medicine (EM) has an important role in public health, but the ideal approach for teaching public health to EM residents is unclear. As part of the national Regional Public Health-Medicine Education Centers-Graduate Medical Education initiative from the CDC and the American Association of Medical Colleges, three EM programs received funding to create public health curricula for EM residents. Curricula approaches varied by residency. One program used a modular, integrative approach to combine public health and EM clinical topics during usual residency didactics, one partnered with local public health organizations to provide real-world experiences for residents, and one drew on existing national as well as departmental resources to seamlessly integrate more public health-oriented educational activities within the existing residency curriculum. The modular and integrative approaches appeared to have a positive impact on resident attitudes toward public health, and a majority of EM residents at that program believed public health training is important. Reliance on pre-existing community partnerships facilitated development of public health rotations for residents. External funding for these efforts was critical to their success, given the time and financial restraints on residency programs. The optimal approach for public health education for EM residents has not been defined.

Trauma in pregnancy.

The care of the pregnant trauma patient provides unique challenges and holds profound implications for both fetal and maternal outcomes. The management of these patients is influenced by unique anatomic and physiologic changes, increased concern for deleterious radiation and medication exposures, and the need for multidisciplinary care. This article reviews the critical features necessary in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and disposition of pregnant trauma patients with a focus on recent developments reported in the literature as pertinent to emergency management.

Does this patient have erythema migrans?

CONTEXT: Erythema migrans, while not pathognomonic, is the most common manifestation of early Lyme disease. Accurate diagnosis of this rash is essential to initiating appropriate antibiotic therapy. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity of history and physical examination characteristics for the diagnosis of erythema migrans. DATA SOURCES: Structured MEDLINE searches of articles written only in English, 1966 through March 2007. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they enrolled at least 15 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of erythema migrans and reported original data regarding the history and physical examination characteristics of the patients. DATA EXTRACTION: One author abstracted data from the studies. RESULTS: We separately analyzed the studies from Europe and analyzed both Lyme-endemic and nonendemic areas of the United States to search for potential differences in the clinical presentation. Thirty-two studies from Europe, 20 studies from the United States, and 1 from Europe and the United States met inclusion criteria for a total of 8493 patients. Sensitivity was calculated for each of the variables. No studies included patients without erythema migrans, so specificity data and likelihood ratios could not be determined. Many patients do not recall a tick bite. Associated systemic symptoms, such as fever and headache, are frequently reported. Nausea and vomiting are rare. A solitary lesion is the most frequent presentation in both US (81%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 72%-87%) and European patients (88%; 95% CI, 81%-93%). Central clearing is less common in the endemic United States (19%; 95% CI, 11%-32%) vs Europe (79%; 95% CI, 69%-86%) and the nonendemic United States (80%; 95% CI, 63%-90%). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of the current available literature suggests that there is no single element in the history or physical examination that is highly sensitive by itself for the diagnosis of erythema migrans. Clinicians should be aware of the wide variability in the clinical presentation of erythema migrans and the need to factor in multiple components of the clinical examination and epidemiological context.

Procedural applications of ultrasound.

Many invasive procedures are now safer and more efficient with the use of ultrasound guidance. As emergency physicians continue to develop skills in sonography, new applications of this technology will continue to impact the practice of emergency medicine.