A Blueprint for Undergraduate Students to Work on Medical Cases (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alhad Mulkalwar

UNSTRUCTURED A case report is a detailed narrative that describes the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of a medical problem of an individual patient. They usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence and although they lie at the bottom of the hierarchy of the Evidence Based Medicine Pyramid, they still remain one of the cornerstones of medical progress and provide key additions to the existing medical literature. Unfortunately, abysmally few physicians-in-training receive a formal education regarding what constitutes a publishable case report. The article throws light on this aspect of medical education

Neurosurgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Harrop ◽  
Alexandra Emes ◽  
Ameet Chitale ◽  
Chengyuan Wu ◽  
Fadi Al Saiegh ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND United States (U.S.) healthcare is a volume-based inefficient delivery system. Value requires the consideration of quality, which is lacking in most healthcare disciplines. OBJECTIVE To assess whether patients who met specific evidence-based medicine (EBM)-based criteria preoperatively for lumbar fusion would achieve higher rates of achieving the minimal clinical important difference (MCID) than those who did not meet the EBM indications. METHODS All elective lumbar fusion cases, March 2018 to August 2019, were prospectively evaluated and categorized based on EBM guidelines for surgical indications. The MCID was defined as a reduction of ≥5 points in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Multiple logistic regression identified multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of EBM concordance. RESULTS A total of 325 lumbar fusion patients were entered with 6-mo follow-up data available for 309 patients (95%). The median preoperative ODI score was 24.4 with median 6-mo improvement of 7.0 points (P < .0001). Based on ODI scores, 79.6% (246/309) improved, 3.8% (12/309) had no change, and 16% (51/309) worsened. A total of 191 patients had ODI improvement reaching the MCID. 93.2% (288/309) cases were EBM concordant, while 6.7% (21/309) were not. In multivariate analysis, EBM concordance (P = .0338), lower preoperative ODI (P < .001), lower ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) (P = .0056), and primary surgeries (P = .0004) were significantly associated with improved functional outcome. EBM concordance conferred a 3.04 (95% CI 1.10-8.40) times greater odds of achieving MCID in ODI at 6 mo (P = .0322), adjusting for other factors. CONCLUSION This analysis provides validation of EBM guideline criteria to establish optimal patient outcomes. The EBM concordant patients had a greater than 3 times improved outcome compared to those not meeting EBM fusion criteria.


2005 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 497-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Green

This article presents the development, implementation, and evaluation of a national evidence-based medicine faculty-development program for podiatric medical educators. Ten faculty members representing six accredited colleges of podiatric medicine, one podiatric medical residency program, and a Veterans Affairs podiatry service participated in a 2-day workshop, which included facilitated discussions, minilectures, hands-on exercises, implementation planning, and support after the workshop. Participants’ evidence-based medicine skills were measured by retrospective self-reported ratings before and after the workshop. Participants also reported their implementation of “commitments to change” on follow-up surveys at 3 and 12 months. Participants’ evidence-based medicine practice and teaching skills improved after the intervention. They listed a total of 84 commitments to change, most of which related to the program objectives. By 12 months after the workshop, participants as a group had fully implemented 24 commitments (32%), partially implemented 36 (48%), and failed to implement 15 (20%) of a total of 75 commitments with follow-up data. The most common barriers to change at 12 months were insufficient resources, systems problems, and short patient visit times. A train-the-trainer faculty-development program can improve self-reported evidence-based medicine skills and behaviors and affect curriculum reform at podiatric medical educational institutions. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 95(5): 497–504, 2005)


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 76-76
Author(s):  
Debra A. Patt ◽  
J. Russell Hoverman ◽  
Gay Lindsey ◽  
Deedra Jastrzembski ◽  
Cynthia Taniguchi ◽  
...  

76 Background: In an era of evidence based medicine, several different evidence based pathways for cancer treatment exist. Few, however, contain decision support, are implemented into an electronic health record (EHR) or have demonstrated their effectiveness to provide value-based care. Providing systems to make a Pathways program operational and improve adherence supports a culture of value-based care. Methods: Physician designed evidence based pathways for a large network of community oncologists was rolled out over a statewide practice. A team of pharmacists and data managers designed a program to support implementation of this pathways initiative. Physician-led quality committees were created at the practice level to troubleshoot and characterize the process of making adherence operational and improving upon other quality metrics, variance reporting, and patient satisfaction. Treatments were charted in the EHR and available for reporting. Documentation of rationale for off-pathway exceptions was also captured. Assessable data, adherence, and exception documentation were measured prior to the onset of the committees and again with follow-up for 1 year after initiation of the committees from March 2011 through February 2012. Results: Within this large practice of 342 physicians, there were 39 quality committees created. During this time assessable data, adherence, and justification of exceptions to evidence-based pathways changed. At the beginning of the time period, assessable data was 84% and improved to 90% after a year. Adherence to pathways was 60% and improved to 68% over the same time interval. Exception documentation also improved from 14% to 25%. Conclusions: Formalizing an internal physician-driven operational procedure to improve upon quality can increase the reporting and adherence to physician created evidence-based pathways across a network of community oncologists and moves to change a culture of value-based excellence within community oncology practices. Continuous and internally driven adherence to value-based metrics improve compliance over time. Internal systems such as these are essential to make evidence-based pathways operational.


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