Emergency department operations and management education in emergency medicine training

BACKGROUND:This study was undertaken to examine the current level of operations and management education within US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs.METHODS:Residency program directors at all US-based Emergency Medicine Residency programs were anonymously surveyed via a web-based instrument.Participants indicated their levels of residency education dedicated to documentation,billing/coding,core measure/quality indicator compliance,and operations management.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for the ordinal data/Likert scales.RESULTS:One hundred and six(106)program directors completed the study instrument of one hundred and fifty-six(156)programs(70%).Of these,82.6%indicated emergency department(ED)operations and management education within the training curriculum.Dedicated documentation training was noted in all but 1 program(99%).Program educational offerings also included billing/coding(83%),core measure/quality indicators(78%)and operations management training(71%).In all areas,the most common means of educating came through didactic sessions and direct attending feedback or 69%-94%and 72%-98%respectively.Residency leadership was most confident with resident understanding of quality documentation(80%)and less so with core measures(72%),billing/coding/RVUs(58%),and operations management tools(23%).CONCLUSIONS:While most EM residency programs integrate basic operational education related to documentation and billing/coding,a smaller number provide focused education on the dayto-day management and operations of the ED.Residency leadership perceives graduating resident understanding of operational management tools to be limited.All respondents value further resident curriculum development of ED operations and management.

A comparison of perspectives on costs in emergency care among emergency department patients and residents

BACKGROUND: Costs of care are increasingly important in healthcare policy and, more recently, in clinical care in the emergency department(ED). We compare ED resident and patient perspectives surrounding costs in emergency care.METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods study using surveys and qualitative interviews at a single, academic ED in the United States. The two study populations were a convenience sample of adult ED patients(>17 years of age) and ED residents training at the same institution. Participants answered open- and closed-ended questions on costs, medical decision making, cost-related compliance, and communication about costs. Closed-ended data were tabulated and described using standard statistics while open-ended responses were analyzed using grounded theory.RESULTS: Thirty ED patients and 24 ED residents participated in the study. Both patients and residents generally did not have knowledge of medical costs. Patients were comfortable discussing costs while residents were less comfortable. Residents agreed that doctors should consider costs when making medical decisions whereas patients somewhat disagreed. Additionally, residents generally took costs into consideration during clinical decision-making, yet nearly all residents agreed that they had too little education on costs.CONCLUSION: There were several notable differences in ED patient and resident perspectives on costs in this U.S. sample. While patients somewhat disagree that cost should factor into decision making, generally they are comfortable discussing costs yet report having insuf? cient knowledge of what care costs. Conversely, ED residents view costs as important and agree that cost should factor into decision making but lack education on what emergency care costs.

Faculty development for teaching and assessing residents’professionalism

The teaching of professionalism,a key aspect of medical competence that regulates physician’s behavior towards patients,colleagues,society,and self,should be included in the curriculum of every training program.Studies suggest a variety of formats to teach and evaluate professionalism in residents,being role modeling,reflection,case discussions,and 360-degree assessments the most commonly used.However,little is published about the need to train faculty for teaching and evaluating professionalism,or how to improve institutional culture,so that principles that are indicated to teach in theory are also fulfilled in practice.

Simulation training in endoscopic skull base surgery: A scoping review

Objective:Proficiency in endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery requires both substantial baseline training and progressive lifelong learning.Endoscopic simulation models continue to evolve in an effort to optimize trainee education and preoperative preparation and improve surgical outcomes.The current scoping review systematically reviews all available literature and synthesizes the current paradigms of simulation models for endoscopic skull base surgery training and skill enhancement.Methods:In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines,we systematically searched PubMed,Embase,CINAHL,and Cochrane databases.Studies were categorized according to the type of simulation models investigated.Results:We identified 238 unique references,with 55 studies ultimately meeting inclusion criteria.Of these,19 studies described cadaveric dissection models,17 discussed three-dimensional(3D)printed models,14 examined virtual surgical planning and augmented reality-based models,and five 5 articles described task trainers.Conclusions:There are a wide variety of simulation models for endoscopic skull base surgery,including high-fidelity cadaveric,virtual reality,and 3D-printed models.These models are an asset for trainee development and preoperative surgical preparation.