Development, Implementation, and Provider Perception of Standardized Critical Event Debriefing in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVE: Hot debriefings are communications among team members occurring shortly after an event. They have been shown to improve team performance and communication. Best practice guidelines encourage hot debriefings, but these are often not routinely performed. We aim to describe the development and implementation of a multidisciplinary hot debriefing process in our pediatric emergency department (ED), and its impact on hot debriefing completion and provider perceptions. METHODS: An internal tool and protocol for hot debriefings were developed by integrating responses from a survey of those who work in the ED at our institution and previously published debriefing tools. Charge nurses and pediatric emergency medicine physicians were trained to lead hot debriefings. Surveys on the perception of hot debriefings were administered before and 6 months postimplementation.Twelve-month baseline data were established by asking physicians who cared for patients who died in the ED or within 48 hours of admission to recall debrief completion. Debriefs were then prospectively tracked for 6 months postimplementation. RESULTS: Debrief completion for patient deaths in the ED or within 48 hours of admission increased from 23% (5/22) to 75% (12/16) ( P < 0.001). When assessing just those deaths within the ED, this number increased from 31% (5/16) to 85% (11/13) ( P < 0.001).There were 98 responses to a baseline survey (response rate, 60.5%). Most who were surveyed felt that debriefs rarely occurred, preferred hot debriefings to cold debriefings, and felt that more hot debriefings should occur. Perceived barriers included lack of time, interest, protocol, trained facilitators, departmental support, and inability to gather the team.There were 88 responses to a postintervention survey (response rate, 56.8%), 50 of which had participated in a debrief and were included in analysis. Those surveyed felt that debriefs occurred more often and were more often valuable. Most perceived that barriers were significantly reduced. Most respondents felt that hot debriefs helped address systems issues and improved performance. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a protocol for physician or charge nurse-led hot debriefings in our pediatric ED resulted in increased completion, perceived barrier reduction, and a uniform approach to address identified issues. Pediatric EDs should consider adoption of a hot debriefing protocol given these benefits.

Unusual Clinical Presentation of Nephrotic Syndrome With Significant Renal Vein Thrombosis in a Young Male: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Primary membranous glomerulopathy is the most common cause of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, with increasing recognition as an autoimmune-mediated disease. We present the case of a 31-year-old Hispanic male with no prior medical or family history, presenting with one month of dyspnea on exertion, lower extremity, and periorbital edema with a recent diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Upon further imaging, renal vein thrombosis was discovered with significant lab dysfunction concerning nephrotic syndrome. Further, a workup of kidney biopsy and serum antibody levels revealed the cause to be anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R)-mediated.

Flexible growth and body mass predict physiological condition at fledging in the synchronously breeding European starling, Sturnus vulgaris.

Recent studies have reported beneficial carryover effects of juvenile development that predict interspecific survival differences at independence. Yet, traits relating to body size (i.e. morphological traits) have proven to be unreliable predictors of juvenile survival within species. Exploring individual variation of growth trajectories and how they covary with physiology could reveal species-specific developmental modes which have implications for our assessments of juvenile quality. Here, we investigated morphological development of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) approaching fledging in relation to three components of physiological condition at independence: aerobic capacity, energy state and oxidative status. We found evidence of flexible mass and wing growth which independently covaried with fledgling energy state and aerobic capacity, respectively. By comparison, tarsus and wing length at fledging were unrelated to any physiological trait, while mass was positively associated with principal component scores that comprised aerobic capacity and energy state. Thus, flexible growth trajectories were consistent with 'developmental plasticity': adaptive pre-fledging mass recession and compensatory wing growth, which seemingly came at a physiological cost, while fledgling body mass positively reflected overall physiological condition. This highlights how patterns of growth and absolute size may differently reflect fledgling physiology, potentially leading to variable relationships between morphological traits and juvenile fitness.

Pediatric emergency medicine fellows' milestone evaluations: Do they all meet the targets for graduation?

BACKGROUND: The ACGME Milestone Project created a competency-based trainee assessment tool. Subcompetencies (SCs) are scored on a 5-point scale; level 4 is recommended for graduation. The 2018 Milestones Report found that across subspecialties, not all graduates attain level 4 for every SC. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to describe the number of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows who achieve ≥ level 4 in all 23 SCs at graduation and identify SCs where level 4 is not achieved and factors predictive of not achieving a level 4. METHODS: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of PEM fellows from 2014 to 2018. Program directors provided milestone reports. Descriptive analysis of SC scores was performed. Subanalyses assessed differences in residency graduation scores, first-year fellowship scores, and the rate of milestone attainment between fellows who did and did not attain ≥ level 4 at graduation. RESULTS: Data from 392 fellows were obtained. There were no SCs in which all fellows attained ≥ level 4 at graduation; the range of fellows scoring < level 4 per SC was 7% to 39%. A total of 67% of fellows did not attain ≥ level 4 on one or more SC. While some fellows failed to attain ≥ level 4 on up to all 23 SCs, 26% failed to meet level 4 on only one or two. In 19 SCs, residency graduation and/or first year fellow scores were lower for fellows who did not attain ≥ level 4 at graduation compared to those who did (mean difference = 0.74 points). Among 10 SCs, fellows who did not attain ≥ level 4 at graduation had a faster rate of improvement compared to those who did attain ≥ level 4. CONCLUSION: In our sample, 67% of PEM fellows did not attain level 4 for one or more of the SCs at graduation. Low scores during residency or early in fellowship may predict difficulty in meeting level 4 by fellowship completion.

Milestone achievements in a national sample of pediatric emergency medicine fellows: impact of primary residency training.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowships recruit trainees from both pediatric and emergency medicine (EM) residencies. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) defines separate training pathways for each. The 2015 PEM milestones reflect a combination of subcompetencies from the two residencies. This project aims to compare the milestone achievement of PEM fellows based on their primary residency training. We hypothesize that fellows trained in pediatrics achieve PEM milestones at different rates than EM-trained fellows in the ACGME domains of patient care, medical knowledge, systems-based practice, practice-based learning, professionalism, and interpersonal and communication skills. METHODS: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of fellows from a national sample of U.S. PEM fellowship programs. Basic demographic information and deidentified, biannual milestone scores for 23 competencies were collected for fellows training between 2015 and 2018. Subcompetencies are scored on a 5-point milestone scale. Descriptive and multivariable analyses for longitudinal data were performed to compare milestone assessments by primary residency training. RESULTS: Complete data were obtained for 600 fellows; 95% (570) and 5% (30) completed pediatric and EM residency, respectively. In both year 1 and year 2 of fellowship, the mean milestone scores of EM-trained fellows were statistically higher than pediatrics-trained fellows across the majority of subcompetencies. By the final year of training, there were no statistically significant differences in milestone scores for any of the subcompetencies. CONCLUSIONS: Fellow milestone achievement between groups was not significantly different by graduation. However, fellows entering PEM training from an EM background attained higher scores on the milestones than fellows from a pediatric background in the first year of fellowship.

Milestones comparisons from residency to pediatric emergency medicine fellowship: Resetting expectations.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowships accept trainees who have completed a residency in either emergency medicine (EM) or pediatrics and have adopted 17 subcompetencies with accompanying set of milestones from these two residency programs. This study aims to examine the changes in milestone scores among common subcompetencies from the end of EM or pediatrics residency to early PEM fellowship and evaluates time to reattainment of scores for subcompetencies in which a decline was noted. METHODS: This is a national, retrospective cohort study of trainees enrolled in PEM fellowship programs from July 2014 to June 2018. PEM fellowship program directors voluntarily submitted deidentified milestone reports within the study time frame, including end-of-residency reports. Descriptive analyses of milestone scores between end of residency and PEM fellowship were performed. RESULTS: Forty-eight U.S. PEM fellowship programs (65%) provided fellowship milestone data on 638 fellows, 218 (34%) of whom also had end-of-residency milestone scores submitted. Of 218 fellows eligible for analysis, 210 (96%) had completed a pediatrics residency and eight (4%) had completed an EM residency. Pediatric-trained fellows had statistically significant decreases in mean milestone scores in all 10 shared subcompetencies. Reattainment of milestone scores across all common subcompetencies for both EM and pediatric-trained PEM fellows occurred by the end of fellowship. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated declines in milestone scores from the end of primary residency training in pediatrics to early PEM fellowship in shared subcompetencies, which may suggest that performance expectations are reset at the beginning of PEM fellowship. Changes in subcompetency milestone anchors to provide subspecialty-specific context may be needed to more accurately define skills acquisition in the residency-to-fellowship transition.

Gender Differences Among Milestone Assessments in a National Sample of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Programs.

BACKGROUND: Understanding gender gaps in trainee evaluations is critical because these may ultimately determine the duration of training. Currently, no studies describe the influence of gender on the evaluation of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to compare milestone scores of female versus male PEM fellows. METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study of a national sample of PEM fellows from July 2014 to June 2018. Accreditation Council for Medical Education (ACGME) subcompetencies are scored on a 5-point scale and span six domains: patient care (PC), medical knowledge, systems-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and interpersonal and communication skills (ICS). Summative assessments of the 23 PEM subcompetencies are assigned by each program's clinical competency committee and submitted semiannually for each fellow. Program directors voluntarily provided deidentified ACGME milestone reports. Demographics including sex, program region, and type of residency were collected. Descriptive analysis of milestones was performed for each year of fellowship. Multivariate analyses evaluated the difference in scores by sex for each of the subcompetencies. RESULTS: Forty-eight geographically diverse programs participated, yielding data for 639 fellows (66% of all PEM fellows nationally); sex was recorded for 604 fellows, of whom 67% were female. When comparing the mean milestone scores in each of the six domains, there were no differences by sex in any year of training. When comparing scores within each of the 23 subcompetencies and correcting the significance level for comparison of multiple milestones, the scores for PC3 and ICS2 were significantly, albeit not meaningfully, higher for females. CONCLUSION: In a national sample of PEM fellows, we found no major differences in milestone scores between females and males.

TLR2/6 signaling promotes the expansion of premalignant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the NUP98-HOXD13 mouse model of MDS.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression is increased on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and enhanced TLR2 signaling is thought to contribute to MDS pathogenesis. Notably, TLR2 heterodimerizes with TLR1 or TLR6, and while high TLR2 is associated with lower-risk disease, high TLR6, but not TLR1, correlates with higher-risk disease. This raises the possibility of heterodimer-specific effects of TLR2 signaling in MDS, and in the work described here, we tested the effects of specific modulation of TLR1/2 versus TLR2/6 signaling on premalignant HSPCs. Indeed, chronic stimulation of TLR2/6, but not TLR1/2, accelerates leukemic transformation in the NHD13 mouse model of MDS, and conversely, loss of TLR6, but not TLR1, slows this process. TLR2/6 stimulation expands premalignant HSPCs, and chimeric mouse studies revealed that cell-autonomous signaling contributes to this expansion. Finally, TLR2/6 stimulation is associated with an enrichment of Myc and mTORC1 activities. While Myc inhibition partially suppressed the TLR2/6 agonist-mediated expansion of premalignant HSPCs, inhibition of mTORC1 exacerbated it, suggesting that these pathways play opposite roles in regulating the effects of TLR2/6 ligation on HSPCs. Together, these data reveal heterodimer-specific effects of TLR2 signaling on premalignant HSPCs, with TLR2/6 signaling promoting their expansion and leukemic transformation.

Perceived Treatment Satisfaction and Effectiveness Facilitators Among Patients With Chronic Health Conditions: A Self-Reported Survey.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 50% of patients are nonadherent to prescribed medications. Patient perception regarding medication effectiveness has been linked to improved adherence. However, how patients perceive effectiveness is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate factors associated with perceived treatment satisfaction and effectiveness among patients with chronic health conditions. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study using a cross-sectional survey design. We administered a Web-based survey to participants with migraine, multiple sclerosis (MS), or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients were recruited from established online communities of Health Union. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and comparison tests were used to examine outcomes. RESULTS: Data were collected from 1820 patients: 567 with migraine, 717 with MS, and 536 with RA. The majority of participants were female (1644/1820, 90.33%), >40 years old (1462/1820, 80.33%), and diagnosed >5 years ago (1189/1820, 65.33%). Treatment satisfaction and perceived medication effectiveness were highly correlated (r=0.90, P<.01). Overall, three temporal factors were positively correlated with satisfaction or perceived effectiveness: time on current medication (satisfaction rs=0.22, P<.01; effectiveness rs=0.25, P<.01), time since diagnosis (satisfaction rs=0.07, P<.01; effectiveness rs=0.09, P<.01), and time on treatment (effectiveness rs=0.08, P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings validated the strong relationship between treatment satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. Understanding the (1) positive relationship between time and treatment satisfaction and effectiveness and (2) factors associated with determining medication effectiveness can help clinicians better understand the mindset of patients regarding treatment. Clinicians may be better prepared to elicit patient beliefs, which influence medication adherence, for people diagnosed with chronic health conditions.

Impact on interpersonal relationships among patients with multiple sclerosis and their partners.

Aim: To determine how the diagnosis and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) impact interpersonal relationships. Participants & methods: Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 1010 individuals with MS responding to an online survey; responses were compared with results of a fibromyalgia survey. Results: MS participants had few negative perceptions of relationships with romantic partners/children/close friends but described the impact of fatigue and limited mobility as feelings of being not well understood by others, burdensome and isolated. Conclusion: Despite increasing disability/pain severity, most patients with MS reported high satisfaction levels and few negative perceptions of relationships with romantic partners/children/close friends. Future research should focus on identifying effective coping strategies used by satisfied couples and improving access to high-quality relationship-enrichment programs.

Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: when to consider the diagnosis.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a rodent-borne arenavirus that can cause congenital infection affecting the developing central nervous system. When the infection occurs during pregnancy, the virus targets the fetal brain and retina, potentially causing ventriculomegaly, hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. It has been previously suggested that lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus be added to the list of congenital infections currently included in the TORCH acronym (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, and syphilis). We present 2 neonates with antenatally known ventriculomegaly that were diagnosed with congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection after birth. In addition to ventriculomegaly, one had nonimmune hydrops fetalis and the other had intracranial hemorrhage. In view of the seroprevalence of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (4.7%-10%), our findings suggest that screening for congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection should be considered in fetuses and newborns with ventriculomegaly as well as other abnormal neuroimaging findings such as intracranial hemorrhage.