MENUCLOSE

 

Connect with us

Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

Playback TheatPlayback Theatre as a tool to enhance communication in medical educationre as a tool to enhance commun… [Med Educ Online. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI

Playback Theatre (PT) is an improvisational form of theatre in which a group of actors “play back” real life stories told by audience members. In PT, a conductor elicits moments, feelings and stories from audience members, and conducts mini-interviews with those who volunteer a moment of their lives to be re-enacted or “played” for the audience. A musician plays music according to the theme of each story, and 4-5 actors listen to the interview and perform the story that has just been told. PT has been used in a large number of settings as a tool to share stories in an artistic manner. Despite its similarities to psychodrama, PT does not claim to be a form of therapy. We offered two PT performances to first year medical students at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, to bring the students a safe and fun environment, conducive to sharing feelings and moments related to being a medical student. Through the moments and stories shared by students, we conclude that there is an enormous need in this population for opportunities to communicate the many emotions associated with medical school and with healthcare-related personal experiences, such as anxiety, pride, or anger. PT proved a powerful tool to help students communicate.

via Playback Theatre as a tool to enhance commun… [Med Educ Online. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

Is Content Really King? An Objective Analysis of the Public’s Response to Medical Videos on YouTube

Medical educators and patients are turning to YouTube to teach and learn about medical conditions. These videos are from authors whose credibility cannot be verified & are not peer reviewed. As a result, studies that have analyzed the educational content of YouTube have reported dismal results. These studies have been unable to exclude videos created by questionable sources and for non-educational purposes. We hypothesize that medical education YouTube videos, authored by credible sources, are of high educational value and appropriately suited to educate the public. Credible videos about cardiovascular diseases were identified using the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Social Media Health network. Content in each video was assessed by the presence/absence of 7 factors. Each video was also evaluated for understandability using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM). User engagement measurements were obtained for each video. A total of 607 videos (35 hours) were analyzed. Half of all videos contained 3 educational factors: treatment, screening, or prevention. There was no difference between the number of educational factors present & any user engagement measurement (p NS). SAM scores were higher in videos whose content discussed more educational factors (p<0.0001). However, none of the user engagement measurements correlated with higher SAM scores. Videos with greater educational content are more suitable for patient education but unable to engage users more than lower quality videos. It is unclear if the notion “content is king” applies to medical videos authored by credible organizations for the purposes of patient education on YouTube.

via Is Content Really King? An Objective Analysis of th… [PLoS One. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

Teaching Anatomy in the XXI Century: New Aspects and Pitfalls.

Anatomy has historically been a cornerstone in medical education regardless of nation, racial background, or medical school system. By learning gross anatomy, medical students get a first “impression” about the structure of the human body which is the basis for understanding pathologic and clinical problems. Although the importance of teaching anatomy to both undergraduate and postgraduate students remains undisputed, there is currently a relevant debate concerning methods of anatomy teaching. In the past century, dissection and lectures were its sole pedagogy worldwide. Recently, the time allocated for anatomy teaching was dramatically reduced to such an extent that some suggest that it has fallen below an adequate standard. Traditional anatomy education based on topographical structural anatomy taught in lectures and gross dissection classes has been replaced by a multiple range of study modules, including problem-based learning, plastic models or computer-assisted learning, and curricula integration. “Does the anatomical theatre still have a place in medical education?” And “what is the problem with anatomic specimens?” We endeavor to answer both of these questions and to contribute to the debate on the current situation in undergraduate and graduate anatomy education. Doctors without anatomy are like moles.They work in the dark and the work of their hands are mounds.Friedrich TiedemannThe foundation of the study of the art of operating must be laid in the dissecting room.Robert Liston.

via Teaching Anatomy in the XXI Century: … [ScientificWorldJournal. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

Web-Based PTSD Training for Primary Care Providers: A Pilot Study

Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms frequently present to primary care providers (PCPs) and are reluctant to seek out or accept referrals to specialty mental health care. Most PCPs have not been trained to assess for and manage symptoms of PTSD. Web-based programs are increasingly used for medical education, but there are no published evaluations of online PTSD trainings for PCPs. We developed a 70-min Web-based training that focused on military-related PTSD for PCPs practicing in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, but was applicable to PCPs treating veterans and other trauma-exposed patients outside VA settings. The training consisted of four modules: (1) Detection and Assessment; (2) Comorbid Conditions and Related Problems; (3) Pharmacological Interventions; and (4) Psychotherapeutic Interventions. Clinical vignettes dramatized key training concepts. Seventy-three PCPs completed the training and assessments pre- and posttraining and 30 days later. Paired t tests compared change in PTSD-related knowledge and comfort with PTSD-related skills, and qualitative methods were used to summarize participant feedback. After the training, mean knowledge score improved from 46% to 75% items correct, with sustained improvement at 30 days. Thirty days posttraining, PCPs reported significantly greater comfort regarding PTSD-related skills assessed; 47% reported using training content in their clinical practice. Qualitatively, PCPs appreciated the flexibility of asynchronous, self-paced online modules, but suggested more interactive content. Given the numerous barriers to specialty mental health treatment, coupled with a preference among veterans with PTSD for accessing treatment through primary care, improving PTSD competency among PCPs may help better serve veterans’ mental health needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

via Web-Based PTSD Training for Primary Care Provid… [Psychol Serv. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

Doctor Coach: A Deliberate Practice Approach to Teaching and Learning Clinical Skills

PROBLEM:
The rapidly evolving medical education landscape requires restructuring the approach to teaching and learning across the continuum of medical education. The deliberate practice strategies used to coach learners in disciplines beyond medicine can also be used to train medical learners. However, these deliberate practice strategies are not explicitly taught in most medical schools or residencies.
APPROACH:
The authors designed the Doctor Coach framework and competencies in 2007-2008 to serve as the foundation for new faculty development and resident-as-teacher programs. In addition to teaching deliberate practice strategies, the programs model a deliberate practice approach that promotes the continuous integration of newly developed coaching competencies by participants into their daily teaching practice.
OUTCOMES:
Early evaluation demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of implementing the Doctor Coach framework across the continuum of medical education. Additionally, the Doctor Coach framework has been disseminated through national workshops, which have resulted in additional institutions applying the framework and competencies to develop their own coaching programs.
NEXT STEPS:
Design of a multisource evaluation tool based on the coaching competencies will enable more rigorous study of the Doctor Coach framework and training programs and provide a richer feedback mechanism for participants. The framework will also facilitate the faculty development needed to implement the milestones and entrustable professional activities in medical education.

via Doctor Coach: A Deliberate Practice Approach to Tea… [Acad Med. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

Educating the Patient for Health Care Communication in the Age of the World Wide Web: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE:
Communication skills teaching in medical education has yet to acknowledge the impact of the Internet on physician-patient communication. The authors present a conceptual model showing the variables influencing how and to what extent physicians and patients discuss Internet-sourced health information as part of the consultation with the purpose of educating the patient.
METHOD:
A study exploring the role physicians play in patient education mediated through health information available on the Internet provided the foundation for the conceptual model. Twenty-one physicians participated in semistructured interviews between 2011 and 2013. Participants were from Australia and Switzerland, whose citizens demonstrate different degrees of Internet usage and who differ culturally and ethnically. The authors analyzed the interviews thematically and iteratively. The themes as well as their interrelationships informed the components of the conceptual model.
RESULTS:
The intrinsic elements of the conceptual model are the physician, the patient, and Internet based health information. The extrinsic variables of setting, time, and communication activities as well as the quality, availability, and usability of the Internet-based health information influenced the degree to which physicians engaged with, and were engaged by, their patients about Internet-based health information.
CONCLUSIONS:
The empirically informed model provides a means of understanding the environment, enablers, and constraints of discussing Internet-based health information, as well as the benefits for patients’ understanding of their health. It also provides medical educators with a conceptual tool to engage and support physicians in their activities of communicating health information to patients.

via Educating the Patient for Health Care Communication… [Acad Med. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

QNOTE: an instrument for measuring the quality of EHR clinical notes

Background and objective The outpatient clinical note documents the clinician’s information collection, problem assessment, and patient management, yet there is currently no validated instrument to measure the quality of the electronic clinical note. This study evaluated the validity of the QNOTE instrument, which assesses 12 elements in the clinical note, for measuring the quality of clinical notes. It also compared its performance with a global instrument that assesses the clinical note as a whole.

Materials and methods Retrospective multicenter blinded study of the clinical notes of 100 outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had been seen in clinic on at least three occasions. The 300 notes were rated by eight general internal medicine and eight family medicine practicing physicians. The QNOTE instrument scored the quality of the note as the sum of a set of 12 note element scores, and its inter-rater agreement was measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient. The Global instrument scored the note in its entirety, and its inter-rater agreement was measured by the Fleiss κ.

Results The overall QNOTE inter-rater agreement was 0.82 (CI 0.80 to 0.84), and its note quality score was 65 (CI 64 to 66). The Global inter-rater agreement was 0.24 (CI 0.19 to 0.29), and its note quality score was 52 (CI 49 to 55). The QNOTE quality scores were consistent, and the overall QNOTE score was significantly higher than the overall Global score (p=0.04).

Conclusions We found the QNOTE to be a valid instrument for evaluating the quality of electronic clinical notes, and its performance was superior to that of the Global instrument.

via QNOTE: an instrument for measuring the quality of EHR clinical notes — Burke et al. — Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

A comprehensive model to build improvement capability in a pediatric academic medical center.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center developed a comprehensive model to build quality improvement (QI) capability to support its goal to transform its delivery system through a series of training courses. Two online modules orient staff to basic concepts and terminology and prepare them to participate more effectively in QI teams. The basic program (Rapid Cycle Improvement Collaborative, RCIC) is focused on developing the capability to use basic QI tools and complete a narrow-scoped project in approximately 120 days. The Intermediate Improvement Science Series (I(2)S(2)) program is a leadership course focusing on improvement skills and developing a broader and deeper understanding of QI in the context of the organization and external environment. The Advanced Improvement Methods (AIM) course and Quality Scholars Program stimulate the use of more sophisticated methods and prepare Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and external faculty to undertake QI research. The Advanced Improvement Leadership Systems (AILS) sessions enable interprofessional care delivery system leadership teams to effectively lead a system of care, manage a portfolio of projects, and to deliver on CCHMC’s strategic plan. Implementing these programs has shown us that 1) a multilevel curricular approach to building improvement capability is pragmatic and effective, 2) an interprofessional learning environment is critical to shifting mental models, 3) repetition of project experience with coaching and feedback solidifies critical skills, knowledge and behaviors, and 4) focusing first on developing capable interprofessional improvement leaders, versus engaging in broad general QI training across the whole organization, is effective.

via A comprehensive model to build improvem… [Acad Pediatr. 2014 Jan-Feb] – PubMed – NCBI.

Neurohospitalists: perceived need and training requirements in academic neurology.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
We sought to determine the current practices and plans for departmental hiring of neurohospitalists at academic medical centers and to identify the core features of a neurohospitalist training program.
METHODS:
We surveyed department chairs or residency program directors at 123 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited US adult neurology training programs.
RESULTS:
Sixty-three(51% response rate) responded, 76% of whom were program directors. In all, 24 (38%) academic neurology departments reported employing neurohospitalists, and an additional 10 departments have plans to hire neurohospitalists in the next year. In all, 4 academic neurology departments have created a neurohospitalist training program, and 10 have plans to create a training program within the next 2 years. Hospitals were the most frequent source of funding for established and planned programs (93% of those reporting). Most (n = 39; 65%) respondents felt that neurohospitalist neurology should be an ACGME-accredited fellowship. The highest priority neurohospitalist training elements among respondents included stroke, epilepsy, and consult neurology as well as patient safety and cost-effective inpatient care. The most important procedural skills for a neurohospitalist, as identified by respondents, include performance of brain death evaluations, lumbar punctures, and electroencephalogram interpretation.
CONCLUSIONS:
Neurohospitalists have emerged as subspecialists within neurology, growing both in number and in scope of responsibilities in practice. Neurohospitalists are in demand among academic departments, with many departments developing their existing presence or establishing a new presence in the field. A neurohospitalist training program may encompass training in stroke, epilepsy, and consult neurology with additional focus on patient safety and cost-effective care.

via Neurohospitalists: perceived need and train… [Neurohospitalist. 2014] – PubMed – NCBI.

Quality improvement in childhood obesity management through the maintenance of certification process.

To assess the Health and Obesity: Prevention and Education (HOPE) Curriculum Project, a web-based clinician education program that promotes appropriate screening, prevention, and management of weight among youth by pediatric practitioners, based on the 2007 Expert Committee recommendations. The project currently provides Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 4 credit through the American Board of Pediatrics.
STUDY DESIGN:
Participants identified themselves to the HOPE MOC Part 4 program. Enrollees were required to complete all continuing medical education modules (10.5 hours). Knowledge acquisition and self-reported confidence levels related to screening, prevention, and management practices of pediatric obesity were measured using preknowledge and postknowledge questionnaires. Participants were also required to perform a quality improvement project and submit practice performance data from repeated medical chart reviews over time. Knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy, and practice performance data were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses.
RESULTS:
The 51 participants demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy scores after viewing individual modules. In addition, participants demonstrated significant improvements in measured clinical compliance with recommended practices over time.
CONCLUSIONS:
Participation in the HOPE MOC Part 4 program appeared to improve knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy, and physician compliance with recommended practice recommendations for the screening, prevention, and management of pediatric obesity. Further data are required to determine whether such practice-based improvements translate into actual reduction in patient weight and/or reduction in health-related costs related to overweight and obesity in youth.

via Quality improvement in childhood obesity managemen… [J Pediatr. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.