Association of measured quality with financial health among U.S. hospitals.

BACKGROUND: High-quality care is a clear objective for hospital leaders, but hospitals must balance investing in quality with financial stability. Poor hospital financial health can precipitate closure, limiting patients' access to care. Whether hospital quality is associated with financial health remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to compare financial performance at high-quality and low-quality hospitals. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of U.S. hospitals using the American Hospital Association and Hospital Compare datasets for years 2013 to 2018. We used multilevel mixed-effects linear and logistic regression models with fixed year effects and random intercepts for hospitals to identify associations between hospitals' measured quality outcomes-30-day hospital-wide readmission rate and the patient safety indicator-90 (PSI-90)-and their financial margins and risk of financial distress in the same year and the subsequent year. Our sample included 20,919 observations from 4,331 unique hospitals. RESULTS: In 2018, the median 30-day readmission rate was 15.2 (interquartile range [IQR] 14.8-15.6), the median PSI-90 score was 0.96 (IQR 0.89-1.07), the median operating margin was -1.8 (IQR -9.7-5.9), and 750 (22.7%) hospitals experienced financial distress. Hospitals in the best quintile of readmission rates experienced higher operating margins (+0.95%, 95% CI [0.51-1.39], p < .001) and lower odds of distress (odds ratio [OR] 0.56, 95% CI [0.45-0.70], p < .001) in the same year as compared to hospitals in the worst quintile. Hospitals in the best quintile of PSI-90 had higher operating margins (+0.62%, 95% CI [0.17-1.08], p = .007) and lower odds of financial distress (OR 0.70, 95% CI [0.55-0.89], p = .003) as compared to hospitals in the worst quintile. The results were qualitatively similar for the same-year and lag-year analyses. CONCLUSION: Hospitals that deliver high-quality outcomes may experience superior financial performance compared to hospitals with poor-quality outcomes.

Defining the Value of Interventional Radiology to Healthcare Stakeholders: Proceedings from a Society of Interventional Radiology Research Consensus Panel.

Interventional radiology (IR) has collectively struggled to articulate and prove its value to several external stakeholders. The goal of this research consensus panel was to provide a summary of the existing knowledge, identify current gaps in knowledge, identify the strengths and weaknesses in existing data, and prioritize research needs related to the value of IR. Panelists were asked to identify the critical relationships/alliances that should be fostered to advance the prioritized research and determine how the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation can further support these initiatives. Following presentations and discussions, it was determined that proving and quantifying how IR decreases the length of stay and prevents hospital admissions are the most salient, value-related research topics to pursue for the specialty.

Simulated disclosure of a medical error by residents: development of a course in specific communication skills.

OBJECTIVES: Surgery residents are expected to demonstrate the ability to communicate with patients, families, and the public in a wide array of settings on a wide variety of issues. One important setting in which residents may be required to communicate with patients is in the disclosure of medical error. This article details one approach to developing a course in the disclosure of medical errors by residents. DESIGN: Before the development of this course, residents had no education in the skills necessary to disclose medical errors to patients. Residents viewed a Web-based video didactic session and associated slide deck and then were filmed disclosing a wrong-site surgery to a standardized patient (SP). The filmed encounter was reviewed by faculty, who then along with the SP scored each encounter (5-point Likert scale) over 10 domains of physician-patient communication. The residents received individualized written critique, the numerical analysis of their individual scenario, and an opportunity to provide feedback over a number of domains. A mean score of 4.00 or greater was considered satisfactory. Faculty and SP assessments were compared with Student t test. SETTING: Residents were filmed in a one-on-one scenario in which they had to disclose a wrong-site surgery to a SP in a Simulation Center. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12 residents, shortly to enter the clinical postgraduate year 4, were invited to participate, as they will assume service leadership roles. All were finishing their laboratory experiences, and all accepted the invitation. RESULTS: Residents demonstrated satisfactory competence in 4 of the 10 domains assessed by the course faculty. There were significant differences in the perceptions of the faculty and SP in 5 domains. The residents found this didactic, simulated experience of value (Likert score ≥4 in 5 of 7 domains assessed in a feedback tool). Qualitative feedback from the residents confirmed the realistic feel of the encounter and other impressions. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to quantitatively demonstrate both competency and opportunities for improvement across a wide range of domains of interpersonal and communication skills. Residents are expected to communicate effectively with patients, families, and the public, as appropriate, across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. As academic surgeons, we must be mindful of our roles as teachers, mentors, and coaches by teaching good communication skills to our residents. Courses such as the one described here can help in improving physician-patient communication. The differing perspectives of faculty and SPs regarding resident performance warrants further study.

Managing a surgical exsanguination emergency in the operating room through simulation: an interdisciplinary approach.

OBJECTIVE: Operating room (OR) emergencies, such as fire, anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, and exsanguination, are infrequent, but high-risk situations that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. An exsanguination scenario involving a pregnant trauma patient in the OR was developed for surgery residents with the objectives of improving overall team performance when activating an emergency response system, identifying a team leader, initiating an exsanguination protocol, following advanced cardiac life support guidelines, and recognizing the mother as the first patient. STUDY DESIGN: During 6 months, 171 OR staff members of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania participated in a prospective study in which randomly selected groups of surgery residents, anesthesia residents, and perioperative nurses were trained in a simulated exsanguination and cardiac arrest emergency. Upon arrival to the simulation center, groups of trainees were assigned to a simulated OR equipped with a SimMan 3G (Laerdal, Norway) and a session moderator. The scenario started with a pregnant patient in hemorrhagic shock, bleeding from a carotid injury, ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. Each group did an initial "cold" simulation without any prior training or knowledge of the scenario, followed by a didactic training session, and ending with a "warm" simulation. SETTING: Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center at 1800 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RESULTS: Among 156 participants, 50% reported understanding their role in an OR exsanguination emergency pretraining, compared with 98% who understood it posttraining (p < 0.001). For activation of the exsanguination protocol, 50% understood how to do it pretraining, compared with 98% posttraining (p = 0.004). The time needed to complete 8 clinically significant tasks was documented pre- and posttraining, with a statistically significant improvement in all tasks. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this simulated exsanguination emergency demonstrate that team training using a high-fidelity mannequin is an effective way to train OR personnel, on how to manage exsanguinating traumatic patients in a high-risk surgical emergency.

Successful implementation of the american college of surgeons/association of program directors in surgery surgical skills curriculum via a 4-week consecutive simulation rotation.

INTRODUCTION: Increased patient awareness, duty hour restrictions, escalating costs, and time constraints in the operating room have revolutionized surgery education. Although simulation and skills laboratories are emerging as promising alternatives for skills training, their integration into graduate surgical education is inconsistent, erratic, and often on a voluntary basis. We hypothesize that, by implementing the American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors in Surgery Surgical Skills Curriculum in a structured, inanimate setting, we can address some of these concerns. METHODS: Sixty junior surgery residents were assigned to the Penn Surgical Simulation and Skills Rotation. The National Surgical Skills Curriculum was implemented using multiple educational tools under faculty supervision. Pretraining and posttraining assessments of technical skills were conducted using validated instruments. Trainee and faculty feedbacks were collected using a structured feedback form. RESULTS: Significant global performance improvement was demonstrated using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills score for basic surgical skills (knot tying, wound closure, enterotomy closure, and vascular anastomosis) and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery skills, P < 0.001. Six trainees were retested on an average of 13.5 months later (range, 8-16 months) and retained more than 75% of their basic surgical skills. DISCUSSION: The American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors in Surgery National Surgical Skills Curriculum can be implemented in its totality as a 4-week consecutive surgical simulation rotation in an inanimate setting, leading to global enhancement of junior surgical residents' technical skills and contributing to attainment of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competency.

Deep brain stimulation response in pathologically confirmed cases of multiple system atrophy.

Deep brain stimulation is a treatment for select cases of medication refractory movement disorders including Parkinson's disease. Deep brain stimulation has not been recommended for treatment in multiple system atrophy patients. However, the paucity of literature documenting the effects of deep brain stimulation in multiple system atrophy patients and the revelation of a levodopa responsive subtype of multiple system atrophy suggests further investigation is necessary. This study summarizes the positive and negative effects of deep brain stimulation treatment in two pathologically confirmed multiple system atrophy patients from the University of Florida Deep Brain Stimulation-Brain Tissue Network. Clinical diagnosis for the two patient cases did not match the neuropathological diagnosis. We noted that in both pathologically confirmed multiple system atrophy patients, death occurred as a result of myocardial infarction. Importantly, there was reported transient benefit in levodopa responsive features that indicate deep brain stimulation may be an option for select multiple system atrophy patients.

Sustained Medication Reduction Following Unilateral VIM Thalamic Stimulation for Essential Tremor.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an increasingly utilized therapeutic modality for the management of medication refractory essential tremor (ET). The aim of this study was to determine whether DBS allowed for anti-tremor medication reduction within the year after the procedure was performed. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review and telephone interviews on 34 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with ET, and who had undergone unilateral DBS surgery. RESULTS: Of the 34 patients in our cohort, 31 patients (91%) completely stopped all anti-tremor medications either before surgery (21 patients, 62%) or in the year following DBS surgery (10 patients, 29%). Patients who discontinued tremor medications before DBS surgery did so because their tremors either became refractory to anti-tremor medication, or they developed adverse events to tremor medications. Patients who stopped tremor medications after DBS surgery did so due to sufficient tremor control. Only three patients (9%) who were taking tremor medications at the time of surgery continued the use of a beta-blocker post-operatively for the purpose of hypertension management in all cases. DISCUSSION: The data from this study indicate that medication cessation is common following unilateral DBS for ET.

What is the cost associated with the implementation and maintenance of an ACS/APDS-based surgical skills curriculum?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost associated with the American College of Surgery (ACS)/Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS)-based surgical skills curriculum (SSC) within a general surgery residency program. METHODS: The Penn Surgical Simulation Center (PSSC) of the University of Pennsylvania was established by the Department of Surgery during the 2006-2007 academic year and became a Level-I ACS Accredited Education Institute in 2008. Each academic year, 38 junior residents are assigned to a 4-week dedicated simulation rotation based on the ACS/APDS-based SSC. In conjunction with voluntary participation by faculty, a salaried educational fellow is responsible for maintaining the schedule and administering the surgical skills training modules. The costs associated with the ACS/APDS-based SSC were divided in initial implementation capital expenses and annual operational maintenance expenses. RESULTS: The overall capital expenditures associated with the implementation of the curriculum were $4.204 million. These costs included the purchase of low and high-fidelity simulation equipment and initial construction costs to renovate a previous operating room (OR) and recovery suite into the Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center (PMCSC) which has housed the PSSC since 2008. The annual operational expenses are $476,000 and include the salary for the educational fellow, disposables, and other supplies, and the PMCSC average student fees. The annual cost per resident for the 4-week dedicated simulation rotation is $12,516. This figure does not include the average cost for teaching efforts including the simulation teaching per participating faculty member which is $30,000 in Relative Teaching Value Units per year. CONCLUSIONS: The expenditures associated with the implementation and maintenance of the ACS/APDS-based surgical skills curriculum in a surgical residency program are significant. This center's experience might be useful to programs deciding on more cost-effective means of implementing the ACS/APDS-SSC into their training.

The Frequency of Nonmotor Symptoms among Advanced Parkinson Patients May Depend on Instrument Used for Assessment.

Background. Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) may be more debilitating than motor symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and corecognition of NMS among our advanced PD cohort (patients considered for deep brain stimulation (DBS)) and caregivers. Methods. NMS-Questionnaire (NMS-Q), a self-administered screening questionnaire, and NMS Assessment-Scale (NMS-S), a clinician-administered scale, were administered to PD patients and caregivers. Results. We enrolled 33 PD patients (23 males, 10 females) and caregivers. The most frequent NMS among patients using NMS-Q were gastrointestinal (87.9%), sleep (84.9%), and urinary (72.7%), while the most frequent symptoms using NMS-S were sleep (90.9%), gastrointestinal (75.8%), and mood (75.8%). Patient/caregiver scoring correlations for NMS-Q and NMS-S were 0.670 (P < 0.0001) and 0.527 (P = 0.0016), respectively. Conclusion The frequency of NMS among advanced PD patients and correlation between patients and caregivers varied with the instrument used. The overall correlation between patient and caregiver was greater with NMS-Q than NMS-S.

Steady or not following thalamic deep brain stimulation for essential tremor.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an important option for medication-refractory essential tremor (ET), but may contribute to worsened gait and falling. This study evaluates impaired gait in a cohort of patients treated with DBS with a retrospective review of ET patients before and after DBS implantation. Factors examined included: age, duration of symptoms, pre-morbid gait difficulties/falls, Fahn-Tolosa-Marin tremorrating scale (TRS) scores at baseline, 6 months post-unilateral DBS implantation, and 6 or 12 months post-bilateral implantation. All implantations targeted the nucleus ventralis intermediate (Vim). Thirty-eight patients (25 males, 13 females) were included. Twenty-five patients (65.8%) underwent unilateral DBS implantation and 13 (34.2%) bilateral. The mean age at surgery was 67.1 years ± 11.4 (range 34-81). The mean disease duration was 31 years ± 18.3 (range 6-67). Fifty-eight percent of patients had worsened gait post-operatively. Seventy percent of patients with unilateral Vim DBS experienced gait worsening while 55% of bilateral DBS patients experienced gait worsening. Patients with worsened gait post-DBS had higher baseline pre-operative TRS scores than those without worsened gait (43.1 points ± 8.4 vs. 33.1 points ± 10.1, p = 0.002) (odds ratio 2.5, p = 0.02). Gait/balance may worsen following DBS for medication refractory ET. Higher baseline TRS score may factor into these issues, although a larger prospective study will be required with a control population. The larger percentage of difficulties observed in unilateral versus bilateral cases likely reflected the bias not to proceed to second-sided surgery if gait/balance problems were encountered.

A pilot study of human brain tissue post-magnetic resonance imaging: information from the National Deep Brain Stimulation Brain Tissue Network (DBS-BTN).

INTRODUCTION: The safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for deep brain stimulation (DBS) patients is of great importance to both movement disorders clinicians and to radiologists. The present study utilized the Deep Brain Stimulation Brain Tissue Network's (DBS-BTN's) clinical and neuropathological database to search for evidence of adverse effects of MRI performed on implanted DBS patients. HYPOTHESIS: Performing a 1.5 T MRI with a head receive coil on patients with implanted DBS devices should not result in evidence of adverse clinical or pathological effects in the DBS-BTN cohort. Further, exposing post-mortem DBS-BTN brains with DBS leads to extended 3T MRI imaging should not result in pathological adverse effects. METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed to establish clinical and neuropathological criteria for evidence of MRI-related adverse reactions in DBS patients. A retrospective chart review of the DBS-BTN patients was then performed to uncover potential adverse events resulting from MRI scanning. DBS patient characteristics and MRI parameters were recorded for each patient. In addition, 3T MRI scans were performed on 4 post-mortem brains with DBS leads but without batteries attached. Detailed neuropathological studies were undertaken to search for evidence of MRI-induced adverse tissue changes. RESULTS: No clinical signs or symptoms or MRI-induced adverse effects were discovered in the DBS-BTN database, and on detailed review of neuroimaging studies. Neuropathological examination did not reveal changes consistent with MRI-induced heating damage. The novel study of four brains with prolonged 3T post-mortem magnetic field exposure (DBS leads left in place) also did not reveal pathological changes consistent with heat related damage. DISCUSSION: The current study adds important information to the data on the safety of MRI in DBS patients. Novel post-mortem MRI studies provide additional information regarding the safety of 3T MRI in DBS patients, and could justify additional studies especially post-mortem scans with battery sources in place. CONCLUSION: The lack of pathological findings in the DBS-BTN database and the lack of tissue related changes following prolonged exposure to 3T MRI in the post-mortem brains suggest that MRI scanning in DBS patients may be relatively safe, especially under current guidelines requiring a head receive coil. Subsequent studies exploring the safety of 1.5 T versus 3T MRI in DBS patients should utilize more in depth post-mortem imaging to better simulate the human condition.

Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Parkinson's Nonmotor Symptoms following Unilateral DBS: A Pilot Study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) management has traditionally focused largely on motor symptoms. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus internus (GPi) are effective treatments for motor symptoms. Nonmotor symptoms (NMSs) may also profoundly affect the quality of life. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate NMS changes pre- and post-DBS utilizing two recently developed questionnaires. Methods. NMS-Q (questionnaire) and NMS-S (scale) were administered to PD patients before/after unilateral DBS (STN/GPi targets). Results. Ten PD patients (9 STN implants, 1 GPi implant) were included. The three most frequent NMS symptoms identified utilizing NMS-Q in pre-surgical patients were gastrointestinal (100%), sleep (100%), and urinary (90%). NMS sleep subscore significantly decreased (-1.6 points ± 1.8, P = 0.03). The three most frequent NMS symptoms identified in pre-surgical patients using NMS-S were gastrointestinal (90%), mood (80%), and cardiovascular (80%). The largest mean decrease of NMS scores was seen in miscellaneous symptoms (pain, anosmia, weight change, and sweating) (-7 points ± 8.7), and cardiovascular/falls (-1.9, P = 0.02). Conclusion. Non-motor symptoms improved on two separate questionnaires following unilateral DBS for PD. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine their clinical significance as well as to examine the strengths/weaknesses of each questionnaire/scale.

Factors related to extended hospital stays following deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are typically discharged from the hospital the day following deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery; however, factors extending hospital stay are largely unknown. This study examined potential factors that might have corresponded to increased post-operative stays following unilateral DBS surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on 115 unilateral PD DBS patients. Age, gender, number of microelectrode passes, duration and severity of illness, and pre-operative neuropsychological scores were considered as possible contributors to length of stay. RESULTS: Most patients (79%) had a hospital stay of one day following surgery. The most frequent reasons for delayed discharge (>1 day) included mental status change (N = 6) and hemorrhage (N = 5). Those with delayed discharge had significantly lower pre-surgical cognitive screening scores (Mini-Mental State Evaluation; MMSE), higher pre-surgical "on" medication motor score, and more microelectrode passes than those with immediate discharge. In correlation analyses, increasing length of hospital stay was significantly associated with more microelectrode passes, higher pre-surgical "on" medication motor scores, and decreasing MMSE scores. When the significant variables from the preliminary analyses were entered into a Poisson regression model, a greater number of microelectrode passes as well as lower MMSE scores remained significant predictors of increased length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: The number of microelectrode passes utilized for DBS surgery as well as a patient's general cognitive status may be important factors related to extended hospital stay. UPDRS "on" medication motor score may also provide some predictive power for immediate post-operative morbidity in unilateral DBS patients.

A novel approach for augmenting percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement training.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical trainees routinely participate in percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement. Although simulation has gained widespread acceptance, novice trainees continue learning this procedure on real patients. We designed a novel hands-on training model for practicing PEG tube placement with minimal monetary investment (cost<$10). METHODS: Our portable low-fidelity bench model has a simulated upper gastrointestinal construct made of foam. Seventeen trainees used our model to acquire and practice skills necessary to perform PEG tube placement, for setting up and troubleshooting upper gastrointestinal endoscope, and for using endoscopic instruments in the state-of-the-art simulated operative room. Thirteen trainees completed the course evaluation, using a 5-point Likert scale (5=strongly agree). RESULTS: The training resulted in a self-reported increase in equipment familiarity (4.23±0.73) and troubleshooting real endoscope (4.69±0.48), and trainees felt better prepared (4.23±0.93) for performing PEG tube placement on real patients. Trainees agreed that this exercise has more educational value than using virtual reality simulator alone (4.38±0.52). CONCLUSIONS: Procedural training for PEG tube placement using a simple bench training model is perceived as valuable by trainees. Cost and commercial availability can be overcome by innovation in surgical simulation.

The number and nature of emergency department encounters in patients with deep brain stimulators.

UNLABELLED: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an increasingly common modality for control of several neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor (ET), and others. Our experience has demonstrated the need for emergency physicians to familiarize themselves with the potential complications of the DBS device as well as the device itself. Therefore, our aim in this paper was to elucidate the number and nature of DBS and non-DBS presentations to the emergency department (ED) and to educate and familiarize ED physicians about DBS devices and their potential complications. We also aimed to devise a simple protocol for DBS management so that all ED physicians would have access to the knowledge or referral capabilities when managing a DBS patient. The objective of the present study was to review the number and nature of ED encounters in patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices implanted for movement and neuropsychiatric disorders. METHODS: The series of encounters reviewed included 215 unique patients with DBS implantation who were identified using an IRB approved database and a paper chart review. Patients in the study included those implanted at University of Florida (UF), as well as those implanted at outside institutions, so long as they were followed at UF. The cohort included n = 215 DBS patients. 25.6% of all 215 patients presented to the ED at least once, with the most common presentation occurring as a result of a decline in mental status when taking into account all visits (6%). Reasons for presentation to the ED included neurological (54.6%), infections/hardware issues (27.9%), orthopedic/focal problems (10.5%), and medical issues (7%). In total, 29 patients arrived at the ED for DBS related issues (23.2%). Of those who presented to the ED (n = 55), the average age was 53.1 (range 10-80 years). Headache was the most common complaint within the neurological category (22.1%), followed by change in mental status (15.1%), and syncope (9.3%). When examining the data by ED diagnosis, change in mental status occurred most commonly in Parkinson's disease (19.6%). Falls were most common in essential tremor (27.2%), and headache occurred most commonly in the dystonia group (52.1%). Across all diseases, mental status change was the most common indication for an ED encounter (6%). Parkinson disease patients most commonly presented with altered mental status (8%), essential tremor patients revealed a high preponderance of falls (6.5%), and dystonia patients tended to present with headache (7.1%). It was concluded that a large number of patients with DBS will present to the ED for many reasons, the majority of which will not be direct complications of their DBS device. Neurological issues were the most common chief complaint, with individual differences depending on the underlying disease. It is important for ED physicians to consider non-DBS related complaints in the presentation of these unique patients since these issues comprise the majority of the ED visits. However, when properly evaluating these patients, management of their DBS device, or referrals to neurosurgery and neurology, if necessary, are imperative. In addition to device management, regular ED standards of care should apply to this special cohort of patients.

Contributions of surgical residents to patient satisfaction: impact of residents beyond clinical care.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the relationship between resident performance and patient satisfaction. To this end, our institution added housestaff-specific questions to Press-Ganey surveys (Press-Ganey, South Bend, Indiana) administered to patients. This study sought to investigate the impact residents have on patients' overall rating of care compared with faculty and nursing staff. Our hypothesis was that residents play an important but historically underappreciated role in patient satisfaction. METHODS: Between April 2005 and June 2006, half of all discharged patients randomly received Press-Ganey surveys, including questions on the following categories: admissions, patient room, food, diagnostic testing, guest services, faculty/attending physician, discharge, emotional needs, housestaff, nurse practitioners, and primary nurse. responses were grouped into overall category scores and used as predictor variables for regression analysis. a separate question asked patients to rate overall care provided. Chief resident schedules and evaluation scores by faculty were provided by the Division of Surgery Education. Regression, and ANOVA models were run using JMP 6 software (JMP 6, SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina). RESULTS: During this period, 49,081 patients were discharged, 24,540 surveys were mailed, and 5828 surveys were returned (24% response rate). In a simple regression analysis, the predictor variables for nursing, housestaff, and faculty accounted for 57%, 33%, and 28%, respectively, of the variation of overall rating of care delivered (p < 0.005). The actual overall score for each group varied slightly: faculty (89.8), nursing (86.6), and housestaff (84.2) (p < 0.005). In a multiple regression analysis, all predictors above were significant (p < 0.05). A small difference in scores existed between surgical (83.9) and nonsurgical (85.0) housestaff (p < 0.05). When data were sorted by surgical services, ratings of surgical housestaff ranged from a high of 86.8 (thoracic) to a low of 79.0 (orthopedics) (p < 0.05). Admission month had no significant effect on overall rating of care (range, 85-90), although comparing the means of resident scores by month (range, 81-86) showed that at the end (May-June) and at the beginning (July-Aug) of an academic year, a significant reduction in resident scores occurred (p < 0.05). The lowest score of the year (82.4) occurred in June, whereas the highest scores occurred in January-April (85-86). Resident evaluation scores by faculty and ratings of housestaff by patients were completely uncorrelated, although certain housestaff achieved significantly higher ratings by patients than others. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with faculty and residents, nurses have a greater impact on the variation of patient satisfaction. However, the actual scores given to residents, faculty, and nurses are all high. A slight difference exists in scores of surgical and nonsurgical residents. For all residents, the time of the academic year impacts resident scores positively in the middle and negatively in the beginning and end. For surgical residents clear differences exist between specialty services, but it is not apparent whether these differences are caused by individual residents or by the clinical service milieu. Residents contribute significantly to overall satisfaction, and additional investigation of the variation in resident scores is needed.

Newborn and toddler intestinal obstruction owing to congenital mesenteric defects.

Transmesenteric hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction most commonly affecting the small bowel. The mesenteric defect is usually 2 to 3 cm in diameter. The authors describe 2 cases of young pediatric patients presenting with bowel obstruction resulting from a congenital mesenteric defect. The initial patient had a 30-cm-wide congenital defect in the ileal mesentery through which the sigmoid colon and some loops of small bowel had herniated. The second patient is a newborn infant who presented with symptoms and radiographic evidence of proximal bowel obstruction initially thought to be resulting from malrotation with midgut volvulus but was found at surgical exploration to have a small defect in the ileal mesentery.

Patterns and predictions of resident misbehavior--a 10-year retrospective look.

BACKGROUND: Surgical educators are charged with ensuring that their trainees conduct themselves in a professional manner. The authors retrospectively reviewed a 10-year experience of incident reports on surgical housestaff to determine patterns and predictors of behavior. METHODS: A retrospective review of all letters, e-mails, and incident reports was conducted for general surgery residents from 1995 to 2005. Descriptive variables were selected for binary categorization (not mutually exclusive): poor professional conduct, protocol violation, administrative deficiency, verbal mistreatment, physical boundary issues, mistreatment of superiors, and deficient medical student interaction. Resident status was defined as current, graduate, and attrition. RESULTS: Of 110 residents [90 [82%] categorical, 23 [21%] undesignated preliminary (3 overlapped both groups); 87 [79%] male, 23 [21%] female] who trained at the University of Pennsylvania during this period, 66 complaints were generated about 29 individuals. Overall, 50 of the 66 complaints (76%) were directed toward men and the remaining 16 (24%) toward women; 24% of all men and 35% of all women received 1 or more complaints. A total of 76% of complaints concerned categorical residents and 24% undesignated preliminary residents. And 26% of all categorical residents and 26% of all preliminary residents received at least 1 complaint. The most common complaints concerned professional conduct (83%), protocol violation (33%), verbal mistreatment (23%), deficiencies of administrative duties (8%), violations of physical boundaries (5%), deficient medical student interaction (5%), and mistreatment of attendings by residents (3%). Recipients of verbal mistreatment included staff nurses (27%), radiology technicians (13%), medical students (13%), environmental services employees (7%), security guards (7%), patients (7%), surgery attendings (7%), anesthesia attendings (7%), internal medicine chief residents (7%), and pharmacists (7%). A total of 31% of the complaints were regarding residents who involuntarily departed and 7% regarding residents who left voluntarily before completion. The mean PGY level at first complaint was 2.2 years. Of the 29 residents receiving complaints, 16 had recurrent offenses (range 2 to 7 total complaints, positive predictive value [PPV] 53%). CONCLUSION: Resident misbehavior manifests early and recurs often. Furthermore, it is frequently directed toward perceived subordinates. Nondesignated preliminary status, premature departure from the program, and the eventual selection of specific subspecialty fellowships seems to increase the risk for resident misbehavior. Identified residents require close surveillance and remediation.

How do surgical residents and non-physician practitioners play together in the sandbox?

INTRODUCTION: The reduction of resident work hours due to the 80-hour workweek has created pressure on academic health-care systems to find "replacement residents." At the authors' institution, a group of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), collectively referred to as non-physician practitioners (NPPs), were hired as these reinforcements, such that the number of NPPs (56) was almost twice the number of clinical categorical surgery residents (37). An experienced leader with national credibility was hired to run the NPP program. On each service, the call system was changed to a night float system, whereby residents were pulled from traditional resident teams to serve as nighttime residents during the week. A total of 1-3 NPPs were hired for each team, but whether NPPs worked for the team as a whole, or were assigned to individual attendings, was left to the discretion of the division chiefs. One year after the start of this program, the authors wanted to study the effects it has had on both surgery resident education and NPP job satisfaction. METHODS: An electronic, anonymous survey was conducted during a monthly surgery resident meeting, and out of 72 categorical and preliminary surgery residents, 50% submitted answers to 12 questions. A similar electronic survey was administered to all 56 NPPs, with 45% responding. RESULTS: Overall, 63% of residents believed that lines of communication between surgery team members were clear, and 58% of residents and 71% of NPPs believed that attendings, residents, and NPPs worked together effectively. A total of 91% of residents believed that the addition of NPPs to the teams was positive overall, and 80% of NPPs were satisfied with their positions. Overall, 60% of residents and 50% of NPPs felt that educational goals were being met. DISCUSSION: Implementation of the 80-hour workweek and introduction of NPs and PAs onto the inpatient surgical services has altered resident education at the authors' institution. Although overall most residents view the addition of NPPs to the clinical services as positive, there are concerns about the program. Although hired to fill the void left by decreasing labor hours of residents, NPPs do not necessarily have the same goals as surgery residents and there is confusion about how NPPs fit into the hierarchy of the traditional surgical team.