Final-year medical students need to know their future supervisory role of clinical associates.

BACKGROUND: A clinical associate (ClinA) is a mid-level health professional who may only practise under the supervision of a medical doctor. By extension, medical students need to be prepared for this responsibility. This study explored whether final-year medical students at one university were aware of this supervisory role, felt prepared and were knowledgeable about the ClinAs' scope of practice. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. The population included all final-year medical students who had completed their District Health and Community Obstetrics rotations (March to November 2017). After an end-of-rotation session, 151 students were given questionnaires to complete. A list of 20 treatments or procedures was extracted from the ClinAs' gazetted scope of practice for a 'knowledge test'. Data were analysed with Stata and Microsoft Excel. Ethical permission was granted. RESULTS: The response rate was 77.4% (n/N = 117/151). The majority of participants (76.1%, n = 86) had worked with a qualified or student ClinA before and had a generally positive impression (81.4%; n = 70). Almost half (47.8%; n = 56) thought that the ClinAs' scope of work was similar to registered nurses rather than a doctor's (38.2%; n = 44). Most were unaware that they would be required to supervise ClinAs once qualified (65.8%; n = 77). On average, participants identified 12 out of 20 treatments or procedures that a ClinA could perform. CONCLUSION: Despite having worked with ClinAs, participants appeared largely unaware of their future legal obligation of supervision. Adequate clinical supervision is based on the knowledge of the scope of practice, which was variable. Formal training on the scope of the work of ClinAs is needed to prepare future doctors for their supervisory role. Medical schools have an obligation to adequately prepare their students in this regard as part of their transformative education with elements of interprofessional education.

What is the role of PCSK9 inhibitors in treating hypercholesterolemia?

PCSK9 inhibitors are a novel medical therapy for treating hypercholesterolemia. This article reviews the basic properties of PCSK9 inhibitors, including their mechanism of action, indications, contraindications, adverse reactions, and efficacy.

Sweet Syndrome Associated with Upper Respiratory Infection and Amoxicillin Use.

Sweet syndrome (acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis) is an uncommon dermatologic eruption characterized by acute onset of painful papules, plaques or nodules on the skin that are red, blue, or violaceous in color. It has been associated with various infections, medications, and malignancies. Here we report the case of a middle-aged male who presents with Sweet syndrome after an upper resipiratory infection and while using amoxicillin. We also review the diagnostic criteria, laboratory testing, and treatment options.

Knowledge and Perceptions of College Students Regarding the Physician Assistant Profession.

PURPOSE: Physician assistants (PAs) are nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals who practice medicine on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers. Despite the increasing popularity and utility of the profession, knowledge of the role of PAs remains scarce among many segments of the population. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of the PA profession among undergraduate college students, as well as what factors are associated with better knowledge and perception of the profession. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey, information was gathered regarding knowledge and perception of PAs. A total of 364 students were surveyed from randomly selected undergraduate courses at a Connecticut public university. RESULTS: Knowledge scores were significantly higher (p<0.05) in older students, female students, those with plans to pursue a healthcare career, those majoring in health and human services, and those satisfied with care received from a PA. Significantly better perceptions (p<0.05) of PAs were found in older students, those with plans for a future career in healthcare, those majoring in health and human services, those who received prior care from a PA, and those who were satisfied with prior care from a PA. After a short educational intervention, improvements in perceptions were statistically significant (p<0.001) in the surveyed population. CONCLUSION: This study identifies areas of needed improvement in knowledge and perception of PAs and also provides impetus for educational and marketing-based interventions to improve knowledge and perception of the PA profession in the college student population.

Development and Validation of an Algorithm to Identify Planned Readmissions From Claims Data.

BACKGROUND: It is desirable not to include planned readmissions in readmission measures because they represent deliberate, scheduled care. OBJECTIVES: To develop an algorithm to identify planned readmissions, describe its performance characteristics, and identify improvements. DESIGN: Consensus-driven algorithm development and chart review validation study at 7 acute-care hospitals in 2 health systems. PATIENTS: For development, all discharges qualifying for the publicly reported hospital-wide readmission measure. For validation, all qualifying same-hospital readmissions that were characterized by the algorithm as planned, and a random sampling of same-hospital readmissions that were characterized as unplanned. MEASUREMENTS: We calculated weighted sensitivity and specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the algorithm (version 2.1), compared to gold standard chart review. RESULTS: In consultation with 27 experts, we developed an algorithm that characterizes 7.8% of readmissions as planned. For validation we reviewed 634 readmissions. The weighted sensitivity of the algorithm was 45.1% overall, 50.9% in large teaching centers and 40.2% in smaller community hospitals. The weighted specificity was 95.9%, positive predictive value was 51.6%, and negative predictive value was 94.7%. We identified 4 minor changes to improve algorithm performance. The revised algorithm had a weighted sensitivity 49.8% (57.1% at large hospitals), weighted specificity 96.5%, positive predictive value 58.7%, and negative predictive value 94.5%. Positive predictive value was poor for the 2 most common potentially planned procedures: diagnostic cardiac catheterization (25%) and procedures involving cardiac devices (33%). CONCLUSIONS: An administrative claims-based algorithm to identify planned readmissions is feasible and can facilitate public reporting of primarily unplanned readmissions.

An administrative claims measure of payments made for Medicare patients for a 30-day episode of care for acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Understanding both cost and quality across institutions is a critical first step to illuminating the value of care purchased by Medicare. Under contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we developed a method for profiling hospitals by 30-day episode-of-care costs (payments for Medicare beneficiaries) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: We developed a hierarchical generalized linear regression model to calculate hospital risk-standardized payment (RSP) for a 30-day episode for AMI. Using 2008 Medicare claims, we identified hospitalizations for patients 65 years of age or older with a discharge diagnosis of ICD-9 codes 410.xx. We defined an AMI episode as the date of admission plus 30 days. To reflect clinical care, we omitted or averaged payment adjustments for geographic factors and policy initiatives. We risk-adjusted for clinical variables identified in the 12 months preceding and including the AMI hospitalization. Using combined 2008-2009 data, we assessed measure reliability using an intraclass correlation coefficient and calculated the final RSP. RESULTS: The final model included 30 variables and resulted in predictive ratios (average predicted payment/average total payment) close to 1. The intraclass correlation coefficient score was 0.79. Across 2382 hospitals with ≥ 25 hospitalizations, the unadjusted mean payment was $20,324 ranging from $11,089 to $41,897. The mean RSP was $21,125 ranging from $13,909 to $28,979. CONCLUSIONS: This study introduces a claims-based measure of RSP for an AMI 30-day episode of care. The RSP varies among hospitals, with a 2-fold range in payments. When combined with quality measures, this payment measure will help profile high-value care.