Automated Emails to Improve Evening Staffing for Anesthesiologists.

Scheduling flexibility and predictability to the end of a clinical workday are strategies aimed at addressing physician burnout. A voluntary relief shift was created to increase the pool of anesthesiologists providing end of the day relief. We hypothesized that an automated email reminder would improve the number of evening relief shifts filled and increase the number of anesthesiologists participating in the program. An automated email reminder was implemented, which selectively emailed anesthesiologists without a clinical assignment one day in advance when the voluntary relief shifts were not filled, and anticipated case volume past 4:00 PM was expected to exceed the capacity of the on-call team. After implementation of the automated email reminder, the median number of providers who worked the relief shift on a typical day was 2.6, compared to 1.75 prior to the intervention. After the initial increase in the number of volunteers post-intervention, the trend in the weekly average number of volunteers tended to decrease but remained higher than before the intervention. A total of 22 unique anesthesiologists chose to participate in this program after the intervention. An automated email reminder increased the number of anesthesiologists volunteering for a relief shift. Leveraging automation to match staffing needs with case volume allows for recruitment of additional personnel on the days when volunteers are most needed. Increasing the pool of anesthesiologists available to provide relief is one strategy to improve end of the day predictability and work-life balance.

Efficacy of an Online Curriculum for Perioperative Goals of Care and Code Status Discussions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative goals of care (GOC) and code status (CS) discussions are important in achieving an in-depth understanding of the patient's care goals in the setting of a serious illness, enabling the clinician to ensure patient autonomy and shared decision making. Past studies have shown that anesthesiologists are not formally trained in leading these discussions and may lack the necessary skill set. We created an innovative online video curriculum designed to teach these skills. This curriculum was compared to a traditional method of learning from reading the medical literature. METHODS: In this bi-institutional randomized controlled trial at 2 major academic medical centers, 60 anesthesiology trainees were randomized to receive the educational content in 1 of 2 formats: (1) the novel video curriculum (video group) or (2) journal articles (reading group). Thirty residents were assigned to the experimental video curriculum group, and 30 were assigned to the reading group. The content incorporated into the 2 formats focused on general preoperative evaluation of patients and communication strategies pertaining to GOC and CS discussions. Residents in both groups underwent a pre- and postintervention objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with standardized patients. Both OSCEs were scored using the same 24-point rubric. Score changes between the 2 OSCEs were examined using linear regression, and interrater reliability was assessed using weighted Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: Residents receiving the video curriculum performed significantly better overall on the OSCE encounter, with a mean score of 4.19 compared to 3.79 in the reading group. The video curriculum group also demonstrated statistically significant increased scores on 8 of 24 rubric categories when compared to the reading group. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel video curriculum led to significant increases in resident performance during simulated GOC discussions and modest increases during CS discussions. Further development and refinement of this curriculum are warranted.

Effect of Smartphone App-Based Education on Clinician Prescribing Habits in a Learning Health Care System: A Randomized Cluster Crossover Trial.

Importance: Effective methods for engaging clinicians in continuing education for learning-based practice improvement remain unknown. Objective: To determine whether a smartphone-based app using spaced education with retrieval practice is an effective method to increase evidence-based practice. Design, Setting, and Participants: A prospective, unblinded, single-center, crossover randomized clinical trial was conducted at a single academic medical center from January 6 to April 24, 2020. Vanderbilt University Medical Center clinicians prescribing intravenous fluids were invited to participate in this study. Interventions: All clinicians received two 4-week education modules: 1 on prescribing intravenous fluids and 1 on prescribing opioid and nonopioid medications (counterbalancing measure), over a 12-week period. The order of delivery was randomized 1:1 such that 1 group received the fluid management module first, followed by the pain management module after a 4-week break, and the other group received the pain management module first, followed by the fluid management module after a 4-week break. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was evidence-based clinician prescribing behavior concerning intravenous fluids in the inpatient setting and pain medication prescribing on discharge from the hospital. Results: A total of 354 participants were enrolled and randomized, with 177 in group 1 (fluid then pain management education) and 177 in group 2 (pain management then fluid education). During the overall study period, 16 868 questions were sent to 349 learners, with 11 783 (70.0%) being opened: 10 885 (92.4%) of those opened were answered and 7175 (65.9%) of those answered were answered correctly. The differences between groups changed significantly over time, indicated by the significant interaction between educational intervention and time (P = .002). Briefly, at baseline evidence-concordant IV fluid ordered 7.2% less frequently in group 1 than group 2 (95% CI, -19.2% to 4.9%). This was reversed after training at 4% higher (95% CI, -8.2% to 16.0%) in group 1 than group 2, a more than doubling in the odds of evidence-concordant ordering (OR, 2.56, 95% CI, 0.80-8.21). Postintervention, all gains had been reversed with less frequent ordering in group 1 than group 2 (-9.5%, 95% CI, -21.6% to 2.7%). There was no measurable change in opioid prescribing behaviors at any time point. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, use of smartphone app learning modules resulted in statistically significant short-term improvement in some prescribing behaviors. However, this effect was not sustained over the long-term. Additional research is needed to understand how to sustain improvements in care delivery as a result of continuous professional development at the institutional level. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03771482.

The Impact of Converting From an 'Educator-Driven' to a 'Learner-Initiated' Feedback Model.

BACKGROUND: Modern approaches to clinical evaluation emphasize the value of learner-driven feedback models, where trainees are encouraged to take an active role in the initiation of the evaluation process. In an effort to empower medical students to request evaluations on performance, our medical school developed a web-based application for mobile devices that prompts learners to solicit feedback electronically following a clinical encounter. In 2016, mandatory implementation of this application resulted in a transition from an educator-driven feedback model to a learner-driven feedback model. We aimed to investigate the impact of this innovative system on both the quality and quantity of feedback provided to medical students on their anesthesiology elective. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed medical students' feedback data from the sequential academic years prior to and after the implementation of our learner-driven feedback application. Quantitative analysis was performed to compare the frequency of evaluations requested and completed. Free-text commentary was analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Comments were categorized by quality and representative themes based upon Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Core Competency domains. RESULTS: A total of 297 evaluations for 72 students were analyzed. Students in the learner-driven model requested feedback more frequently than the previously educator-driven system (13.4 vs 8.9 requests per student, P < .0001). Additionally, a greater proportion of assessments were completed by evaluators when solicited from the learner-driven model (42% vs 34%, P = .0265). The quality of comments solicited from the learner-driven model were of higher quality when addressing students' strengths (71% vs 30%, P < .00001) and of lower quality when addressing areas of improvement (73% vs 59%, P = .0378). Comments from the learner-driven model were more likely to address Patient Care (48% vs 24%, P < .00001) and less likely to address Interpersonal and Clinical Communication (17% vs 28%, P = .0037) compared to the educator-driven model. CONCLUSIONS: A learner-driven feedback model was successful in improving the quantity of both requested and completed evaluations for students. The quality of feedback was also improved when addressing students' strengths.

Application of Kern's 6-Step Approach in the Development of a Novel Anesthesiology Curriculum for Perioperative Code Status and Goals of Care Discussions.

BACKGROUND: Code status discussions, goals of care discussions, and shared decision-making in the perioperative setting are of great importance. As perioperative physicians, anesthesiologists are uniquely poised to handle these discussions. Yet formal training for anesthesiology residents in how to approach these scenarios is currently lacking. METHODS: Using Kern's 6-step approach to curriculum development, we describe an innovative curriculum for anesthesiology residents designed to teach the necessary skills to successfully conduct code status and goals of care discussions and to assess its efficacy. RESULTS: Our curriculum is composed of the following educational components: (1) formal, online learning modules, (2) selected journal articles describing code status and goals of care discussions skills and communication strategies, and (3) 2 objective-structured clinical examination experiences, with 1 occurring prior to and the other occurring after completion of the educational content. The educational content focuses on evidence-based best practices content covering professional guidelines, current literature, shared decision-making, and effective communication strategies. We also describe the potential methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed educational interventions. CONCLUSION: Using Kern's framework, we developed a curriculum focusing on code status discussions, goals of care discussions, and shared decision-making in the perioperative setting which provides trainees with the opportunity to practice communication skills and receive feedback from a standardized patient through participation in an objective structured clinical examination.

Medical Student Perceptions of Learner-Initiated Feedback Using a Mobile Web Application.

Feedback, especially timely, specific, and actionable feedback, frequently does not occur. Efforts to better understand methods to improve the effectiveness of feedback are an important area of educational research. This study represents preliminary work as part of a plan to investigate the perceptions of a student-driven system to request feedback from faculty using a mobile device and Web-based application. We hypothesize that medical students will perceive learner-initiated, timely feedback to be an essential component of clinical education. Furthermore, we predict that students will recognize the use of a mobile device and Web application to be an advantageous and effective method when requesting feedback from supervising physicians. Focus group data from 18 students enrolled in a 4-week anesthesia clerkship revealed the following themes: (1) students often have to solicit feedback, (2) timely feedback is perceived as being advantageous, (3) feedback from faculty is perceived to be more effective, (4) requesting feedback from faculty physicians poses challenges, (5) the decision to request feedback may be influenced by the student's clinical performance, and (6) using a mobile device and Web application may not guarantee timely feedback. Students perceived using a mobile Web-based application to initiate feedback from supervising physicians to be a valuable method of assessment. However, challenges and barriers were identified.

Using the Teaching Perspectives Inventory as an Introduction to a Residents-as-Teachers Curriculum.

Objective: The Anesthesiology Milestone Project includes a milestone for assessing the teaching attributes of residents within the competency of Practice-based Learning and Improvement. We intend to develop a Residents-as-Teachers educational curriculum to assist our residents in successfully achieving this milestone. The goal of this study is to identify the specific teaching perspectives and intentions of our residents and to promote residents' comprehension of their own teaching philosophy. Methods: We invited our residents to complete the Teaching Perspective Inventory (TPI) and a follow-up survey to gather information regarding dominant and recessive teaching perspectives, their intended career pathway, and their view of the importance of understanding teaching perspectives. Results: The two most common dominant teaching perspectives are apprenticeship and nurturing for residents who are planning a career in both academic medicine and private practice. A greater percentage of residents planning an academic career agree that identifying their teaching perspective is beneficial to their role as a clinical educator, compared to those anticipating a career in private practice. Conclusions: Based on this pilot data, our Residents-as-Teachers curriculum will include instruction of educational strategies specifically designed towards the apprenticeship and nurturing perspectives.