Quantitative assessment of the impact of a triage physician on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident milestones in the emergency department

The “door-to-doctor” time for patients to be seen by a physician is an increasingly studied metric.Hospitals may shorten this time by implementing a triage physician (TP).The exact role of a TP may vary across departments.TPs put in preliminary orders for lab work,imaging,and treatment,and decide treatment location for further evaluation.As the prevalence of TPs grows,its effect on resident education in academic emergency departments (EDs) remains unclear.We implemented a TP in the spring of 2016 and assessed resident physicians before and after implementation.

Emergency physicians’ occupational risks in China

With the rapid development of emergency medicine,emergency physicians are working around the clock,[1]including additional workloads due to sudden public health emergencies and disasters.Occupational risks for emergency physicians are significantly high due to an increasing number of patients with acute and severe diseases,an increased workload.

我国基层医生社区康复服务能力现状与对策研究

背景“康复回社区”是形成合理就医格局的重点要求,也是实现人人享有康复服务的重要策略,但目前我国基层医生的社区康复服务能力与居民日益增长的康复需求仍有差距。目的了解我国基层医生社区康复服务能力的现状、特点与不足,为制定能力提升对策提供科学依据。方法2020年8月采用多阶段分层抽样与典型抽样相结合的方法对中国江苏省、安徽省、河南省、重庆市、甘肃省五地基层医疗卫生机构的医生开展问卷调查,从康复功能评定、康复医疗服务、中医药保健指导、中医理疗四个方面调查基层医生社区康复服务能力现状。结果共回收8374份问卷,接受调查的基层医生中,分别有4697名(56.1%)、6396名(76.4%)、5833名(69.7%)、4834名(57.7%)具备康复功能评定、康复医疗服务、中医药保健指导、中医理疗能力,且农村地区基层医生各项社区康复能力及综合能力具备率均高于城市地区(P<0.05)。不同年龄、学历、执业资格、岗位基层医生的康复医疗服务指导、中医药保健指导、中医理疗能力具备率比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);组内两两比较结果显示,在年龄方面,30岁以下及60岁以上基层医生康复功能评定能力的具备率高于30~<45岁、45~<60岁(P<0.016),45~<60岁医生具备率高于30~<45岁(P<0.016),45岁以下的康复医疗服务指导能力具备率低于45岁以上的基层医生(P<0.016);30岁以下基层医生中医药保健指导、中医理疗能力具备率低于30~<45岁、45~<60岁和60岁以上(P<0.016),30~<45岁医生能力具备率低于45~<60岁和60岁以上(P<0.016),45~<60岁医生具备率低于60岁以上(P<0.016)。在学历方面,高中/中专及以下学历基层医生能力具备率高于大专学历和本科学历(P<0.016),大专学历医生能力具备率高于本科学历(P<0.016)。在执业资格方面,全科医师具备率高于乡村医师和执业(助理)医师(P<0.016),乡村医师具备率高于执业(助理)医师(P<0.016)。在工作岗位方面,中医岗位基层医生中医药保健指导、中医理疗能力具备率高于临床岗位和其他岗位(P<0.016),临床岗位具备率高于其他岗位(P<0.016)。基层医生康复医疗综合能力具备率高于中医康复综合能力(P<0.05)。结论基层医生社区康复服务能力总体不足,中医康复能力较为薄弱。应完善分级康复服务体系建设,促进基层医生康复经验的积累和能力的提升,加强基层医生中医康复与西医现代康复技术联合培养,完善基层康复人才队伍建设,使其能承担起社区康复的责任。

Chinese physicians' perceptions of fecal microbiota transplantation

AIM: To explore Chinese physicians' perceptions towards fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) and to provide information and an assessment of FMT development in China.METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was developed according to the FMT practice guidelines and was distributed to physicians in hospitals via Internet Research Electronic Data Capture(REDcap) software and electronic mails to assess their attitudes toward and knowledge of FMT. The questionnaire included a brief introduction of FMT that was followed by 20 questions. The participants were required to respond voluntarily, under the condition of anonymity and without compensation. Except for the fill-in-the-blank questions, all of the other questions were required in the REDcap data collection systems, and the emailed questionnaires were completed based on eligibility.RESULTS: Up to December 9, 2014, 844 eligible questionnaires were received out of the 980 distributed questionnaires, with a response rate of 86.1%. Among the participants, 87.3% were from tertiary hospitals, and there were 647(76.7%) gastroenterologists and 197(23.3%) physicians in other departments(nongastroenterologists). Gastroenterologists' awareness of FMT prior to the survey was much higher than non-gastroenterologists'(54.3 vs 16.5%, P < 0.001); however, acceptance of FMT was not statistically different(92.4 vs 87.1%, P = 0.1603). Major concerns of FMT included the following: acceptability to patients(79.2%), absence of guidelines(56.9%), and administration and ethics(46.5%). On the basis of understanding, the FMT indications preferred byphysicians were recurrent Clostridium difficile infection(86.7%), inflammatory bowel disease combined with Clostridium difficile infection(78.6%), refractory ulcerative colitis(70.9%), ulcerative colitis(65.4%), Crohn's disease(59.4%), chronic constipation(43.7%), irritable bowel syndrome(39.1%), obesity(28.1%) and type 2 diabetes(23.9%). For donor selection, the majority of physicians preferred individuals with a similar gut flora environment to the recipients. 76.6% of physicians chose lower gastrointestinal tract as the administration approach. 69.2% of physicians considered FMT a safe treatment. CONCLUSION: Chinese physicians have awareness and a high acceptance of FMT, especially gastroenterologists, which provides the grounds and conditions for the development of this novel treatment in China. Physicians' greatest concerns were patient acceptability and absence of guidelines.

Abstract from: Pharmacologic treatment of hypertension in adults aged 60 years or older to higher versus lower blood pressure targets: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians

Description: The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) jointly developed this guideline to present the evidence and provide clinical recommendations based on the benefits and harms of higher versus lower blood pressure targets for the treatment of hypertension in adults aged 60 years or older.

Treating chronic hepatitis B virus:Chinese physicians' awareness of the 2010 guidelines

AIM: To investigate Chinese physicians' awareness of the 2010 guidelines on the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection.METHODS: This was a quantitative survey that investigated the characteristics and practices of physicians who were treating patients with hepatitis B, the profile of their patients and physician practices regarding the diagnosis and treatment of HBV at the time of the survey. Participants were randomly selected from available databases of Chinese physicians and requested to complete either an online or paper-based survey. Data from the survey responses were analysed. For data validation and interpretation, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 39 of the respondents.RESULTS: Five-hundred completed surveys, from 663 physicians were available for analysis. A mean of 175 chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients was seen by each physician every month, of whom 85(49%) were treated in line with therapeutic indications stated in the 2010 guidelines. A total of 444(89%) physicians often(> 60% of the time) adhered to the guidelines. Most physicians used antiviral medications as recommended. For patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, 342(68%) and 336(67%) of physicians, respectively, often followed the recommendation to use potent nucleos(t)ide analogues with a high genetic barrier to resistance, using the appropriate treatment more than 60% of the time. Physicians from infectious disease or liver disease departments were better informed than those from gastrointestinal or other departments.CONCLUSION: The majority of Chinese physicians often adhere to Chinese 2010 CHB guidelines and are well-informed about the use of antiviral medications for hepatitis B.

Interventions to improve communication between nurses and physicians in the intensive care unit: An integrative literature review

Effective communication among healthcare professionals in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a particular imperative,with accurate and efficient interdisciplinary communication being a critical prerequisite for high-quality care.Nurses and physicians are highly important parts of the healthcare system workforce.Thus,identifying strategies that would improve communication between these two groups can provide evidence for practical improvement in the ICU,which will ultimately improve patient outcomes.This integrative literature review aimed to identify interventions that improve communication between nurses and physicians in ICUs.Three databases (Medline,CINAHL,and Science Direct) were searched between September 2014 and June 2016 using 11 search terms,namely,nurse,doctor,physician,resident,clinician,ICU,intensive care unit,communication,teamwork,collaboration,and relationship.A manual search of the reference lists of found papers was also conducted.Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria.These studies reported on the use of communication tools/checklists,team training,multidisciplinary structured work shift evaluation,and electronic situation-background-assessment -recommendation documentation templates to improve communication.Although which intervention strategies are most effective remains unclear,this review suggests that these strategies improve communication to some extent.Future studies should be rigorously designed and outcome measures should be specific and validated to capture and reflect the effects of effective communication.

An attending physician float shift for the improvement of physician productivity in a crowded emergency department

BACKGROUND:Patients backlogged in the emergency department(ED) waiting for an inpatient bed(boarders) continue to require the attention of ED physicians,exacerbating crowding in the ED.To address this problem,we added a "float shift" to our winter schedule solely to care for boarders.We sought to quantify the effect of this float shift,hypothesizing greater physician productivity.METHODS:We performed a retrospective observational study in our community hospital ED,measuring the number of new patients seen in each 10-hour shift in the presence or absence of a float shift physician.We calculated the number of new patients seen per shift for each of the 7 daily shifts,during February(float shift scheduled) and May(float shift unscheduled) of 2008.We then compared the mean number of patients seen per shift in February with May.RESULTS:Total monthly patient volume was 6 656 for February and 6 775 for May,with the mean daily census being 230 and 219 patients,respectively.The number of new patients seen during each shift was greater in February than in May,with a mean increase of 1.1 patients per shift(with the float shift).Surveying participants about intervention effectiveness showed 92%of residents,but only 65%of attending physicians,in favor of maintaining the float shift.CONCLUSION:The presence of a "float shift" physician caring only for boarding patients allows other physicians to maintain and even increase their productivity in our ED,despite the presence of longer throughput times and increased time on diversion.

Availability and quality of procedural sedation and analgesia in emergency departments without emergency physicians: A national survey in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians have been successful in implementing procedural sedation and analgesia(PSA) to treat emergency department(ED) patients who need to undergo painful procedures.However, 25% of the EDs in the Netherlands are not staffed by emergency physicians.The aim of this study was to investigate PSA availability and quality in EDs without emergency physicians.METHODS: We performed an exploratory cross-sectional study amongst ED nurses and physicians in all 13 EDs without emergency physicians in the Netherlands.Data were gathered using a standardized questionnaire.RESULTS: The response rate was 34.3%(148/432).Of the respondents, 84/148(56.8%) provided adult PSA and 30/148(20.3%) provided paediatric PSA.Main reasons for not providing PSA were insufficient numbers of trained staff to support PSA in the ED and insufficient training and exposure.The providers agreed significantly stronger when reflecting their PSA competencies in adults compared to paediatric patients.CONCLUSION: The key to improve pain management in the ED-setting may lay in investing in continuous training of ED health care professionals and/or acquiring professionals who are both qualified in PSA and available in the ED.

Objective frequency-specific hearing thresholds definition for medicolegal purposes in case of occupational NIHL: ASSR outperforms CERA

Audiological use of the 40 Hz-ASSR (auditory steady state responses) could be valuable for objectivelyestimating the frequency-specific threshold in adults undergoing an expertise examination for medicolegal and/or compensation purposes. The present prospective study was set up to clarify the relationship between the thresholds obtained by cortical evoked response audiometry (CERA) and by 40 HzASSR, in the same ears, within a large homogeneous sample of 164 subjects (328 ears) with NIHL andwell documented exposure to noise. All these subjects claimed financial compensation for occupationalNIHL, and there was a suspicion of exaggeration of the reported NIHLs. ASSR thresholds show a goodcorrelation with the CERA thresholds. However, a systematic shift is noticed, ASSR thresholds being onaverage (1e2 e 3 kHz) 4.38 dB lower (i.e. showing less hearing loss) than CERA thresholds. Moreover, thebinaural multiple ASSR technique allows a considerable time gain when compared to the CERA.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia and male lower urinary symptoms:A guide for family physicians

Male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS)and benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)are increasingly seen by family physicians worldwide due to ageing demographics.A systematic way to stratify patients who can be managed in the community and those who need to be referred to the urologist is thus very useful.Good history taking,physical examination,targeted blood or urine tests,and knowing the red flags for referral are the mainstay of stratifying these patients.Case selection is always key in clinical practice and in the setting of the family physician.The best patient to manage is one above 40 years of age,symptomatic with nocturia,slower stream and sensation of incomplete voiding,has a normal prostatespecific antigen level,no palpable bladder,and no haematuria or pyuria on the labstix.The roles of α blockers,5-α reductase inhibitors,and antibiotics in a primary care setting to manage this condition are also discussed.

An Analysis of China's Physician Salary Payment System

Physician payment system （PPS） is a principal incentive system to motivate doctors to provide excellent care for patients. During the past decade, physician remuneration in China has not been in proportional to physician＇s average work load and massive responsibilities. This paper reviewed the constitution of the PPS in China, and further discussed the problems and issues to be addressed with respect to pay for performance. Our study indicated that the lower basic salary and bonus distribution tied to ＂profits＂ was the major contributor to the physician＇s profit-driven incentive and the potential cause for the speedy growth of health expenditures. We recommend that government funding to hospitals should be increased to fully cover physicians＇ basic salary, a flexible human resource and talent management mechanism needs to be established that severs personal interest between physicians and hospitals, and modern performance assessment and multiplexed payment systems should be piloted to encourage physicians to get the more legitimate compensation.

Association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits among Japanese physicians

The aim of this study was to determine the association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits among physicians working in hospitals in Japan. We mailed an anonymous questionnaire with the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology and items about dietary habits to 10,000 randomly selected physicians. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits. The participants comprised 3862 physicians (3025 men and 837 women). Among the respondents, 252 (8.3%) men and 88 (10.5%) women were determined to be in depressive symptoms. For men, “never eat a balanced diet” (Odds ratio;95% confidence interval, 2.54;1.70 - 3.80), and for women “eat quite small meals” (3.81;1.14 - 13.1), “always eat until full” (4.40;1.48 - 13.1), and “never eat a balanced diet” (3.05;1.49 - 6.23) were associated with depressive symptoms. For men, “do not eat too much” (0.57;0.39 - 0.83) was associated with prevention of depression. Physicians should recognize the important role of healthy dietary habits in good mental health. Hospitals should intervene to help physicians address depressive symptoms and dietary habits.

What factors affect physicians’ decisions to use an e-health care system?

Prior studies have not explored physician’s attitudes toward, and behavior and willingness to accept an e-health care system. However, physicians can induce demand for their services. The development of the high-tech asthma care mobile service (ACMS) in Taiwan provided a means of exploring key factors in a physician’s choice of using an ACMS. The study was based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and integrated “subjective norm,” “innovativeness,” and “managerial support” to understand and predict physicians’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward adopting high-tech healthcare systems such as the ACMS. Of 700 questionnaires distributed to physicians with experience using ACMS, 504 completed returns were received (a 72% response rate). The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The results of the study showed that the model selected to explain and predict utilization of the ACMS had high explanatory power and was a good-fit model. The most critical factor that affected behavioral intentions related to ACMS was user attitude, followed by perceived usefulness, managerial support, subjective norm, perceived ease of use, and innovativeness.

The Training and Performance of Emergency Physicians as Anesthetists for International Medical Surgical Response Teams: The Emergency Physician’s General Anesthesia Syllabus (EP GAS)

Background: The availability of an anesthesiologist is often a limiting factor in the number of operations that can be performed by International Medical Surgical Response Teams (IMSuRT). Because emergency physicians (EPs) possess skills in airway control, management of moderate and deep sedation, and ventilator management, we propose that with proper training in general anesthesia, EPs can serve as anesthetists for IMSuRT with anesthesiologist supervision. Methods: During a 10-week period, a board-certified EP administered general anesthesia to 60 patients prior to a surgical medical mission trip. The breakdown of surgical cases was: 11 orthopedic, 2 genitourinary, 20 ear, nose, and throat, 8 obstetrics and gynecological, 13 general surgery, and 6 vascular. A simplified protocol for induction, maintenance, and emergence was adhered to for all cases. Results: Fourteen orthopedic cases using general anesthesia were performed in a one-week period in Haiti. These cases involved open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), hemiarthoplasty, hardware removal, tendon transfer and external fixation of fractured bone. Conclusion: We demonstrate the feasibility of a model curriculum to train EPs in the basics of anesthesia. The EP can safely and effectively deliver general anesthesia for major cases on surgical medical mission trips under the auspices of an anesthesiologist in an austere environment.

Increased physical activity, physician recommendation, and senior center participation

Physical activity is a recognized preventive health measure for seniors and an important focus for senior centers. This paper employs the Andersen Behavioral Model to explore increased physical activity and participation in three types of senior center activities: physical fitness, dance/aerobic classes, and chair exercises. Data were collected in 2006 on 798 and in 2007 on 742 participants at 21 multipurpose senior centers in a large urban county. Logistic regression analysis (PROC RLOGIST in SAS-callable SUDAAN) was employed to predict increased physical activity, with modes of center participation in physical activity as mediating factors. Predisposing and enabling factors predicted both engaging in center-based exercise programs and increases in physical activity;but the strongest predictors of increases in physical activity were needed factors: physician recommendations to increase exercise and to lose weight. Implications are that both SCs and healthcare providers are important to promote physical activity in the older population.

Assessment of Physicians’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Radiation Safety at Suez Canal University Hospital, Egypt

Doctors who request imaging must be well trained in deciding whether diagnostic imaging is indicated and have an accurate knowledge of the associated risks. Although radiological doses are low and the chance of late effect is minimal, it should be kept as low as reasonably achievable. This cannot be achieved without a proper knowledge and adherence to safe practices. This cross-sectional study investigates the level of physicians’ knowledge about radiation safety and their attitude towards radiation protection. A self-administered questionnaire, for radiation safety was sent to a purposive sample of 120 physicians at Suez Canal University Hospital. Eighty questionnaires were filled by participants (response rate;66.7%). The sample included 22 radiologists, 15 oncologists, 25 surgeons and 18 orthopedists. Most participants did not receive any radiation safety-related training (88.8%). Radiologists and oncologists were exposed to ionizing radiation more frequently;however, their knowledge was as low as that of other physicians. The overall knowledge score ranged from 40% - 60% (mean;56.5 ± 15.2), with a low score among surgeons and orthopedics. The most deficient knowledge was in the dose of background radiation and the radiation dose received by patients in each type of radiation procedure. Adherence to safe radiation practices was violated by most of participants, especially surgeons and orthopedics, but they attributed it to the poor applicability of the protective measures during performing the procedures. This study concluded that physicians at the Suez Canal University Hospital had deficient knowledge, unsafe practices and negative attitude towards radiation safety policies & precautions.

Perception of Physicians to the Role of Clinical Pharmacists in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The present study aims to investigate the perceptions and experience of physicians regarding the clinical role of the pharmacists. This is an observational study that was conducted during the period of September 2013 through March 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to be distributed by personal interview to the physicians. The questionnaire population consisted of randomly selected physicians practicing in UAE. The questionnaire was piloted by 10 physicians for face and understandability. Demographic data, frequencies and cross tabulation between different variables were calculated. The Chi-square test was used to determine the significance of association between categorical variables (gender, length of medical practice, and specialty) and the perception of physicians. A total of 285 filled questionnaires were returned representing 285 physicians, with a male dominance (65.3%). The average age of the physician screened was 32.4 (SD = 10.38) years with a minimum one year experience and up to 24 years. General practitioners consumed the widest sector (21.8%) followed by cardiologists (15.8%), then internal medicine (10.1%). In the current study, two thirds of the physicians believed that pharmacists could act as a reliable source of general drug information and play an important role in discovering clinical related problems. It was found that the physicians who had fewer years in practice (less than 10 years) and recently graduated had more acceptances to the clinical role of the pharmacist and believed that there should be a clinical pharmacy services in their hospitals (p-value < 0.05). No other statistically significant differences were found from analyzing the data. In conclusion, results suggest that physicians in UAE appear comfortable with pharmacists providing the broad range of services but appear somewhat less comfortable with pharmacists’ provision of direct patient care.

Referring Physicians’ Knowledge on Justification of Medical Exposure in Diagnostic Imaging in a Sub-Saharan African Country, Cameroon

Background: Justification is the process of weighing the potential benefit of the exposure against potential detriment for that individual. Its role has been largely delegated to imaging professionals. Nevertheless, justification process involves referring physicians, radiographers and radiologists. Objective: To assess the knowledge of referring physicians regarding justification of irradiating examinations in medical imaging at the university-affiliated hospitals in Yaoundé Cameroon. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire (18 questions) based on the French guide for the proper use of medical imaging tests in relation to the justification of irradiating examinations, was self-administered to 151 referring physicians in Yaounde (Cameroon) between October 2012 and January 2013. The pre-tested questionnaire was completed in the presence of the investigator. A scoring system was then adopted with a total of 15 points from the level of knowledge on justification which could be classified as satisfactory or not. Results: Referring physicians were 75 (49.7%) GPs, 53 (35.1%) residents and 23 (15.2%) specialists. Knowledge on justification was unsatisfactory for 79.5% of referring physicians with no significant difference in terms of professional experience (p = 0.95) or specialty (p = 0.119). The concepts of “useful exam” and “justified exam” were not known by 113 (74.8%) and 95 (62.9%) practitioners. MRI was selected as irradiating by 62 (41.1%), SPECT and PET-scan as non-radiating examinations by 98 (64.9%) and 115 (76.1%) participants. The main reasons for repeating a giving radiology exam were: unsatisfactory interpretation, unknown of where it was performing and poor quality exam respectively for 23 (15.2%), 37 (24.5%) and 43 (28.5%) referring physicians. Justification was the responsibility of the referring physician alone for 57% of respondent. Only 11 clinicians knew the reference of “Justification-Optimization-Limitation” to radiation protection. Conclusion: The knowledge of physicians on radiating medical procedures and justification of requests for these procedures is inadequate. Training in radiation protection and the introduction of guidelines for the proper use of imaging tests could improve physicians’ justification of radiating examinations.

Study of Resistance to Stress and Burnout among Public Health Professionals: The Case of Nurses and Physicians at Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat Morocco

Occupational stress presents a major public health problem. It is the subject of many works in Morocco and in the world. Our work focuses on the study of stress resistance among nurses and physicians working in services at Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat, Morocco. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between resistance status, burnout and level of psychological distress. A self-questionnaire is provided to all respondents. It includes questions about socio-demographic and professional, clinical, also neuropsychological tests such as the stress resistance test (CTRS), the burnout scale (MBI) and the general health questionnaire (GHQ12). This study shows that 42% of nurses and physicians have a high level of emotional exhaustion, high level of depersonalization affects 49% of nurses and physicians and subjects with low professional achievement account for 67% and 54% of nurses and physicians suffer from psychological distress. The stress test reveals that 88% of subjects have a low or moderate level of stress resistance and only 12% have good resistance. Thus, our study sheds new light on the understanding of stress at work by using new measurement and evaluation methods such as TRS, with the aim of reducing or eliminating the impact of occupational stress in hospitals.