Educating Emergency Medicine Residents in Emergency Department Administration and Operations: Needs and Current Practice

Abstract Background Emergency medicine (EM) residents are expected to develop competence in emergency department (ED) administration and operations. Objectives We assessed current needs and educational practices related to preparing EM residents for their role in ED operations, and explored whether there was an association between program characteristics and the presence of ED operations education in US EM residency programs. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional needs assessment, using a web-based survey sent to all US EM residency programs to assess program characteristics, provision of ED operations-related lectures, availability of an ED administrative fellowship, and presence of a formal ED operations curriculum. Logistic regression was used to determine if any program characteristics were associated with the presence of lectures and a formal operations curriculum. Results Of the 158 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited EM programs, 117 (74%) responded. Of these, 109 (93%) respondents had at least 1 lecture on ED operational topics. Sixty programs (54%) measured resident productivity. Knowledge of Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services reimbursement guidelines was significantly positively associated with presence of an ED operations curriculum (OR, 3.52, P = .009) and with lectures on patient satisfaction (OR, 3.99, P = .006). Measuring resident productivity was positively associated with having lectures on productivity (OR, 2.50, P = .02) and with ED throughput (OR, 2.32, P = .03). No 2 variables were simultaneously significant in the model. Conclusions Most EM programs had at least 1 lecture on ED operations topics. Roughly half of the programs measured resident productivity and half had a formal ED operations curriculum.

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Current Models for Inpatient and Emergency Room Ophthalmology Consultation in U.S. Residency Programs

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1717064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (02) ◽

pp. e171-e174

Author(s):

Donna H. Kim ◽

Dongseok Choi ◽

Thomas S. Hwang

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Medical Education ◽

Emergency Room ◽

Program Directors ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Direct Supervision ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Residency Program Directors ◽

Competency Assessments

Abstract Objective This article examines models of patient care and supervision for hospital-based ophthalmology consultation in teaching institutions. Design This is a cross-sectional survey. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed to residency program directors at 119 Accreditation Council for Graduated Medical Education accredited U.S. ophthalmology programs in the spring of 2018. Survey questions covered consult volume, rotational schedules of staffing providers, methods of supervision (direct vs. indirect), and utilization of consult-dedicated didactics and resident competency assessments. Results Of the 119 program directors, 48 (41%) completed the survey. Programs most frequently reported receiving 4 to 6 consults per day from the emergency department (27, 55.1%) and 4 to 6 consults per day from inpatient services (26, 53.1%). Forty-seven percent of programs reported that postgraduate year one (PGY-1) or PGY-2 residents on a dedicated consult rotation initially evaluate patients. Supervising faculty backgrounds included neuro-ophthalmology, cornea, comprehensive, or a designated chief of service. Staffing responsibility is typically shared by multiple faculty on a daily or weekly rotation. Direct supervision was provided for fewer of emergency room consults (1–30%) than for inpatient consults (71–99%). The majority of programs reported no dedicated didactics for consultation activities (27, 55.1%) or formal assessment for proficiency (33, 67.4%) prior to the initiation of call-related activities without direct supervision. Billing submission for consults was inconsistent and many consults may go financially uncompensated (18, 36.7%). Conclusion The majority of hospital-based ophthalmic consultation at academic centers is provided by a rotating pool of physicians supervising a lower level resident. Few programs validate increased levels of graduated independence using specific assessments.

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Intern Orthopedic Rotation Versus Emergency Medicine Procedure Month: Which one Derives More Opportunity?

Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development ◽

10.1177/23821205211044607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 238212052110446

Author(s):

Blake Chandler Briggs ◽

David Martin Cline ◽

Kendall Lynn Stewardson ◽

Jordan Alexis Kugler ◽

Cedric Lefebvre

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Medicine ◽

Medical Education ◽

Standard Deviation ◽

Graduate Medical Education ◽

Statistical Difference ◽

Orthopedic Procedures ◽

Self Directed Learning ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Directed Learning

INTRODUCTION The American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) defines 18 “key procedures” as requirements in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. The post-graduate year-1 (PGY-1) curriculum provides an early foundation for EM trainees to gain procedural experience, but traditional PGY-1 rotations may not provide robust procedural opportunities. Our objective was to replace a traditional orthopedic rotation with a 4-week rotation that emphasized EM procedure acquisition and comprehension. Although all residents met ACGME procedural requirements before the curricular modification, the purpose of this month was to increase overall procedure numbers. The block contained dedicated procedure shifts in the emergency department as well as an asynchronous, self-directed learning course. We sought to compare the number of procedures performed by PGY-1 residents during their orthopedic rotation (the year before implementation), to the number of procedures performed during their procedure rotation (the year after implementation). METHODS The total number of procedures performed and logged by PGY-1 residents during the traditional orthopedic rotation (during the year prior to implementation of the new procedure rotation) were compared to the total number of procedures by the first class to undergo the new procedure rotation the following year. Thirty resident logs were reviewed (15 per class). Data were analyzed using SAS NPAR1WAY; Z < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS When compared to the orthopedic rotation, the procedure rotation had statistically significant higher numbers of procedures per resident (22, standard deviation [SD] 12, vs 11.4, SD 7.6; Z = 0.0177). A wide variety of nonorthopedic procedures accounted for the increased numbers, (13.6, SD 10.3, vs 0.9, SD 0.9; Z < 0.001). While the average number of orthopedic procedures was slightly less on the procedure rotation, there was no statistical difference (orthopedic rotation 10.13, procedure rotation 8.26; Z = 0.4605). Notably, fewer procedures were performed when 2 residents were on the procedure rotation at the same time (21 vs 10.1). CONCLUSION This analysis demonstrated a larger number and a wider variety of procedures performed by PGY-1 residents during a dedicated procedure rotation compared to a traditional orthopedic rotation. Furthermore, exposure to orthopedic procedures did not decline significantly. Limitations of the study include a modest number of subjects. Data may be limited by the consistency of procedure logging by individual residents. Further studies may assess procedural competency after PGY-1 year of training.

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Use of graded responsibility and common entrustment considerations among United States emergency medicine residency programs

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions ◽

10.3352/jeehp.2020.17.11 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Jason Lai ◽

Benjamin Holden Schnapp ◽

David Simon Tillman ◽

Mary Westergaard ◽

Jamie Hess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Emergency Medicine ◽

Medical Education ◽

Response Rate ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Medical Patients ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Question Survey

Purpose: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires all residency programs to provide increasing autonomy as residents progress through training, known as graded responsibility. However, there is little guidance on how to implement graded responsibility in practice and a paucity of literature on how it is currently implemented in emergency medicine (EM). We sought to determine how EM residency programs apply graded responsibility across a variety of activities and to identify which considerations are important in affording additional responsibilities to trainees.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of EM residency programs using a 23-question survey that was distributed by email to 162 ACGME-accredited EM program directors. Seven different domains of practice were queried.Results: We received 91 responses (56.2% response rate) to the survey. Among all domains of practice except for managing critically ill medical patients, the use of graded responsibility exceeded 50% of surveyed programs. When graded responsibility was applied, post-graduate year (PGY) level was ranked an “extremely important” or “very important” consideration between 80.9% and 100.0% of the time.Conclusion: The majority of EM residency programs are implementing graded responsibility within most domains of practice. When decisions are made surrounding graded responsibility, programs still rely heavily on the time-based model of PGY level to determine advancement.

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Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Emergency Department: An Observational Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112475 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2475

Author(s):

Olivier Peyrony ◽

Danaé Gamelon ◽

Romain Brune ◽

Anthony Chauvin ◽

Daniel Aiham Ghazali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Blood Cell ◽

Red Blood Cell ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Red Blood Cell Transfusion ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Acute Bleeding ◽

History Of ◽

Rbc Transfusion

Background: We aimed to describe red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the emergency department (ED) with a particular focus on the hemoglobin (Hb) level thresholds that are used in this setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 12 EDs including all adult patients that received RBC transfusion in January and February 2018. Descriptive statistics were reported. Logistic regression was performed to assess variables that were independently associated with a pre-transfusion Hb level ≥ 8 g/dL. Results: During the study period, 529 patients received RBC transfusion. The median age was 74 (59–85) years. The patients had a history of cancer or hematological disease in 185 (35.2%) cases. Acute bleeding was observed in the ED for 242 (44.7%) patients, among which 145 (59.9%) were gastrointestinal. Anemia was chronic in 191 (40.2%) cases, mostly due to vitamin or iron deficiency or to malignancy with transfusion support. Pre-transfusion Hb level was 6.9 (6.0–7.8) g/dL. The transfusion motive was not notified in the medical chart in 206 (38.9%) cases. In the multivariable logistic regression, variables that were associated with a higher pre-transfusion Hb level (≥8 g/dL) were a history of coronary artery disease (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.29–3.41), the presence of acute bleeding (OR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.53–3.94), and older age (OR: 1.02/year; 95% CI: 1.01–1.04). Conclusion: RBC transfusion in the ED was an everyday concern and involved patients with heterogeneous medical situations and severity. Pre-transfusion Hb level was rather restrictive. Almost half of transfusions were provided because of acute bleeding which was associated with a higher Hb threshold.

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A Descriptive Analysis of the Use of Twitter by Emergency Medicine Residency Programs

Journal of Graduate Medical Education ◽

10.4300/jgme-d-16-00716.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 51-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David Diller ◽

Lalena M. Yarris

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Medical Education ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Instructional Tool ◽

Residency Programs ◽

The Public ◽

Twitter Account ◽

E Mail

ABSTRACT Background Twitter is increasingly recognized as an instructional tool by the emergency medicine (EM) community. In 2012, the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) recommended that EM residency programs' Twitter accounts be managed solely by faculty. To date, little has been published regarding the patterns of Twitter use by EM residency programs. Objective We analyzed current patterns in Twitter use among EM residency programs with accounts and assessed conformance with CORD recommendations. Methods In this mixed methods study, a 6-question, anonymous survey was distributed via e-mail using SurveyMonkey. In addition, a Twitter-based search was conducted, and the public profiles of EM residency programs' Twitter accounts were analyzed. We calculated descriptive statistics and performed a qualitative analysis on the data. Results Of 168 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited EM programs, 88 programs (52%) responded. Of those programs, 58% (51 of 88) reported having a program-level Twitter account. Residents served as content managers for those accounts in the majority of survey respondents (61%, 28 of 46). Most programs did not publicly disclose the identity or position of their Twitter content manager. We found a wide variety of applications for Twitter, with EM programs most frequently using Twitter for educational and promotional purposes. There is significant variability in the numbers of followers for EM programs' Twitter accounts. Conclusions Applications and usage among EM residency programs are varied, and are frequently not consistent with current CORD recommendations.

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Educational Experiences Residents Perceive As Most Helpful for the Acquisition of the ACGME Competencies

Journal of Graduate Medical Education ◽

10.4300/jgme-d-11-00058.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 176-183 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lourdes R. Guerrero ◽

Susan Baillie ◽

Paul Wimmers ◽

Neil Parker

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Los Angeles ◽

Patient Care ◽

Graduate Medical Education ◽

Role Models ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Web Based ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Graduate Medical

Abstract Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires physicians in training to be educated in 6 competencies considered important for independent medical practice. There is little information about the experiences that residents feel contribute most to the acquisition of the competencies. Objective To understand how residents perceive their learning of the ACGME competencies and to determine which educational activities were most helpful in acquiring these competencies. Method A web-based survey created by the graduate medical education office for institutional program monitoring and evaluation was sent to all residents in ACGME-accredited programs at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, from 2007 to 2010. Residents responded to questions about the adequacy of their learning for each of the 6 competencies and which learning activities were most helpful in competency acquisition. Results We analyzed 1378 responses collected from postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) to PGY-3 residents in 12 different residency programs, surveyed between 2007 and 2010. The overall response rate varied by year (66%–82%). Most residents (80%–97%) stated that their learning of the 6 ACGME competencies was “adequate.” Patient care activities and observation of attending physicians and peers were listed as the 2 most helpful learning activities for acquiring the 6 competencies. Conclusion Our findings reinforce the importance of learning from role models during patient care activities and the heterogeneity of learning activities needed for acquiring all 6 competencies.

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Dermatology Residency Selection Criteria with an Emphasis on Program Characteristics: A National Program Director Survey

Dermatology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2014/692760 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Farzam Gorouhi ◽

Ali Alikhan ◽

Arash Rezaei ◽

Nasim Fazel

Keyword(s):

Medical School ◽

Selection Criteria ◽

Selection Process ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Advanced Degrees ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Residency Selection ◽

Program Characteristics ◽

Reported Data ◽

Resident Selection

Background. Dermatology residency programs are relatively diverse in their resident selection process. The authors investigated the importance of 25 dermatology residency selection criteria focusing on differences in program directors’ (PDs’) perception based on specific program demographics.Methods. This cross-sectional nationwide observational survey utilized a 41-item questionnaire that was developed by literature search, brainstorming sessions, and online expert reviews. The data were analyzed utilizing the reliability test, two-step clustering, andK-means methods as well as other methods. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in PDs’ perception regarding the importance of the selection criteria based on program demographics.Results. Ninety-five out of 114 PDs (83.3%) responded to the survey. The top five criteria for dermatology residency selection were interview, letters of recommendation, United States Medical Licensing Examination Step I scores, medical school transcripts, and clinical rotations. The following criteria were preferentially ranked based on different program characteristics: “advanced degrees,” “interest in academics,” “reputation of undergraduate and medical school,” “prior unsuccessful attempts to match,” and “number of publications.”Conclusions. Our survey provides up-to-date factual data on dermatology PDs’ perception in this regard. Dermatology residency programs may find the reported data useful in further optimizing their residency selection process.

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Faculty development in the age of competency-based medical education: A needs assessment of Canadian emergency medicine faculty and senior trainees

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2019.343 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 527-534 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Alexandra Stefan ◽

Justin N. Hall ◽

Jonathan Sherbino ◽

Teresa M. Chan

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Medical Education ◽

Faculty Development ◽

Patient Care ◽

Needs Assessment ◽

Direct Observation ◽

Senior Resident ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Competency Based Medical Education ◽

Competency Based

ABSTRACTObjectivesThe Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) emergency medicine (EM) programs transitioned to the Competence by Design training framework in July 2018. Prior to this transition, a nation-wide survey was conducted to gain a better understanding of EM faculty and senior resident attitudes towards the implementation of this new program of assessment.MethodsA multi-site, cross-sectional needs assessment survey was conducted. We aimed to document perceptions about competency-based medical education, attitudes towards implementation, perceived/prompted/unperceived faculty development needs. EM faculty and senior residents were nominated by program directors across RCPSC EM programs. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.ResultsBetween February and April 2018, 47 participants completed the survey (58.8% response rate). Most respondents (89.4%) thought learners should receive feedback during every shift; 55.3% felt that they provided adequate feedback. Many respondents (78.7%) felt that the ED would allow for direct observation, and most (91.5%) participants were confident that they could incorporate workplace-based assessments (WBAs). Although a fair number of respondents (44.7%) felt that Competence by Design would not impact patient care, some (17.0%) were worried that it may negatively impact it. Perceived faculty development priorities included feedback delivery, completing WBAs, and resident promotion decisions.ConclusionsRCPSC EM faculty have positive attitudes towards competency-based medical education-relevant concepts such as feedback and opportunities for direct observation via WBAs. Perceived threats to Competence by Design implementation included concerns that patient care and trainee education might be negatively impacted. Faculty development should concentrate on further developing supervisors’ teaching skills, focusing on feedback using WBAs.

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Benzodiazepine resistant alcohol withdrawal: What is the clinician's preferred definition?

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2019.421 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 165-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hugo Langlois ◽

Monique Cormier ◽

Eric Villeneuve ◽

Robert S. Hoffman ◽

Cristina Longo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Alcohol Withdrawal ◽

Future Research ◽

Full Time ◽

Consensus Guidelines ◽

Median Dose ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Definition Of ◽

Attending Physicians

ABSTRACTObjectivesAlthough alcohol withdrawal is common, the recognition of benzodiazepine-resistant alcohol withdrawal is a relatively new concept. To provide a framework for both literature review and future research, we assessed clinicians’ personal definition of resistant alcohol withdrawal.MethodWe developed a cross-sectional web-based survey. Administrators from collaborating toxicology and emergency medicine associations deployed the survey directly to their respective memberships. Only physicians, pharmacists, and other clinicians routinely treating alcohol withdrawal were eligible to participate. Respondents selected their preferred definition among the three most common author sources – JB Hack, NJ Benedict, D Hughes – or provided their own. Additional criteria to define resistant alcohol withdrawal were explored.Results384 individuals answered the survey. Respondents were mostly attending physicians (79%), in full-time practice (90%), in emergency medicine (70%), and from North America (90%). The majority (64%) described resistant alcohol withdrawal as a high benzodiazepine dosage. Seizures (26%) and persistent tachycardia (16%) were also main characteristics. The median dose to describe high benzodiazepine dose (n = 146) was 40 mg per hour of diazepam equivalents (IQR 20–50). Available definitions were ranked equally as the preferred one: Hack (27%); Benedict (28%); Hughes (28%).ConclusionOur results did not identify one single preferred definition for resistant alcohol withdrawal even though a high total dose of benzodiazepine is a major component. Hourly requirements of 40 mg of diazepam equivalents or more emerged as a possible threshold. These findings serve as a base to explore consensus guidelines or future research.

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P078: Handover education in Canadian adult and pediatric emergency medicine residencies: a national survey and needs assessment

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2016.254 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (S1) ◽

pp. S104-S105

Author(s):

P. Lee ◽

I. Rigby ◽

S.J. McPherson

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Medicine ◽

Patient Care ◽

Pediatric Emergency ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Risk Period ◽

Hand Off ◽

Pediatric Inpatient ◽

Didactic Lecture

Introduction: Emergency department handover is a high-risk period for patient safety. A recent study showed a decreased rate of preventable adverse events and errors after implementation of a resident hand-off bundle on pediatric inpatient wards. In a 2013 survey by the Canadian Associations of Internes and Residents, only 11% of residents in any discipline stated they received a formal teaching session on handover. Recently, the CanMEDS 2015 Physician Competency Framework has added safe and skillful transfer of patient care as a new proficiency within the collaborator role. We hypothesize that significant variation exists in the current delivery and evaluation of handover education in Canadian EM residencies. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional survey of Canadian residents enrolled in the three main training streams of Emergency Medicine (FRCP CCFP-EM, PEM). The primary outcome was to determine which educational modalities are used to teach and assess handover proficiency. Secondarily, we described current sign-over practices and perceived competency at patient handover. Results: 130 residents completed the survey (73% FRCP, 19% CCFP-EM, 8% PEM). 6% of residents were aware of handover proficiency objectives within their curriculum, while 15% acknowledged formal evaluation in this area. 98% of respondents were taught handover by observation of staff or residents on shift, while 55% had direct teaching on the job. Less than 10% of respondents received formal sessions in didactic lecture, small group or simulation formats. Evaluation of handover skills occurred primarily by on shift observation (100% of respondents), while 3% of residents had received assessment through simulation. Local centre handover practices were variable; less than half of residents used mnemonic tools, written or electronic adjuncts. Conclusion: Canadian EM residents receive variable and sparse formal training and assessment on emergency department handover. The majority of training occurs by on shift observation and few trainees receive instruction on objective tools or explicit patient care standards. There exists potential for further development of standardized objectives, utilization of other educational modalities and formal assessments to better prepare residents to conduct safer patient handoffs.

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