Do breaks in gastroenterology fellow endoscopy training result in a decrement in competency in colonoscopy?

BACKGROUND: Skills decay without practice, but the degree is task specific. Some experts believe that it is essential to teach endoscopy longitudinally to build and maintain endoscopic skills. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether breaks in gastroenterology fellow endoscopy training are associated with a decrement in competency in independent intubation of the cecum. DESIGN: Observational cohort of colonoscopies performed by gastroenterology fellows. SETTING: Academic fellowship program from July 2010 to March 2012. SUBJECTS: Twenty-four fellows. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The adjusted change in the slope of cumulative summation learning curves for cecal intubation after breaks in training and the slope at the end of the subsequent endoscopy rotation. RESULTS: A total of 6485 colonoscopies were performed by 24 fellows with 87 breaks in training. The average break was 6 weeks (range 2-36 weeks). Seventy-five percent of the breaks were 8 weeks or less. For every additional 4 weeks, the slope after the break worsened by 0.022 (P = .06, maximum possible change = -1.0 to +1.0). By the end of the subsequent rotation, there was no association between the slope of the learning curve and the length of the break (P = .68). LIMITATIONS: This was an observational study of only 24 fellows with relatively few long breaks. Cecal intubation is only 1 component of overall competency in colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: There may be a very small decrement in fellows' abilities to intubate the cecum after a break in endoscopy training. Because these changes are so small, teaching endoscopy in blocks is probably adequate, if necessary to balance other clinical and research experience. However, further research is needed to determine whether a longitudinal endoscopy experience is superior for attaining and maintaining competency, to evaluate the effects of breaks longer than 8 weeks, and to determine whether the effects of breaks depend on the previous volume of experience with colonoscopy.

Is MRCP equivalent to ERCP for diagnosing biliary obstruction in orthotopic liver transplant recipients? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Biliary complications are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) is considered the diagnostic criterion standard for post-orthotopic liver transplantation biliary obstruction, but incurs significant risks. OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of MRCP for biliary obstruction in OLT patients. DESIGN: A systematic literature search identified studies primarily examining the utility of MRCP in detecting post-orthotopic liver transplantation biliary obstruction. A meta-analysis was then performed according to the Quality of Reporting Meta-Analyses statement. SETTING: Meta-analysis of 9 studies originally performed at major transplantation centers. PATIENTS: A total of 382 OLT patients with clinical suspicion of biliary obstruction. INTERVENTIONS: MRCP and ERCP or clinical follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Sensitivity and specificity of MRCP for diagnosis of biliary obstruction. RESULTS: The composite sensitivity and specificity were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98) and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.90-0.97), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 17 (95% CI, 9.4-29.6) and 0.04 (95% CI, 0.02-0.08), respectively. LIMITATIONS: All but 1 included study had significant design flaws that may have falsely increased the reported diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The high sensitivity and specificity demonstrated in this meta-analysis suggest that MRCP is a promising test for diagnosing biliary obstruction in patients who have undergone liver transplantation. However, given the significant design flaws in most of the component studies, additional high-quality data are necessary before unequivocally recommending MRCP in this setting.

Radiation doses to ERCP patients are significantly lower with experienced endoscopists.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing ERCP receive nontrivial doses of radiation, which may increase their risk of developing cancer, especially young patients. Radiation doses to patients during ERCP correlate closely with fluoroscopy time. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether endoscopist experience is associated with fluoroscopy time. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database. SETTING: Data from 69 providers from 6 countries. PATIENTS: 9,052 entries of patients undergoing ERCP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Percent difference in fluoroscopy time associated with endoscopist experience and fellow involvement. RESULTS: For procedure types that require less fluoroscopy time, compared with endoscopists who performed > 200 ERCPs in the preceding year, endoscopists who performed <100 and 100 to 200 ERCPs had 104% (95% confidence interval [CI], 85%-124%) and 27% (95% CI, 20%-35%) increases in fluoroscopy time, respectively. Every 10 years of experience was associated with a 21% decrease in fluoroscopy time (95% CI, 19%-24%). For fluoroscopy-intense procedures, compared with endoscopists who performed >200 ERCPs in the preceding year, endoscopists who performed <100 and 100 to 200 ERCPs had 59% (95% CI, 39%-82%) and 11% (95% CI, 3%-20%) increases in fluoroscopy time, respectively. Every 10 years of experience was associated with a 20% decrease in fluoroscopy time (95% CI, 18%-24%). LIMITATIONS: Database used is a voluntary reporting system, which may not be generalizable. Data is self-reported and was not verified for accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoroscopy time is shorter when ERCP is performed by endoscopists with more years of performing ERCP and a greater number of ERCPs in the preceding year. These findings may have important ramifications for radiation-induced cancer risk.

Acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest: using simulation to assess resident performance and program outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Simulation training has emerged as an effective method of educating residents in cardiac emergencies. Few studies have used emergency simulation scenarios as an outcome measure to identify training deficiencies within residency programs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) residents on their ability to manage an acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest scenario before and after internship in order to provide outcome data to improve program performance. METHODS: A total of 58 PGY-1 residents from 10 medical specialties were evaluated using a human patient simulator before and after internship. They were given 12 minutes to manage a patient with acute coronary syndrome and ventricular fibrillation due to hyperkalemia. An objective checklist following basic and advanced cardiac life support guidelines was used to assess performance. RESULTS: A total of 58 interns (age, 25 to 44 years [mean, 29.1]; 38 [65.6%] men; 41 [70.7%] allopathic medical school graduates) participated in both the incoming and outgoing examination. Overall chest pain scores increased from a mean of 60.0% to 76.1% (P < .01). Medical knowledge performance improved from 51.1% to 76.1% (P < .01). Systems-based practice performance improved from 40.9% to 71.0% (P < .01). However, patient care performance declined from 93.4% to 80.2% (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: A simulated acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest scenario can evaluate incoming PGY-1 competency performance and test for interval improvement. This assessment tool can measure resident competency performance and evaluate program effectiveness.

Assessing intern core competencies with an objective structured clinical examination.

BACKGROUND: Residents are evaluated using Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a potential evaluation tool to measure these competencies and provide outcome data. OBJECTIVE: Create an OSCE to evaluate and demonstrate improvement in intern core competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice before and after internship. METHODS: From 2006 to 2008, 106 interns from 10 medical specialties were evaluated with a preinternship and postinternship OSCE at Madigan Army Medical Center. The OSCE included eight 12-minute stations that collectively evaluated the 6 ACGME core competencies using human patient simulators, standardized patients, and clinical scenarios. Interns were scored using objective and subjective criteria, with a maximum score of 100 for each competency. Stations included death notification, abdominal pain, transfusion consent, suture skills, wellness history, chest pain, altered mental status, and computer literature search. These stations were chosen by specialty program directors, created with input from board-certified specialists, and were peer reviewed. RESULTS: All OSCE testing on the 106 interns (ages 25 to 44 [average, 28.6]; 70 [66%] men; 65 [58%] allopathic medical school graduates) resulted in statistically significant improvement in all ACGME core competencies: patient care (71.9% to 80.0%, P < .001), medical knowledge (59.6% to 78.6%, P < .001), practice-based learning and improvement (45.2% to 63.0%, P < .001), interpersonal and communication skills (77.5% to 83.1%, P < .001), professionalism (74.8% to 85.1%, P < .001), and systems-based practice (56.6% to 76.5%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: An OSCE during internship can evaluate incoming baseline ACGME core competencies and test for interval improvement. The OSCE is a valuable assessment tool to provide outcome measures on resident competency performance and evaluate program effectiveness.