An Intervention to Improve Procedure Education for Internal Medicine Residents

Background Internists commonly perform invasive procedures, but serious deficiencies exist in procedure training during residency. Objective Evaluate a comprehensive, inpatient procedure service rotation (MPS) to improve Internal Medicine residents’ comfort and self-perceived knowledge in performing lumbar puncture, abdominal paracentesis, thoracentesis, arthrocentesis, and central venous catheterization (CVC). Design The MPS comprised 1 faculty physician and 1–3 residents rotating for 2 weeks. It incorporated lectures, a textbook, instructional videos, supervised practice on mannequins, and inpatient procedures directly supervised by the faculty physician. We measured MPS impact using pre- and post-MPS rotation surveys, and surveyed all residents at academic year-end. Measurements and Main Results Thirty-nine categorical Internal Medicine residents completed the required rotation and surveys over the 2004–2005 academic year, performing 325 procedures. Post-MPS, the percentage of residents reporting comfort performing procedures rose 15–36% (p < .05 except for arthrocentesis, and CVC via internal jugular and femoral veins). The fraction desiring more training fell 26–51% (all p < .05). After the MPS rotation, self-rated knowledge increased in all surveyed aspects of the procedures. The year-end survey showed that improvements persisted. Comfort at year-end, for all procedures except abdominal paracentesis, was significantly higher among residents who rotated through the MPS than among those who had not. Self-reported compliance with recommended antiseptic measures was 75% for residents who completed the MPS, and 28% for those who had not (p < 0.001). Conclusions A comprehensive procedure service rotation of 2 weeks duration substantially improved residents’ comfort and self-perceived knowledge in performing invasive procedures. These benefits persisted at least to the end of the academic year.     

Transitioning From Medical Educator to Scholarship in Medical Education

Clinician educators spend most of their time in clinical practice, educating trainees in all types of care settings. Many are involved in formal teaching, curriculum development and learner assessment while holding educational leadership roles as well. Finding time to engage in scholarly work that can be presented and published is an academic expectation, but also a test of efficiency. Just as clinical research originates from problems related to patients, so should educational research originate from issues related to educating the next generation of doctors. Accrediting bodies challenge medical educators to be innovative while faculty already make the best use of the limited time available. One obvious solution is to turn the already existing education work into scholarly work. With forethought, planning, explicit expectations and use of the framework laid out in this article, clinical educators should be able to turn their everyday work and education challenges into scholarly work.     

Politics and Graduate Medical Education in Internal Medicine: A Dynamic Landscape

The promotion of change and growth within medical education is oftentimes the result of a complex mix of societal, cultural and economic forces. Graduate medical education in internal medicine is not immune to these forces. Several entities and organizations can be identified as having a major influence on internal medicine training and graduate medical education as a whole. We have reviewed how this is effectively accomplished through these entities and organizations. The result is a constantly changing and dynamic landscape for internal medicine training.     

Capturing the Diagnosis: An Internal Medicine Education Program to Improve Documentation

Background

Specific and accurate documentation of patient diagnoses and comorbidities in the medical record is critical to drive quality improvement and to ensure accuracy of publicly reported data. Unfortunately, inpatient documentation is taught to internal medicine trainees and practitioners sporadically, if at all. At Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a public, tertiary care, academic medical center, we implemented an educational program to enhance documentation of diagnoses and comorbidities by internal medicine resident and attending physicians.

Methods

The program consisted of a series of lectures and the creation of a pocket card. These were designed to guide providers in accurate documentation of common diagnoses that group to different levels of disease severity, achieved by capturing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services complication codes and major complication codes. We started the educational program in January 2010 and used a pre-post design to compare outcomes. The program's impact on complication codes and major complication codes capture rates, mortality index, and case mix index was evaluated using the University Health Consortium database.

Results

The median quarterly complication codes and major complication codes capture rate for inpatients on the internal medicine service was 42% before the intervention versus 48% after (P = .003). Observed mortality did not change but expected mortality increased, resulting in a 30% decline in median quarterly mortality index (P = .001). The median quarterly case mix index increased from 1.27 to 1.36 (P = .004).

Conclusions

Thus, implementation of an internal medicine documentation curriculum improved accuracy in documenting diagnoses and comorbidities, resulting in improved capture of complication codes.     

Medical Readers' Theater: Relevance to Geriatrics Medical Education

Medical Readers' Theater (MRT) is an innovative and simple way of helping medical students to reflect on difficult-to-discuss topics in geriatrics medical education, such as aging stereotypes, disability and loss of independence, sexuality, assisted living, relationships with adult children, and end-of-life issues. The authors describe a required MRT experience involving third-year medical students on their Family Medicine clerkship and volunteer residents from a nearby continuing care retirement community. Evaluation of the program shows positive benefits to student and senior participants in terms of greater awareness of each other's perspectives and improved communication.     

Medical Student-Run Health Clinics: Important Contributors to Patient Care and Medical Education

Background Despite the popularity of medical student-run health clinics among U.S. medical schools, there is no information about how many clinics exist, how many students volunteer there, or how many patients they see and what services they offer. Objective We describe, for the first time, the prevalence and operation of medical student-run health clinics nationwide. Design and participants A web-based survey was sent to all 124 Association of American Medical Colleges allopathic schools in the 50 states. Results Ninety-four schools responded (76%); 49 schools had at least 1 student-run clinic (52%). Fifty-nine student-run clinics provided detailed data on their operation. The average clinic had 16 student volunteers a week, and most incorporated preclinical students (56/59, 93%). Nationally, clinics reported more than 36,000 annual patient–physician visits, in addition to more nonvisit encounters. Patients were predominantly minority: 31% Hispanic; 31% Black/African American; 25% White; 11% Asian; and 3% Native American or other. Most student-run health clinics had resources both to treat acute illness and also to manage chronic conditions. Clinics were most often funded by private grants (42/59, 71%); among 27 clinics disclosing finances, a median annual operating budget of $12,000 was reported. Conclusions Medical student-run health clinics offer myriad services to disadvantaged patients and are also a notable phenomenon in medical education. Wider considerations of community health and medical education should not neglect the local role of a student-run health clinic.     

Internet Resources for Curriculum Development in Medical Education

Curriculum development in medical education should be a methodical and scholarly, yet practical process that addresses the needs of trainees, patients, and society. To be maximally efficient and effective, it should build upon previous work and use existing resources. A conventional search of the literature is necessary, but insufficient for this purpose. The internet provides a rich source of information and materials. This bibliography is a guide to internet resources that are of use to curriculum developers, organized into 1) medical accreditation bodies, 2) topic-oriented resources, 3) general educational resources within medicine, and 4) general education resources beyond medicine.     

Perspectives of Internal Medicine Residency Program Directors on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Diversity Standards

BackgroundTo increase diversity and inclusion in graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) issued a revision to their Common Program Requirements during the 2019–2020 academic year mandating that all residency programs must have policies and practices to achieve appropriate diversity among trainees and faculty.ObjectiveTo explore the perspectives of internal medicine program directors (PDs) and associate program directors (APDs) on the ACGME diversity standard.DesignQualitative study of internal medicine residency program leadership from academic and community programs across the USA.ParticipantsCurrent PDs (n = 12) and APDs (n = 8) of accredited US internal medicine residency programs.ApproachWe conducted semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews. Data was analyzed using the constant comparative method to extract recurrent themes.Key ResultsThree main themes, described by participants, were identified: (1) internal medicine PDs and APDs had limited knowledge of the new Common Program Requirement relating to diversity; (2) program leaders expressed concern that the diversity standard reaches beyond the PDs’ scope of influence and lack of institutional commitment to the successful implementation of diversity standards; (3) participants described narrow view of diversity and inclusion efforts focusing on recruitment strategies during the interview season.ConclusionsOur findings of lack of familiarity with the new diversity standards, and limited institutional investment in diversity and inclusion efforts raise a concern about successful implementation across GME programs. Nevertheless, our finding suggests that structured implementation in the form of education, guideposts, and financial allocation can alleviate some of the concerns of program leadership in meeting the new ACGME diversity standard in a meaningful way.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-021-06825-2.KEY WORDS: workforce diversity, Graduate Medical Education, diversity accreditation standards     

Effects of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Work Hour Restrictions on Medical Student Experience

Background Residents have a major role in teaching students, yet little has been written about the effects of resident work hour restrictions on medical student education. Objective Our objective was to determine the effects of resident work hour restrictions on medical student education. Design We compared student responses pre work hour restrictions with those completed post work hour restrictions. Participants Students on required Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Pediatric clerkships at the University of Minnesota. Measurements Two thousand eight hundred twenty-five student responses on end-of-clerkship surveys. Results Students reported 1.6 more hours per week of teaching by residents (95%CI 0.8–2.6) in the post work hours era. Students’ ratings of the overall quality of their teaching on the ward did not change appreciably, 0.05 points’ decline on a 5-point scale (P = .05). Like the residents, students worked fewer hours per week (avg. 1.5 hours less, 95%CI 0.4–2.6). There was no change in quality or quantity of attending teaching, students’ relationships with their patients, or the overall value of the clerkships. Conclusions Whereas resident duty hour restrictions at our institution have had minimal effect on students’ ratings of the overall teaching quality, they do report being taught more by their residents. This may be a factor of decreased resident fatigue or an increased sense of well-being; but more study is needed to clarify the causes of our observations. Part of this research was presented at the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine national meeting, fall of 2005. An abstract from that meeting was published in Teaching and Learning in Medicine under the title “ACE (Alliance for Clinical Education) Abstracts: Abstracts from the Proceedings of the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM)” by Nixon et al. (Teach Learn Med 18(2):174,1).     

#GeriMedJC: The Twitter Complement to the Traditional‐Format Geriatric Medicine Journal Club

Twitter is a public microblogging platform that overcomes physical limitations and allows unrestricted participation beyond academic silos, enabling interactive discussions. Twitter‐based journal clubs have demonstrated growth, sustainability, and worldwide communication, using a hashtag (#) to follow participation. This article describes the first year of #GeriMedJC, a monthly 1‐hour live, 23‐hour asynchronous Twitter‐based complement to the traditional‐format geriatric medicine journal club. The Twitter moderator tweets from the handle @GeriMedJC; encourages use of #GeriMedJC; and invites content experts, study authors, and followers to participate in critical appraisal of medical literature. Using the hashtag #GeriMedJC, tweets were categorized according to thematic content, relevance to the journal club, and authorship. Third‐party analytical tools Symplur and Twitter Analytics were used for growth and effect metrics (number of followers, participants, tweets, retweets, replies, impressions). Qualitative analysis of follower and participant profiles was used to establish country of origin and occupation. A semistructured interview of postgraduate trainees was conducted to ascertain qualitative aspects of the experience. In the first year, @GeriMedJC has grown to 541 followers on six continents. Most followers were physicians (43%), two‐thirds of which were geriatricians. Growth metrics increased over 12 months, with a mean of 121 tweets, 25 participants, and 105,831 impressions per journal club. Tweets were most often related to the article being appraised (87.5%) and ranged in thematic content from clinical practice (29%) to critical appraisal (24%) to medical education (20%). #GeriMedJC is a feasible example of using social media platforms such as Twitter to encourage international and interprofessional appraisal of medical literature.     

Publishing in the Haemophilia Journal: Opportunities and challenges for developing countries

Better access to haemophilia treatment and care is currently changing the life of a great many patients with haemophilia or other inherited bleeding diseases in numerous developing countries. These changes are encouraging while stimulating local research initiatives and projects that deserve to be communicated through scientific publications. This paper addresses several opportunities and challenges, providing guidance to scientists, clinicians, researchers and health professionals from developing countries who are actively involved in multidisciplinary haemophilia care, while wishing to publish their reports in Haemophilia, the official, global, multidisciplinary journal of the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH), the European Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) organization and the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society (HTRS) of North America, focusing on inherited bleeding diseases. Several strategies and pathways designed to encourage, help and support successful publications from developing countries are herein discussed.     

Communication Skills Curriculum for Foreign Medical Graduates in an Internal Medicine Residency Program

Effective communication is an important aspect of caring for the elderly, who are more likely to have multimorbidity, limited health literacy, and psychosocial barriers to care. About half of Internal Medicine (IM) trainees in the United States are foreign medical graduates, and may not have been exposed to prior communication skills education. This novel communication skills curriculum for IM interns aimed to increase trainees’ confidence and use of specific communication tools with older adults, particularly in delivering bad news and conducting family meetings. The workshop consisted of two interactive sessions in a small group with two learners and one or two facilitators, during the 4‐week geriatrics block in IM internship training year. Twenty‐three IM interns at an urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of the 4‐week block and 3 months after completion of the workshop about their knowledge, confidence, and skill in communication and asked about challenges to effective communication with older adults. The primary outcome measure was change in self‐reported confidence and behavior in communication at 4 weeks. On a 4‐point Likert scale, there was average improvement of 0.70 in self‐reported confidence in communication, which was sustained 3 months after completion of the workshop. Participants reported several patient, physician, and system barriers to effective communication. Communication skills education in a small‐group setting and the opportunity for repeated practice and self‐reflection resulted in a sustained increase in overall confidence in IM interns in communication with older adults and may help overcome certain patient‐ and physician‐specific communication barriers.     

Funding of Graduate Medical Education in a Market-Based Healthcare System

The graduate medical education (GME) process in the United States is considered the most respected model for high-quality education of graduate physicians in the world. With substantial funding through government and private insurers and through structured educational accreditation standards, the American Board of Medical Specialists–certified physicians are recognized for their expertise in delivering high-quality medical care. However, under fiscal constraints and changing social expectations, questions are continually posed about the process of funding and whether the “physician outcomes” are sufficient to continue with the investment. This article reviews the history of postgraduate physician education, the multiple funding pathways, disruptions to a placid educational system and changing social expectations. The ultimate issues involve the core goals of GME and how much GME should shoulder responsibility for changing the healthcare system.     

Evaluation of a Longitudinal Medical School Evidence-Based Medicine Curriculum: A Pilot Study

Background  Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is increasingly taught in medical schools, but few curricula have been evaluated using validated instruments. Objective  To evaluate a longitudinal medical school EBM curriculum using a validated instrument. Design, Participants, Measurements  We evaluated EBM attitudes and knowledge of 32 medical students as they progressed through an EBM curriculum. The first part was an EBM “short course” with didactic and small-group sessions occurring at the end of the second year. The second part integrated EBM assignments with third-year clinical rotations. The validated 15-item Berlin Questionnaire was administered before the course, after the short course, and at the end of the third year. Results  EBM knowledge scores increased from baseline by 2.8 points at the end of the second year portion of the course (p = .0001), and by 3.7 points at the end of the third year (p < .0001). Self-rated EBM knowledge increased from baseline by 0.8 and 1.1 points, respectively (p = .0006 and p < .0001, respectively). EBM was felt to be of high importance for medical education and clinical practice at all time points, peaking after the short course. Conclusions  A longitudinal medical school EBM curriculum was associated with increased EBM knowledge. This knowledge increase was sustained throughout the curriculum. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.