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Problem definition: Physicians spend more than five hours a day working on Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and more than an hour doing EHR tasks after the end of the workday. Numerous studies have identified the detrimental effects of excessive EHR use and after-hours work, including physician burnout, physician attrition, and appointment delays. However, EHR time is not purely an exogenous factor because it depends on physician usage behavior that could have important operational consequences. Interestingly, prior literature has not considered this topic rigorously. In this paper, we investigate how physicians' workflow decisions on when to perform EHR tasks affect: (1) total time on EHR and (2) time spent after work. Methodology/results: Our data comprise around 150,000 appointments from 74 physicians from a large Academic Medical Center Family Medicine unit. Our data set contains detailed, process-level time stamps of appointment progression and EHR use. We find that the effect of working on EHR systems depends on whether the work is done before or after an appointment. Pre-appointment EHR work reduces total EHR workload and after-work hours spent on EHR. Post-appointment EHR work reduces after-work hours on EHR but increases total EHR time. We find that increasing idle time between appointments can encourage both pre- and post-appointment EHR work. Managerial implications: Our results not only help us understand the timing and structure of work on secondary tasks more generally but also will help healthcare administrators create EHR workflows and appointment schedules to reduce physician burnout associated with excessive EHR use. History: This paper has been accepted in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Frontiers in Operations Initiative. Funding: The research conducted for this paper received partial funding from the Center of Business for Health at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0028. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context.--In 2018 the College of American Pathologists Diagnostic Immunology and Flow Cytometry Committee designed and implemented a new plasma cell neoplasia flow cytometry proficiency testing program--PCNEO--to allow clinical flow cytometry laboratories to monitor and assess their performance compared with a peer group. Objective.--To report the results from the first 4 years of the PCNEO program. Design.--Program participants were sent 2 sets of challenges per year, each including 1 wet challenge and 2 dry challenges, with associated clinical and laboratory findings. The wet challenges were composed of myeloma cell line specimens (with or without dilution in preserved whole blood) for flow cytometric analysis. The dry (paper) challenges were composed of clinical case summaries and images of flow cytometric test results from various flow cytometry laboratories of committee members. Results.--A total of 116 to 145 laboratories from 17 countries enrolled in the proficiency testing program. For the wet challenges, almost all participants (97%--100%; cumulative, 98.2%) correctly identified the presence of neoplastic plasma cell populations based on flow cytometric analysis of undiluted myeloma cell lines. Slightly fewer participants (89.0%--97.4%; cumulative, 95.2%) correctly identified the presence of neoplastic plasma cell populations based on flow cytometric analysis of diluted myeloma cell lines (10% or 50% dilutions into peripheral blood) intended to better represent a typical clinical sample. There was generally agreement among 80% or more of participants for positive or negative staining for CD38, CD138, CD19, CD20, and surface and cytoplasmic K and λ light chains. Similarly, 84% to 100% of participants were able to correctly identify the presence of neoplastic plasma cell populations in paper challenges, including the presence of small, neoplastic plasma cell populations (0.01%--5.0% clonal plasma cells) and the presence of nonneoplastic plasma cell populations (correctly identified by 91%--96% of participants). Conclusions.--Participant performance in the new proficiency testing program was excellent overall, with the vast majority of participants able to perform flow cytometric analysis and identify neoplastic plasma cell populations and to identify small plasma cell clones or expanded populations of reactive plasma cells in dry challenge flow cytometry results. This program will allow laboratories to verify the accuracy of their testing program and test interpretations for the assessment of patients suspected of having a plasma cell neoplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aligning the skills addressed by higher education to the demands of industry is an ongoing challenge. This paper describes the rationale for developing and using a visualization application to highlight the skills demand and skills supply mismatch between work-integrated learning (WIL) stakeholders. The objective was to develop a minimal viable product (MVP) to be utilized as a visualization application. Visualization allows for the data to be structured in an organized way for comparison and pattern identification. Participatory action research informed the development of a MVP, referred to as a skills hub. This paper reports how the skills hub visualizes the skills mismatch through collaboration between participating higher education institutions, a multi-national financial institution, skills assessment partner, and a consulting partner. The research result is that WIL stakeholders benefit from the skills hub as an application that provides a visualization process to translate skills shared in the process of knowledge exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment for partners of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STI), referred to as expedited partner therapy (EPT), is infrequently used in the emergency department (ED). This was a pilot program to initiate and evaluate EPT through medication-in-hand ("take-home") kits or paper prescriptions. In this study we aimed to assess the frequency of EPT prescribing, the efficacy of a randomized best practice advisory (BPA) on the uptake, perceptions of emergency clinicians regarding the EPT pilot, and factors associated with EPT prescribing. Methods: We conducted this pilot study at an academic ED in the midwestern US between August-October 2021. The primary outcome of EPT prescription uptake and the BPA impact was measured via chart abstraction and analyzed through summary statistics and the Fisher exact test. We analyzed the secondary outcome of barriers and facilitators to program implementation through ED staff interviews (physicians, physician assistants, and nurses). We used a rapid qualitative assessment method for the analysis of the interviews. Results: During the study period, 52 ED patients were treated for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and EPT was offered to 25% (95% CI 15%-39%) of them. Expedited partner therapy was prescribed significantly more often (42% vs 8%; P < 0.01) when the interruptive pop-up alert BPA was shown compared to not shown. Barriers identified in the interviews included workflow constraints and knowledge of EPT availability. The BPA was viewed positively by the majority of participants. Conclusion: In this pilot EPT program, expedited partner therapy was provided to 25% of ED patients who appeared eligible to receive it. The interruptive pop-up alert BPA significantly increased EPT prescribing. Barriers identified to EPT prescribing should be the subject of future interventions to improve provision of EPT from the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to explore the impact of the implementation of an electronic prescribing and medication administration system (ePA) on the safety of medication administration in an inpatient hospital setting. Objectives were to compare the prevalence and types of: 1) medication administration errors, and 2) documentation discrepancies, between a paper and an ePA system. Additionally, we wanted to describe any observed changes to medication administration practices.Methods: The study was based on an elderly medicine ward in an English hospital. From December 2014 to June 2015, nurses' medication administration rounds were observed every 5 days before and after ePA implementation using an interrupted time-series approach. Medication administration error and documentation discrepancy rates pre- versus post-ePA were analysed descriptively and chi-squared tests used to test for any difference; segmented regression analysis was used to determine changes in longitudinal trend.Results: Observations were made at 15 pre- and 15 post-ePA implementation time-points. Pre-ePA on paper, there were 18 medication administration errors in 428 opportunities for error (4.2%; 95% confidence interval 2.3-6.1%), and with ePA there were 18 in 528 (3.4%; 95% confidence interval 1.9-5.0%; p = 0.64). Regarding documentation, pre-ePA on paper there were 5 discrepancies in 460 observed documentations (1.1%; 95% confidence interval 0.1-2.0%); with ePA there were 18 in 557 (3.2%; 95% confidence interval 1.8-4.7%; p = 0.04). The most common electronic documentation discrepancy was documentation that a dose had been administered when it had not. Segmented regression analysis was unable to detect any significant longitudinal changes. Changes to working practices post-ePA were observed, such as nurses demonstrating less-consistent self-checking when preparing and administering medications.Conclusions: Findings suggest no change in medication error rate, although ePA encourages certain types of errors and mitigates others. There was a statistically significant increase in documentation discrepancies which is likely to be due to adoption of new working practices with ePA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, two main approaches are prominent in the assessment of care quality. The first is the determination of care standards, and the other approach for quality-guarantee is the method of monitoring the patient satisfaction. The aim of this study is to determine the satisfaction levels of patients, who stayed in surgery clinics in different hospitals, with nursing care. The sample of the study consisted of 972 patients who accepted to participate in the research, were able to communicate, 18 of age and above and literate. The data were collected through “The Personal Information Form” and “The Newcastle Scale of Satisfaction with Nursing”. The data were assessed through percentage distribution, t-test, One-Way ANOVA test, Man-Whitney U Test and Kruskal Wallis variance analysis. The satisfaction levels of the patients in the research group have differed according to their age, marital status, educational background, profession, the hospital in which the patients stay, previous hospital experience and whether or not they had companions with them. It became evident that patients were generally satisfied with nursing services, however the satisfaction levels of patients staying in private hospitals were more than those of patients staying in public hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Journal clubs are known as the teaching methods in most of the medical training centers. In journal club (JC) participants discuss about articles in recent medical papers and finally, written scientific results are accepted or rejected. The aim of this study was to compare the traditional and evidence based medicine (EBM) type of JCs. Methods: The present study was conducted in Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of medical sciences from January to March 2010. Forty participants were enrolled in our study: 16 stagers, 11 interns and 13 internal medicine residents. We held 3 journal clubs with 14 participants in the first session and 13 participants in the other sessions. Journal club was held at the end of each week. The first paper was presented by one of the attending physicians of rheumatology ward. The second paper was presented by another attendant of rheumatology ward who was a member of EBM group of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Then the results were compared. Results: The comparison of the sums of participants' scores didn't show any meaningful difference between traditional and EBM journal club in topic, purpose, and methods & material part of papers, but in the results section of the papers, the difference was remarkable. Conclusions: Our study showed that in the EBM journal clubs, participants learnt more about the results part of the papers.but in the results section of the papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A commercial federated network called TriNetX has connected electronic health record (EHR) data from academic medical centers (AMCs) with biopharmaceutical sponsors in a privacy-preserving manner to promote sponsor-initiated clinical trials. Little is known about how AMCs have implemented TriNetX to support clinical trials., Findings: At our AMC over a six-year period, TriNetX integrated into existing institutional workflows enabled 402 requests for sponsor-initiated clinical trials, 14 % (n = 56) of which local investigators expressed interest in conducting. Although clinical trials administrators indicated TriNetX yielded unique study opportunities, measurement of impact of institutional participation in the network was challenging due to lack of a common trial identifier shared across TriNetX, sponsor, and our institution., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this study is among the first to describe integration of a federated network of EHR data into institutional workflows for sponsor-initiated clinical trials. This case report may inform efforts at other institutions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background Para-infectious encephalopathy is an acute inflammatory encephalopathy secondary to a systemic infectious disease, including acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) and mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS). This paper reports on 3 cases of SARS-CoV-2 related to para-infectious encephalopathy diagnosed and treated in The Ordos Central Hospital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from December 2022 to February 2023, and reviews relevant literature to summarize the clinical characteristics of the disease. Methods and Results The 3 patients with SARS-CoV-2 related to para-infectious encephalopathy, including 2 cases of SARS-CoV-2 related to ANE and one case of SARS-CoV-2 related to MERS were reported. Three patients developed consciousness disorder 2-4 d after fever, and still had aphasia, mental abnormality, convulsions, etc.. SARS-CoV-2 throat swab was positive. Head MRI showed one abnormal signal of brain stem and bilateral thalamus, one abnormal signal of bilateral thalamus, and one abnormal pressure of corpus callosum. All received hormone shock therapy and (or) intravenous immunoglobulin. One died, and 2 cases were recovered. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 related to para-infectious encephalopathy including SARS-CoV-2 related to ANE and MERS and other clinical subtypes, the former has rapid progress, severe disease, high disability rate and fatality rate and poor prognosis, while the latter has relatively mild symptoms and better prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blogging can help to maximise the impact of one's work in academia and beyond by making research findings accessible for multiple knowledge users, such as healthcare professionals and the public, as well as other researchers. As part of the knowledge exchange and dissemination activities of the Model for Dementia Palliative Care Project, this study explored stakeholders' views of blogs as a means to translate research findings. Methods: A web-based survey was developed, piloted, and revised. It was distributed electronically via key dementia and palliative care organisations websites, newsletters, social media platforms, and within the staff mailing lists of five Universities in Ireland. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results: Complete responses were received from 128 participants. The majority of respondents were healthcare researchers (n = 53), followed by healthcare providers (n = 46). The preferred methods of reviewing research findings were scientific papers, websites and news articles. Respondents read healthcare blogs "sometimes" (39.1%), with < 19% reading them "often" or "very often". Receiving an email notification might increase the likelihood of reading a new blog post for 83% of respondents. Barriers to engaging with blogs included lack of time, preference for other media, lack of awareness regarding available blogs, and concerns about the credibility and source of information. An appropriate length and the author of the blog were key features that encouraged engagement with a blog. Conclusions: Despite respondents choosing a scientific paper as their preferred method to consume research findings, many indicated an openness to reading blogs on their area of interest. Creating concise, relevant, and credible blogs, and suitably promoting them, could increase the impact and reach of healthcare research, such as in the emerging field of dementia palliative care, and thus promote translation of research findings into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constructs and applies a university student sports health management system through the theory of integrated regional collaborative medical care and distributed computing technology. Firstly, it analyzes the current situation and problems of cross-regional medical care, the root causes, and the corresponding business scenarios, reflecting the development trend of cross-regional medical care, in the light of the current practical needs of cross-regional medical care. In response to the strong demand for cross-regional medical care, this paper gives the overall design of the distributed computing system, for the deployment and architecture of the cross-regional platform; the registration of cross-regional patients, regional platforms, and health events and documents; and data exchange, service integration, and process integration, etc. The corresponding design is given. The research was conducted on several medical institutions to refine the functional requirements for the construction of the regional collaborative medical platform, and the requirements were analyzed to present the research results of the collaborative medical project. Based on this, requirements were made for the preparation of the project construction data center and medical institutions, and the remote consultation and two-way referral modules of the distributed collaborative medical platform were designed, which are processed and analyzed through a system composed of multiple servers. The results are returned to the user, and the design results were tested for functionality, compatibility, security, and other usability tests. The necessity and feasibility of the college physical health test data platform were analyzed. Students have various needs for physical test data management, the necessity of designing the college physical health test data platform, and the feasibility of the college physical health test data platform in terms of technical means, theoretical basis, and social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental disorders are one of the leading causes of illness and disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders during their lifetime. Regular evaluation of mental health outcomes plays an important role in making decisions about timely treatment of the patient. Studies show that a medical record does not provide enough information about the diagnosis, current symptoms, psychiatric medications, and side effects of current medications and treatments for ongoing health care. In this study, the completeness of paper-based psychiatric records was investigated. Aim: The current study aimed to explore the completeness rate of paper-based psychiatric medical records (PMRs) and to investigate the factors effective on documentation status. Setting: The study was conducted in Ebnesina and Dr. Hejazi Psychiatric Hospital and Education Center. The case hospital is a psychiatric teaching hospital, which has 900 beds. Materials and Methods: The completeness rate of PMRs was determined using descriptive statistics. Fleiss' Kappa agreement and effective factors on PMRs' documentation status were assessed. Results: In total, 83.65% (n = 312) of the PMRs had at least one documentation defect. A significantly higher level of documentation completeness rate between different psychiatric wards was observed. Conclusion: Based on our results, it is suggested to conduct regular evaluation and provide feedback to the health-care providers, and conduct training courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major disease that affects the elderly worldwide. Several studies have revealed that vitamins may influence the risk of developing AD. However, information in this field remains ambiguous. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between AD and vitamins, identify journal publications and collaborators, and analyze keywords and research trends using a bibliometric method. Methods: We systematically searched the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection for papers published on AD and vitamins. Retrieved data regarding institutions, journals, countries, authors, journal distribution, keywords, and so on. SPSS 25 software was used for the statistical analysis, and CiteSpace V.6.1.R6 was used to visualize the information through collaborative networks. Results: A total of 2,838 publications were ultimately included in accordance with the specified inclusion criteria. The number of publications gradually increased from 1996 to 2023, with papers published in 87 countries/regions and 329 institutions. China (centrality: 0.02) and the University of Kentucky (centrality: 0.09) were the major research countries and institutions, respectively. NEUROLOGY was cited most frequently, reaching 1,573, and had the greatest impact. The cited keywords show that "Alzheimer's disease," "oxidative stress," "vitamin E," and "dementia" have been research hotspots in recent years. Beta-carotene emerged in 2023 and was identified as a developmental trend in this field. Conclusion: This is the first bibliometric analysis of vitamins associated with AD. We identified 2,838 articles in the field of vitamins and AD, analyzed the information of major countries/regions, institutions, and core journals in this field, and summarized the research hotspots and frontiers. These findings provide useful information for researchers to explore the role of vitamins in AD further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: This study aimed to investigate the patterns of preferred endoscopic procedure types and techniques for managing difficult common bile duct (CBD) stones in South Korea. Methods: The Committee of Policy and Quality Management of Korean Pancreatobiliary Association (KPBA) conducted a survey containing 19 questions. Both paper and online surveys were carried out; with the paper survey being conducted during the 2019 Annual Congress of KPBA and the online survey being conducted through Google Forms from April 2020 to February 2021. Results: The response rate was approximately 41.3% (86/208). Sixty-two (73.0%) worked at tertiary hospitals or academic medical centers, and 60 (69.7%) had more than 5 years of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography experience. The preferred size criteria for large CBD stones were 15 mm (40.6%), 20 mm (31.3%), and 30 mm (4.6%). For managing of large CBD stones, endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation after endoscopic sphincterotomy was the most preferred technique (74.4%). When performing procedures in those with bleeding diathesis, 64 (74.4%) respondents favored endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) alone or EPBD with small endoscopic sphincterotomy. Fifty-five respondents (63.9%) preferred the doubleguidewire technique when faced with difficult bile duct cannulation in patients with periampullary diverticulum. In surgically altered anatomies, cap-fitted forward viewing endoscopy (76.7%) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (48.8%) were the preferred techniques for Billroth-II anastomosis and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis, respectively. Conclusions: Most respondents showed unifying trends for the management of difficult CBD stones. The current practice patterns could be used as basic data for clinical quality improvements in the management of difficult CBD stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the investigation whether electrical pulses from deep-brain electrical stimulation electrodes implanted in the central thalamus could recruit and activate unused but functional cerebral networks in patients in the minimally conscious state (MCS). This work, which was conducted by Nicholas Schiff, a neurologist at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, together with Weill medical ethicist Joseph Fins, neurologist Joseph Giacino, and neurosurgeon Ali Rezai, focused on a single patient who was unable to follow commands consistently, communicate, or vocalize after severe traumatic brain injury. Schiff considers the team's effort not just an innovation in neurosurgery, but also in how MCS patient behavior is assessed and how doctors think on finding ethical ways.

The article focuses on laboratory medicine in the United States with an example of the University of Washington Hospital Medical Center (UWHMC) in Seattle, Washington. The organization of laboratory medicine varies according to local needs and history. Clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunology, genetics and informatics are the part of laboratory medicine. Detailed information about the UWHMC is provided.

Background. The academic scientific research in the field of dentistry has rapidly increased in the last 20 years under the pressure of the multidisciplinary technological advancements and the growing demand for new predictable and cost-effective techniques and materials. The aim of the present investigation was to analyze the academic scientific production conducted by Italian Academies and Dental Schools. Methods. The list of MED/28 academic researchers, associate and full professors, and academic affiliations was collected from the national database of CINECA to evaluate the scientific output of the Italian Universities. The complete list of scientific contributions and the bibliometric parameters were recorded in the Scopus database. Results. The scientific production of 37 Italian Universities, 416 researchers, and 23689 papers was evaluated. The measurement of total academic papers, citations, h-index, and relative citation ratio (RCR) was calculated. The study data showed an increase of the academic scientific production over the last 5 years. Conclusions. The results presented show how scientific research is increasingly pursued by dental clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) experience increased rates of emotional and behavioral crises that necessitate assessment and intervention. Psychiatric disorders can contribute to crises; however, screening measures developed for the general population are inadequate for those with DD. Medical conditions can exacerbate crises and merit evaluation. Screening tools using checklist formats, even when designed for DD, are too limited in depth and scope for crisis assessments. The Sources of Distress survey implements a web-based branching logic format to screen for common psychiatric and medical conditions experienced by individuals with DD by querying caregiver knowledge and observations. Objective: This paper aims to (1) describe the initial survey development, (2) report on focus group and expert review processes and findings, and (3) present results from the survey's clinical implementation and evaluation of validity. Methods: Sources of Distress was reviewed by focus groups and clinical experts; this feedback informed survey revisions. The survey was subsequently implemented in clinical settings to augment providers' psychiatric and medical history taking. Informal and formal consults followed the completion of Sources of Distress for a subset of individuals. A records review was performed to identify working diagnoses established during these consults. Results: Focus group members (n=17) expressed positive feedback overall about the survey's content and provided specific recommendations to add categories and items. The survey was completed for 231 individuals with DD in the clinical setting (n=161, 69.7% men and boys; mean age 17.7, SD 10.3; range 2-65 years). Consults were performed for 149 individuals (n=102, 68.5% men and boys; mean age 18.9, SD 10.9 years), generating working diagnoses to compare survey screening results. Sources of Distress accuracy rates were 91% (95% CI 85%-95%) for posttraumatic stress disorder, 87% (95% CI 81%-92%) for anxiety, 87% (95% CI 81%-92%) for episodic expansive mood and bipolar disorder, 82% (95% CI 75%-87%) for psychotic disorder, 79% (95% CI 71%-85%) for unipolar depression, and 76% (95% CI 69%-82%) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. While no specific survey items or screening algorithm existed for unspecified mood disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, these conditions were caregiver-reported and working diagnoses for 11.7% (27/231) and 16.8% (25/149) of individuals, respectively. Conclusions: Caregivers described Sources of Distress as an acceptable tool for sharing their knowledge and insights about individuals with DD who present in crisis. As a screening tool, this survey demonstrates good accuracy. However, better differentiation among mood disorders is needed, including the addition of items and screening algorithm for unspecified mood disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Additional validation efforts are necessary to include a more geographically diverse population and reevaluate mood disorder differentiation. Future study is merited to investigate the survey's impact on the psychiatric and medical management of distress in individuals with DD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the nurses' experiences with the Nursing Crisis Meetings and to identify nurses' needs regarding the future governance structure. Design: Qualitative study. Methods: Two focus groups were conducted in February 2022 with participants of the Nursing Crisis Meetings (N = 15). We used thematic analysis to describe themes. Results: We identified five themes: opportunity to speak up, call for nursing leadership, call for control over practice and autonomy, development of a governance infrastructure and development of the professional nurse role. Conclusion: Nurses experienced the Nursing Crisis Meetings to be a positive and empowering infrastructure, which facilitates the unique opportunity to speak up and share experiences and concerns. This new infrastructure is a promising strategy to engage nurses during a pandemic and to build on a professional governance structure. Impact: This paper highlights the need for nurses to speak up and be engaged during the COVID‐19 pandemic and gives a practical example of how to put this infrastructure into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In academic health centers, education remains an incompletely supported and funded mandate. In an attempt to promote education and better support educational endeavors of faculty, some academic health centers and departments have conceived of a metric, the educational value unit (eVU), to begin to "quantify" teaching. What goes into this metric, its intended goals and the logistics of its implementation vary considerably among centers. Lessons Learned: This practical advice paper highlights the various lessons learned from a review of the limited published literature on eVU systems supplemented with our personal experience in implementing a successful eVU system in the Department of Pediatrics at our institution, to help guide others who may be interested in doing that same. Even in limited-resource settings, our hope is that these lessons can serve as a guide on how to better quantify and reward teaching, whether through monetary or nonfiscal incentives and recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While some academic health centers have organizational structures to support educational scholarship, such as Medical Education Research Units (MERU), many education scholars may lack access to such institutional resources to support their research agenda and professional growth. In 2014, as part of an externally funded education grant, three faculty educators established a unique education data management system Research & Evaluation Data for Educational Improvement (REDEI). Lacking an institutional MERU, they established an educational research community of practice (CoP) using REDEI as the research dataset. The senior faculty member's effort to facilitate the group is funded by the Dean's Office. The CoP meets every 2 weeks to generate research ideas, discuss analytic approach and strategy, review analyses designed to address or explore a research question, and plans for manuscript development. Our CoP has grown from 3 to 18 members representing faculty educators, administrators, and staff across many departments in the School of Medicine. As of 2021, the REDEI system contains performance data on 1,246 students across all years of undergraduate medical education. To date, we have published 11 peer-reviewed educational research manuscripts. Five learners have served as coauthors (three medical students and two residents), three of whom were first authors. Eleven additional papers are in process. This community of practice supports productivity, provides mentorship, overcomes barriers, and is flexible enough for people to join when they can or when an area of interest is actively under development. We are working on educational interdisciplinary research grant submission and creating collaborations with other institutions. Our focus remains on honing skills in grantsmanship, identification of impactful research questions, application of rigorous methods and instrumentation to address them, and refining process of budget development, timelines, and other planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) still has a poor prognosis despite medical advancements in recent decades. Early and high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as well as good teamwork, are important prognostic factors. There are no clear guidelines regarding the composition of a dedicated hospital CPR team. We compared outcomes of IHCA treated by a dedicated hospital CPR team compared to ward medical staff with advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training. Methods: A single-center retrospective observational study based on the cardiopulmonary resuscitation database of Soroka University Medical Center from January 2016 until December 2019. We compared the results of resuscitations conducted by regular ward medical staff, certified in ACLS, versus those conducted by the dedicated hospital's CPR team. Results: Of the 360 CPR events analyzed, 141 (39.1%) ended in return of spontaneous circulation, 70 (19.4%) patients were alive after 24 hours, 23 (6.4%) survived for 30 days, and 18 (5%) survived to discharge. Of those who survived to discharge, 11 (61.1%) had a cerebral performance category (CPC) score of 1–2, and 7 (38.9%) had a score of 3–4 (mean 2.09). Survival-to-discharge was significantly higher in the CPR-team group compared to the ward-team group (7.6% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.013). However, with propensity score analysis the difference in survival became insignificant (RR = 1.97, 95% CI: 0.40–9.63, p = 0.40). Conclusion: We found no difference in survival between IHCA treated by a dedicated hospital CPR team compared to a standard ward team, both trained with biennial ACLS training. Nevertheless, crude survival-to-discharge was significantly higher in the CPR-team group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of public health, there is a common misconception that only Romania's system faces issues and generates societal dissatisfaction. However, globally, there is significant room for improvement, as the performance of the sector is often unsatisfactory. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study on the attitudes of medical personnel in pathology services towards managerial and administrative risks, supported by a survey that provides a wealth of useful information. The survey encompassed a geographic area including the counties of Mureș, Harghita, Sibiu, and Alba, involving 12 healthcare units: 2 university hospitals, 2 county hospitals, and several municipal or town hospitals. These institutions housed anatomical pathology service structures staffed by approximately 240 physicians and assistants, with a ratio of 1 physician to 2.5 assistants. The questionnaire aimed to test four hypotheses through questions that invited respondents to select from formatted answers. Of the four hypotheses formulated and their corresponding items, only two were confirmed. This outcome suggests that the Romanian healthcare system is not unequivocally adaptable to the needs of medical product consumers. Specifically, the data indicate that hospitals face dire financial conditions amidst various challenges and vulnerabilities. Differences of opinion between the two categories of respondents are evident in certain risk categories. This discrepancy arises from the specific nature of their activities and their respective contributions to ensuring the quality and efficiency of the service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Objective: The Dutch university medical centres (UMC's) are on the forefront when it comes to validation, implementation and research of telemonitoring. To aid the UMC's in their effort, the Dutch Government has supported the UMC's by fostering the 'Citrien eHealth program'. This program aims at nationwide implementation and upscaling of telemonitoring via a collaborative network. To quantify the success of this program, this study aims to provide insights into the current adoption of telemonitoring by health care professionals (HCP) within Dutch UMC's., Methods: Based on the evaluation framework as adapted from the Normalization Process Theory (NPT) a cross-sectional study was conducted in all Dutch UMC's. Thirty healthcare professionals (HCPs) per UMC were invited to complete the 23-item Normalization MeAsure Development (NoMAD) questionnaire, a tool to assess the degree of normalisation of telemonitoring., Results: The over-all response rate was 52.4% (124/240). Over 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they understand how telemonitoring affects the nature of their work, with a mean score of 1.49 (N = 117, SD 0.74). HCPs reported to believe telemonitoring will become a normal part of their work in the near future (N = 124, mean = 8.67, SD = 1.38). Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the difference between current practise and future use of telemonitoring predicts to be statistically significant (Z =  - 7.505, p ≤ 0.001). Mean scores for appropriate training and sufficient resources are relatively low (2.39 and 2.70 respectively), indicating a barrier for collective action., Conclusion: This is the first study to assess the implementation of telemonitoring as standard practise across Dutch UMCs. The HCPs in this study are the frontrunners, believing that telemonitoring will become standard practise in the future despite the fact that it is currently not. Based on the results of this study, both educational and implementation strategies including practical skills training are highly recommended in order to scale up telemonitoring widely., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a machine learning-based system for the prediction of the required level of respiratory support in COVID-19 patients is proposed. The level of respiratory support is divided into three classes: class 0 which refers to minimal support, class 1 which refers to non-invasive support, and class 2 which refers to invasive support. A two-stage classification system is built. First, the classification between class 0 and others is performed. Then, the classification between class 1 and class 2 is performed. The system is built using a dataset collected retrospectively from 3491 patients admitted to tertiary care hospitals at the University of Louisville Medical Center. The use of the feature selection method based on analysis of variance is demonstrated in the paper. Furthermore, a dimensionality reduction method called principal component analysis is used. XGBoost classifier achieves the best classification accuracy (84%) in the first stage. It also achieved optimal performance in the second stage, with a classification accuracy of 83%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess quality of life and unmet needs after stroke, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have gained increasing attention. However, patients' perspectives on assessing PROMs remain unclear, potentially hindering implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, this study explored patients' preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke. Methods: A paper-based questionnaire was sent to stroke survivors treated at the Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Germany. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL, EQ-5D-5L) and preferences regarding different aspects of data collection to assess PROMs were investigated and linked to socio-demographic and medical characteristics. Results: 158 persons were contacted and 80 replies were subsequently analyzed. Mean age was 70.16 years and mean HRQoL was 68.79 (visual analogue scale with a theoretical maximum of 100). Participants showed positive attitudes towards PROMs as they saw potential to improve care of other patients (n = 66/79; 83.54%) or to improve their own situation (n = 53/74; 71.62%). Participants preferred an annual interview after stroke (n = 39/80; 48.75%) and would preferably spend 15–30 min (n = 41/79; 51.90%) to answer a written survey (n = 69/80; 86.25%). The initially treating clinic was preferred as initiator of such surveys (n = 43/79; 54.43%). Stratification revealed that participants with more than 1 h of daily digital media usage preferred email as way of communication. Conclusions: For the first time, this study showed individual preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke, focusing on the way, time interval, duration, and initiation site of surveys. These insights might help to successfully implement PROMs after stroke and subsequently detect unmet needs and deficits in stroke care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although individual factors play a vital role in determining professional autonomy, their specific impact during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not been studied. This study aimed to compare nurses' professional autonomy when caring for patients with COVID-19 and for other patients and explore factors related to autonomy when caring for these patients. A paper-based questionnaire survey was conducted from June to August 2022 among nurses working at a university hospital in Japan. The survey included demographic factors (10 items, including, age, section, years of nursing experience, position, educational background, ladder level, and having certified nurse specialists or certified nurse qualifications) and individual experience factors (4 items: number of COVID-19 patients experienced, frequency and contents of searching for the latest information about COVID-19, frequency of using scientific sources, and frequency of training/study sessions on COVID-19 attended at the hospital). Additionally, basic knowledge of COVID-19 was evaluated. The scale for nurses' professional autonomy was developed based on a previous study. A paired t-test and stepwise multiple linear regression were used for the analyses. Overall, 241 nurses participated in the survey. The average length of nursing experience was 10.3 ± 9.2 years. The total scores for nurses' professional autonomy in all 5 factors 27 items were significantly lower (t = −12.1, p < 0.001) when caring for COVID-19 patients than when caring for other patients. Specifically, Factor 1 (Cognition) exhibited the most decreased scores when caring for COVID-19 patients than when caring for other patients. Factor 4 (Abstract judgment) differed the least between caring for COVID-19 and for other patients, but the average score was the lowest. More years of nursing experience (β = 0.208, p = 0.001) and a higher number of patients with COVID-19 cared for (β = 0.140, p = 0.026) were associated with higher autonomy scores. In conclusion, to enhance professional autonomy during an unprecedented pandemic, nurses must enhance cognition and abstract judgment. In the event of a future pandemic, nurses need to create an environment in which they routinely access and utilize the latest information and scientific evidence to provide high-quality nursing care based on their professional judgment and competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Academic Medical Centres (AMCs) are important organisations for shaping healthcare. The purpose of this scoping review is to understand the scope and type of evidence related to the organisation of European AMCs. We selected the study population intending to obtain a demographic cross-section of European countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. We focused our search strategy on the relationship between medical schools and AMCs, the organisation of governing bodies, and legal ownership. We searched the bibliographic databases of PubMed and Web of Science (most recent search date 17-06-2022). To enrich the search result, we used Google search engines to conduct targeted searches for relevant websites. Our search strategy yielded 4,672 records for consideration. After screening and reviewing full-text papers, 108 sources were included. Our scoping review provided insight into the scope and type of evidence related to the organisation of European AMCs. Limited literature is available on the organisation of these AMCs. Information from national-level websites complemented the literature and provided a more complete picture of the organisation of European AMCs. We found some meta-level similarities regarding the relationship between universities and AMCs, the role of the dean and the public ownership of the medical school and the AMC. In addition, we found several reasons why a particular organisational and ownership structure was chosen. There is no uniform model for AMC organisations (apart from some meta-level similarities). Based on this study, we cannot explain the diversity in these models. Therefore, further research is needed to explain these variations. For example, by generating a set of hypotheses through in-depth case studies that also focus on the context of AMCs. These hypotheses can then be tested in a larger number of countries., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Cardinaal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Use of PICCs has been rising since 2001. They are used when long-term intravenous access is needed and for blood draws in patients with difficult venous access. Objective: To determine which risk factors contribute to inappropriate PICC line insertion defined as removal of a PICC within five days of insertion for reasons other than a PICC complication. Design: Retrospective, observational study. Setting: Tertiary-care, Level 1 trauma center. Patients: Adult patients with a PICC removed 1/1/2017 to 5/4/2020. Measurements: Frequency of PICC removal within five days of insertion and associated risk factors for early removal. Results: Between 1/1/2017 and 5/4/2020, 995 of 5348 PICCs inserted by the IV nursing team were removed within five days (19%). In 2017, 5 of 429 PICCs developed a central line-associated infection (1.2%) and 29 of 429 PICCs developed symptomatic venous thromboembolism (6.7%). Patients with PICCs whose primary service was in an ICU were independently at higher risk of early removal (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.14, 1.83); weekday insertion was independently associated with a lower likelihood of early removal compared to weekend insertion (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.49, 0.75). Limitation: PICC removal after discharge was not assessed and paper records were likely incomplete and biased. Conclusion: Nearly one in five PICCs were removed within five days. Patients whose primary team was in an ICU and PICCs ordered on weekends were at independently higher risk of early removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]