Results of a nationwide Veterans Affairs initiative to align graduate medical education and patient care

David P. Stevens, MD; Gloria J. Holland, PhD; Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH

JAMA. 2001;286:1061-1066.

Context  Planning for the US physician workforce is imprecise. Prevailing policy generally advocates more training in primary care specialties.

Objective  To describe a program to increase primary care graduate medical education (GME) in a large academic health system—the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Design  In 1995, a VA advisory panel recommended a 3-year plan to eliminate 1000 specialist training positions and add 750 primary care positions. After assessing the impact of the first year of these changes on patient care, the VA implemented modifications aimed at introducing primary care curricula for training of internal medicine subspecialists, neurologists, and psychiatrists. The change in strategy was in response to the call for better alignment of GME with local patient care and training needs to provide coordinated, continuous care for seriously and chronically ill patients.

Setting  The VA health system, including 172 hospitals, 773 ambulatory and community-based clinics, 206 counseling centers, and 132 nursing homes.

Participants  A total of 8900 VA residency training positions affiliated with 107 medical schools.

Main Outcome Measure  Proportion of residents in primary care training during the 3-year alignment.

Results  Over 3 years, primary care training in the VA increased from 38% to 48% of funded positions. Of this total, 39% of the increase was in internal medicine subspecialties, neurology, and psychiatry.

Conclusion  In this case study of GME realignment, national policy was driven more by local patient care issues than by a perceived national need for primary care or specialty positions.

     

Promoting innovative nursing practice during radical health system change

Between 1995 and 1999, the United States veterans healthcare system underwent a radical transformation. The reinvention effort remains a work in progress, but the results have documented improved access to care, significantly higher service satisfaction, and substantially higher quality of care, while reducing per patient costs by 25%. Although turbulent at times, the changes instituted during this period created a dynamic milieu for nursing that has provided fertile ground for innovation and unprecedented opportunities to improve patient care.     

Lessons learned in public health emergency management: personal reflections

Multiple environmental, ecological, and socio-political forces are converging to increase the occurrence of both natural and technological disasters. Ten forces are of most concern in this regard. These are: 1) global warming, with its consequent weather extremes and climate changes; 2) continued rapid human population growth and concomitant increased urbanization; 3) decreased bio-diversity and consequent ecological fragility; 4) deforestation and loss of natural habitat for animal species, with resultant greater overlap of human and animal habitats, human exposure to animal pathogens, and other ecological perturbations; 5) increased technological development throughout the world (especially in developing countries with their typically immature safety programs); 6) globalization and increased population mobility; 7) sub-national religious and ethnic conflicts, and their potential for conflict escalation and large scale displacement of populations; 8) the collapse of several major countries and consequent unraveling of national identity and social order; 9) the rise of terrorism; and 10) dramatic advances in the science and technology of computing, communications, biotechnology, and genomics. This paper describes 10 lessons learned relative to the public health aspects of emergency management, especially as they pertain to disasters. 1) Planning pays; 2) A bad situation can be made worse by inappropriate responses; 3) Most life saving interventions will occur before the disaster happens and immediately afterwards by local action; 4) Public health emergency management is not a democratic process; 5) Psychological impacts are usually greater than anticipated; 6) Communications and information management are vital, but often are the weak link in the response chain; 7) Collaboration and partnerships are essential; 8) Unsolicited volunteers and aid are inevitable and must be planned for and managed; 9) Never assume anything, and always expect the unexpected; and 10) Post-event evaluation is important, and must be coordinated. The paramount lesson learned from past emergencies is that the untoward impact of these events can be anticipated and significantly ameliorated by appropriate planning and preparation. On the other hand, preparation for emergency events has deteriorated because of health-care financial constraints, and resources to support planning and needed infrastructure have diminished. Given these realities, the major unresolved challenge is how to ensure that planning for the common good is supported and, in fact, gets done.     

Acquired von Willebrand syndrome due to an inhibitor specific for von Willebrand factor antigens

A patient with acquired von Willebrand syndrome associated with polycythemia rubra vera is described. Her plasma factor VIII procoagulant activity (67 U/dl) and factor VIII-related antigen (117 U/dl) were normal but no von Willebrand factor activity could be detected. Factor VIII crossed immunoelectrophoresis revealed decreased levels of less anodic polymeric forms of factor VIII. Mixture of her plasma or immunoglobulin G (IgG) fraction with normal plasma resulted in complete recovery of factor VIII activity and related antigen but no measurable von Willebrand factor activity, confirming the presence of an unique inhibitor. The limited specificity of this inhibitor to antigenic sites solely on the von Willebrand portion of the factor VIII bimolecular complex is distinct from all previous reports of this syndrome. This unique inhibitor offers a molecular probe to examine the von Willebrand factor: platelet interaction.     

Acid phosphatase activity in mononuclear phagocytes and the U937 cell line: monocyte-derived macrophages express tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP) is used as a marker for osteoclasts, which are believed to be derived from phagocytic cells or phagocyte stem cell precursors. To further investigate the relationship between monocytic phagocytes and osteoclasts, acid phosphatase (AcP) activity was measured by three different techniques in human peripheral blood monocytes, monocyte-derived macrophages, and the U937 cell line. We found that cytochemistry and gel electrophoresis led to similar results, but that the colorimetric assay was inconsistent. Normal human peripheral monocytes expressed both tartrate-sensitive and -resistant AcP. In culture these cells formed polykaryons and expressed TRAcP activity that was further identified as an isoenzyme associated with bone tissue. In contrast, the U937 cells did not express TRAcP activity as measured by gel electrophoresis. Both U937 cells and monocytes possess material that interferes with interpretation of the colorimetric assay of AcP. The presence of TRAcP in monocyte-derived macrophages further supports the relationship between phagocytic cells and bone osteoclasts.     

Guidelines for community-based screening for chronic health conditions

Preventive measures for many chronic diseases depend upon identification of asymptomatic individuals who have the disease or who may be at risk for developing it. A screening biochemical test can identify such individuals. Mass screening for biochemical markers or risk factors for chronic conditions, especially for elevated serum cholesterol and blood glucose, has been advocated in recent years and has become increasingly common in various nonmedical community settings. Although generally well intentioned, such programs may fall short of their goals and may even be counterproductive. In recognition of the use of biochemical screening in nonmedical community settings, and in an attempt to make such efforts as productive as possible, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) has developed state guidelines for these screening programs. These guidelines make recommendations regarding: (1) the criteria for judging the effectiveness of biochemical screening tests; (2) the qualifications and training of screening program staff; (3) the proper use and maintenance of equipment used in screening programs and other quality control measures; (4) referral procedures for persons with abnormal test results; and (5) the lawful implementation of screening programs. Optimally, as pointed out by these guidelines, all community-based screening programs should complement a larger health education or risk-reduction program that guarantees appropriate medical follow-up and management. Preventive medicine practitioners and organizations embarking on such activities should be familiar with the issues addressed by these guidelines and may find adherence to them useful in developing effective community screening programs.