When Aways Went Away: How the Elimination of Away Rotations During Covid-19 was Perceived by Applicants Across Specialties

Introduction: COVID-19's emergence and subsequent social distancing guidelines resulted in severe restrictions on away rotations (ARs). This multi-institutional cross-sectional study investigated how these restrictions were perceived by residency applicants across specialties. Method(s): In fall, 2020, an online survey regarding COVID-19's impact on graduating medical students' education was distributed to ACGME Medical Schools. Demographics, specialty choice, and pre- COVID plans to participate in ARs verses one's participation post- COVID were collected. Respondents who provided e-mails received a post-Match follow-up survey in which retrospective thoughts on ARs were explored. Participants were grouped by specialty choice (medical, procedural, surgical) and answers were compared between groups using Kruskal-Wallis test. Result(s): 58 Institutions distributed the initial survey to 8200 graduating students. 1473 responded (18%). 81% were 25-29;65% were female. 49% were medical, 24% procedural and 26% surgical. Surgical and procedural applicants were more likely to have planned to participate in ARs (p<0.001) and be concerned that limitations on ARs would negatively impact their match (p<0.001). Of 1221 initial survey respondents who provided e-mails, 458 participated in the follow-up survey (37.5%). Demographics were similar to the index survey. Post-Match, surgical and procedural applicants were more likely to wish they could have participated in ARs and to propose that future ARs only be offered in-person (p<0.001). Conclusion(s): This multi-institutional survey across specialties highlights the perceived value of ARs for surgical and procedural candidates. Should opportunities for ARs continue to be limited, alternative opportunities for applicants to connect with programs and optimize successful matches should be investigated.

Empowering cultural change at North Manchester general hospital

ContextNorth Manchester General Hospital is a large District General Hospital in Greater Manchester, serving a relatively disadvantaged population. The overall culture change project involved practically all facets of a functioning medical organisation, including the Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT), Transformation team, Human Resources, Finance, and many more. However, one of the key aims of the change was to improve the experience of Junior Doctors working at NMGH. Therefore, postgraduate doctors in training have been key to all of the development, including the Medical Director's Leadership Fellow (MDLF), Junior Doctors' Leadership Group (JDLG), and every staff member that they represent.Issue/ChallengeHistorically, North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) has had a reputation as a poor place to work;staff aimed to avoid the site. The hospital was unable to retain highly-skilled employees, and trainee experience was extremely low, impacting on patient safety metrics. The site was stuck in a continuous cycle of having this reputation, leading to an inability to attract permanent staff, causing a deficit in teaching and training opportunities, further diminishing the reputation.Rotational junior doctors are the most transient group of NHS healthcare workers (HCWs). Their experience is reflective of organisational culture and that of other, less vocal groups of HCWs. Prior to 2020, many junior doctors considered NMGH to be a ‘rite of passage' ‘ one to be avoided if possible, but if unavoidable, just get through it. On-call teams were chronically short-staffed, 3 services were in enhanced General Medical Council (GMC) monitoring, and GMC survey results were unsatisfactory. Teams were forced to be tenacious, lateral thinking, and resilient to cope with the stresses of work.2019 saw NMGH receive significant criticism from GMC and Health Education North West (HENW) monitoring visits. The General Surgery (GS) Department remained in ‘enhanced monitoring', and patient safety concerns were raised. These included inadequate ‘prescribing of admission medication', poor use of incident reporting systems, and challenges escalating sick patients. Trainees described ‘fire-fighting, not learning'. Improvement recommendations included addressing departmental culture, reinforcing the importance of incident reporting, and ensuring trainees had easy access to appropriate senior support at all times. Early in 2020, trainee experience further deteriorated in GS, due to a negative culture and deficiencies in support, education and training. This resulted in Foundation Year 1 doctors being removed from GS.The Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT) decided that enough was enough;the hospital culture needed a fundamental overhaul. There was a clear and urgent need to address staff experience.Assessment of issue and analysis of its causesThe Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT) set themselves an audacious goal: to support NMGH to transform into the best training and working experience for junior doctors in Greater Manchester. This goal was split into primary drivers, with each driver linked to specific future projects, and projects assigned to each leadership team member. These projects, identified through co-production with junior doctors, were aimed to improve employee experience, including facilitating access to breaks, improving supervision and support, and enhancing development opportunities â€' aiming to raise staff wellbeing and patient safety standards. Changes were made to General Surgery, resulting in huge investments in expanding the permanent junior doctor and consultant workforces.Several initiatives were implemented to help assess the scope of work required, including setting up a Junior Doctors' Leadership Group (JDLG), or ‘Shadow Board'. All hospital specialties are represented;some representatives sit on the SMLT, on Educational Board meetings, and the Clinical Leaders Forum. The SMLT join every JDLG meeting. Whilst acting as a conduit for rapid two-way communication between clinician and leadership teams (e.g. reliably informing doctors about last-minute changes to visiting policy during Covid surges, or effectively communicating crucial information to crash-call teams when building work closed part of the hospital), the group debates issues raised by junior doctor colleagues they represent, and feeds that back to the SMLT. Recent examples include raising patient safety concerns related to misinterpretation of the Emergency Department Referrals policy, and working collaboratively with junior doctors to address urgent staffing and patient safety risks related to the last wave of the pandemic.In addition to this, a Medical Director's Leadership Fellow (MDLF) role was established. This was fundamental in progressing projects related to the SMLT goal and ensuring appropriate input from junior doctors, Human Resources, the Communications and Transformation teams, and more. As a key member of the JDLG, the MDLF is a role designed in part to enhance junior doctor experience, foster better relationships between staff groups, and encourage feedback provision. The role has been vital in bridging the gap between doctors and hospital leaders, managers and executives – often a source of discontent amongst clinicians. Bridging this gap is important in developing the hospital's culture. Even though many projects are still ongoing, improvements are already being experienced.Impact2021 GMC Survey results showed improvement in 15/18 metrics compared to 2019. These included improvements in ‘Reporting Systems', ‘Workload', and ‘Clinical Supervision Out Of Hours'. 2020 Care Quality Commission inspection reports showed improvement in 11 individual aspects, including improvement to ‘outstanding' in 3 elements.HENW/GMC monitoring visits in 2021 reported ‘they have more robust teams to support the ward and on call workload', resulting from investment in clinicians. It also notes, ‘prescribing audits have shown improvements in prescribing of time critical medication', and demonstrable improvements in ‘use of incident reporting systems and sharing of lessons learnt'. Further comments note that there have been ‘significant improvements in culture in the [General Surgery] department over the past year';one doctor described the department as ‘the most supportive place he had worked'. The report summary noted, ‘through strong clinical leadership and oversight, and a concerted effort to improve departmental culture there have been significant improvements in General Surgical trainee experience with good support, supervision and education reported'. The department was subsequently removed from enhanced GMC monitoring.Although this rapid and impressive turnaround occurred within one department, benefits were seen elsewhere in the organisation.The efforts of the SMLT and JDLG have resulted in positive cultural changes. Surveys reflected: ‘friendly colleagues, less work-related stress, helpful management', and ‘thank you for your work to improve NMGH. I was worried about working at NMGH having heard ‘horror stories' about working there. However, these have not been reflected in reality at all, and NMGH has offered excellent training opportunities.InterventionThe JDLG helps ensure that important information is shared with the wider junior doctor group. Colleagues now feel that their voices are heard. The positives from the previous culture are still evident – leadership teams across the Trust have repeatedly recognised the ‘can-do attitudes' of NMGH staff, with the negative culture firmly in the past. Staff testimonials include: ‘there has definitely been an improvement over the years I have worked here;‘my supervisor was supportive and encouraged reflection through discussions about experiences;and ‘the senior staff are INCREDIBLE. They offer support, they teach, and they encourage us to learn new skills. I cannot be more thankful'. This is in contrast to historical Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) submissions, which pointed to a culture of disregarding the opinions of NMGH staff.The ‘can-do' approach has been evident during the waves of Covid-19;members of the JDLG fed into management and governance structures to highlight problems in real time, increasing the organisation's responsiveness to challenges faced, working as a two-way conduit of information.During the 2021 HENW/GMC visit, the team reported that junior doctors knew the Medical Director and Director of Medical Education by first name, and felt able to raise concerns directly to them, evidencing a more flattened hierarchy. The visiting team reported being impressed by this positive change and were not aware of other organisations where this had been achieved to this extent.Having Postgraduate Doctors in Training play such a significant role within the Senior Leadership Team setup is relatively unique. As explained, empowering staff to feel they can raise any issues directly to the Medical Director or SMLT, or via the JDLG, has played a huge role in facilitating palpable cultural change through leadership structure additions. As a point of contact, the MDLF has acted as an extension of the JDLG, but works directly alongside the Medical Director and Associate Director of Medical Education, essentially enabling the SMLT to keep their ear to the ground, their fingers on the pulse of staff atmosphere and wellbeing.Examples of achievements of the MDLF include projects to introduce personalised theatre caps (benefits include enhanced communication, especially in emergencies, improving patient outcomes), formation of a Wellbeing group (representatives from all cohorts of staff across the site discuss wellbeing initiatives and colleagues' wellbeing concerns), and an impressive and rapid response to staffing crises and patient safety risks during the most recent Covid-19 wave. As a result of these outcomes, other Trusts haveapproached the SMLT, requesting further information regarding the JDLG and MDLF model;another MDLF has since been appointed at a different trust site.Involvement of stakeholders, such as patients, carers or family members:The SMLT itself is made up of clinicians from a variety of backgrounds, across medicine and surgery. SMLT members sit in morning medical handovers to actively gather clinician experience feedback. They also work closely alongside colleagues from Nursing, Finance, HR, Transformation teams, and more, which enables the SMLT to work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to improve culture at NMGH.The MDLF is in the perfect position to take advantage of this MDT approach. As a result, the MDLF sits on Group-level Patient Safety Panels (acting to highlight patient safety incidents, initiatives, and achievements across the entire Trust). This panel consists of representatives from hospital, community, and medical education staffing groups. The lessons learnt are then communicated to individual hospitals, no matter where the incident or initiative originated. A big part of the meeting is the FTSU aspect, and local FTSU Guardians are active within the panel.Given that the MDLF role is so closely linked to improving communication and feedback, a Freedom To Speak Up Champion role fitted well within the responsibilities of the post. Therefore, over the past year, the MDLF has worked alongside the FTSU team and has completed training as a FTSU Champion. As a consequence of working closely with shop-floor colleagues, the MDLF has received communications from a wide variety of staff roles and levels of seniority throughout the year, asking questions, or raising awareness about issues. The MDLF can then seek appropriate advice, signpost the colleague, and keep them updated on a potential resolution, further propagating the positive feedback loop and support of the wider MDT. As previously mentioned, the JDLG consists of representatives from all medical specialties, and each member is encouraged to raise concerns, suggest improvements, and lead on projects;these include an overhaul of the medical handover process, enabling a safer and more efficient handover, and escalating concerns of a coll ague speaking up about potential patient safety concerns within a department. Furthermore, speakers at JDLG meetings have included the Head of Nursing: Quality & Patient Experience, local FTSU Guardians, the Director of Human Resources, and the local Guardian of Safe Working Hours, enabling group members to share information from a wide range of disciplines with shop-floor colleagues. As a result of the efforts and MDT approach of the above groups, a placement feedback survey performed early in 2022 demonstrated that 93% of respondents felt their working environment supports a multidisciplinary approach.Key MessagesOne of the hallmarks of good medical leadership is putting all staff members, regardless of their role, seniority, or experience, in the best position for them to succeed. Giving Postgraduate doctors early opportunities to play a significant part in, and learn about, an organisation's leadership structure, is not only beneficial to the doctor, but helps the organisation capitalise on a previously relatively untapped market of ideas and solutions. Crucially, this is not limited to postgraduate doctors in training, but also locally-employed doctors, which make up a significant proportion of the workforce in any hospital yet typically remain underrepresented and under-utilised.NMGH has realised the potential that can be unlocked in Junior Doctors, through leadership placements and roles, and the positive benefit this can have on the individual, team and organisation.Lessons learntNorth Manchester General Hospital was fortunate in that the entire SMLT bought into everything: the overall project for culture change, the introduction of the MDLF into the SMLT, and empowering members of the JDLG to contribute to change at the highest level. Having spoken to other organisations looking to replicate our success, they have found that this buy-in is absolutely crucial. Recruiting effectively, to both the MDLF position and JDLG representative roles, is vital, as a huge amount of motivation to fight for change and the betterment of the system is required when overcoming barriers and challenges. Many of the barriers we faced are well-documented in literature, and to a point we expected them;these included resistance from non-medical stakeholders, which was somewhat abetted by further conversations, explanation of goals and objectives, and outlining the overall vision of the SMLT. Of course, resistance to change is important in any project, as it can highlight potential issues not yet visualised.Measurement of improvementFrom the start, we set out our intention to use openly-available, independent metrics of improvement, such as the GMC Nation Training Survey. To compliment this, the MDLF utilised a variety of temperature-check methods, including surveys (dissemination supported by the increasingly-established network of the Postgraduate doctors in training of the JDLG) and departmental visits. Importantly, having a fellow junior doctor asking for feedback, rather than a traditional member of the SMLT, enabled us to garner potentially more honest opinions, criticisms and ideas. As explained elsewhere, GMC survey results have shown improvement, and local surveys have displayed some very positive results. That said, it is recognised that the vision is a long-term project, and continuous improvement will be sought, rather than settling on the progress made thus far.Strategy for improvementThe SMLT sat down and brainstormed an overall vision alongside the individual large-scale projects that would contribute to achieving change. Within this, individual members of the SMLT were assigned roles leading one or more projects, and the MDLF role was created in part to support with the running of these projects where required. This enabled utilisation of the minds of the JDLG and other Postgraduate doctors in training. The MDLF role was instrumental in not only involving this cohort, but also reaching out to other organisations to share learned experiences when they had gone through implementation of similar projects. The team was kep accountable not by having a set timeline for implementation but by having regular away days, reporting back to their colleagues and the transformation team regarding progress.The JLDG, established in 2020, and reappointed every year, have been key to the success of the culture change, through engagement, sense-checking and feedback regarding strategy and relevant projects. Over time the organisation has increasingly engaged this Shadow Board in the development and role out of projects as well as problem solving of significant challenges. Through this team the SMLT has fedback key messages and challenges to the Junior Doctor workforce, which has resulted in increased engagement across the organisation.

Medication regimen complexity (MRC-ICU) for in-hospital mortality prediction in COVID-19 patients

Purpose: The medication regimen complexity-intensive care unit (MRC-ICU) score was developed prior to the existence of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to assess if MRC-ICU could predict in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. Method(s): A single-center, observational study was conducted from August 2020 to January 2021. The primary outcome of this study was the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for in-hospital mortality for the 48-hour MRC-ICU. Age, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Severity Classification were assessed. Logistic regression was performed to predict in-hospital mortality as well as WHO Severity Classification at 7 days. Result(s): A total of 149 patients were included. The median SOFA score was 8 (IQR 5-11) and median MRC-ICU score at 48 hours was 15 (IQR 7-21). The in-hospital mortality rate was 36% (n = 54). The AUROC for MRC-ICU was 0.71 (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 0.62-0.78) compared to 0.66 for age, 0.81 SOFA, and 0.72 for the WHO Severity Classification. In univariate analysis, age, SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification all demonstrated significant association with in-hospital mortality, while SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification demonstrated significant association with WHO Severity Classification at 7 days. In univariate analysis, all 4 characteristics showed significant association with mortality;however, only age and SOFA remained significant following multivariate analysis. Conclusion(s): In the first analysis of medication-related variables as a predictor of severity and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19, MRC-ICU demonstrated acceptable predictive ability as represented by AUROC;however, SOFA was the strongest predictor in both AUROC and regression analysis.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023.

Battitude: A virtual zoo ?bat experience? produces positive change in attitudes to an unpopular species

Despite the wide-ranging benefits of bats for people, bats are poorly understood and often feared. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted these issues, but has also provided opportunities to develop new approaches to tackle misconceptions and transform attitudes. A 'virtual bat experience' (VBE) was designed, which lasted 5 minutes and incorporated videos and images of zoo-housed fruit bats, along with information highlighting the important roles of bats and the need to protect them. Using an online survey, attitudes of a sample of 316 people were evaluated both before and after watching the VBE using semantic differentials and Likert scale responses. There were significant positive changes in attitudes to bats on all measures as a result of viewing the VBE. Participants who had previously visited a zoo bat exhibit were more likely to have positive attitudes to bats, and the two experiences (online and in-person) appeared to have additive effects.

Socially Vulnerable Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Are at Increased Risk for Vaccine Preventable Illness

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects patients across diverse ethnic, minority, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds;however, the relationship between these social determinants of health (SDOH) and IBD outcomes is not well-studied. SDOH have a known impact on disparities in vaccination, but these effects may be more salient in the IBD population where patients are at greater risk for vaccine-preventable illness from immunosuppressive therapies. The social vulnerability index (SVI) is a tool provided by Centers for Disease Control that can identify individuals at risk for health care disparities by estimating neighborhood-level social need on a 0-1 scale (higher scores indicating greater social vulnerability). Utilizing census tract-level SVI data, we aimed to identify the relationship between the SDOH and vaccination rates in patients with IBD. METHOD(S): We used a retrospective cohort design of patients seen at a single IBD center between 01/01/2015 and 08/31/2022. Using the current address listed in the electronic medical record, we geocoded patients to individual census tracts and linked them to corresponding SVI and subscales (Figure 1). Controlling a priori for age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, English proficiency, electoral district, and religious affiliation, we used multivariable linear regression to examine the relationship between SVI and vaccination against influenza, Covid-19, pneumococcal pneumonia (conjugate and polysaccharide), and Zoster. RESULT(S): 15,245 patients with IBD were included and the percent of unvaccinated individuals was high across all vaccine types: flu (42.8%), Covid-19 (50.9%), pneumonia (62.4%), and Zoster (89.6%). High total levels of social vulnerability were associated with lower vaccination rates across all vaccine groups: flu (B -1.3, 95% CI -1.5, -1.2, p<0.001), Covid-19 (B -0.99, 95% CI -1.1, -0.88), p<0.001), pneumonia (B -0.21, 95% CI -0.27, -0.14, p<0.001), Zoster (B -0.23, 95% CI -0.27, -0.19, p<0.001). On SVI sub-scales, high scores in Socioeconomic Status, Household Composition, and Housing/Transportation were important predictors of vaccine uptake while Minority Status/Language was non-significant (Table 1). CONCLUSION(S): Living in a socially vulnerable community is associated with lower vaccination rates across all vaccine types. Higher scores on neighborhood level Socioeconomic Status, Household Composition, and Housing/Transportation were also associated with lower vaccine uptake. Many factors may affect why socially vulnerable patients are under-vaccinated, including a lack of patient and provider knowledge of routine vaccines, lack of access to care, and poor trust in vaccines and healthcare system. Further research is needed improve IBD health maintenance in gastroenterology clinics and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to socially vulnerable patients. [Formula presented] [Formula presented]Copyright © 2023

Improving Patient Safety with Staff Wellbeing

Introduction: The wellbeing of hospital staff can influence the quality of patient care & safety. Following the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the longstanding issues of an overstretched & overstressed workforce within the UK National Health Service has been again highlighted. This has resulted in a renewed organisational drive to provide resources for staff health & wellbeing. Many of these are self-directed & targeted at helping the individual improve their management of external stress independently, but it has been acknowledged in the literature that local primary interventions to modify or eliminate stress to staff wellbeing must also be considered. Method(s): Staff feedback was obtained via informal interviews on the wellbeing interventions established in the local haemophilia service. Interventions evaluated included: The development of practice supporting Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs). DailyMDTwellbeing check during safety huddles. Clinical supervision time. Social interventions such as nutrition focuses, staff feedback methods & physical activity focuses. Result(s): Feedback demonstrates that social interventions implemented such as team building participation in the Haemophilia Society's Race Around the World, the HeamTeam Shoutout Board to recognise a colleague's accomplishment & offer the opportunity to show appreciation for their work, & the formation of weekly Soup & Scoop Clubs to encourage healthier eating in the department were all beneficial for staff's overall wellbeing. There was a greater sense of belonging within the team & improved interpersonal relations. The introduction of interventions such as the SOP & clinical supervision ensured staff were clear of roles & responsibilities, preventing missed opportunities to support patients and develop staff. The daily wellbeing check-in provided recognition and value of an individual's wellbeing. Discussion/Conclusion: The interventions instigated by the Sheffield Haemophilia and Thrombosis team required minimal resources & were not time commitment heavy, focusing on creating a wellness culture with regular, sustainable opportunities to engage in wellbeing conversation. However, a more comprehensive review is required to determine the long-term effects on patient care and safety outcomes.

Electromechanical Assisted Gait Training (EMGT) enables early mobilisation and improves mobility in people with acute stroke (preliminary findings)

Introduction: EMGT is an effective, evidence based intervention for improving mobility outcomes in people with stroke. It enables highly repetitive stepping practice, in patients who are unable to stand/step. Despite being recommended in national guidance, adoption within the UK is extremely limited. We report preliminary data from its implementation in an NHS stroke service. Method(s): We initiated use of EMGT in our Acute Stroke Unit in November 2021 - implementation has been phased, and use was limited at times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient demographics, clinical outcome measures and discharge information are recorded pre- and post-treatment. Result(s): To date, 38 patients have used EMGT, accumulating 232 sessions of walking. 74% of patients were male. . Mean age was 73.5 years (range 51 - 91). 19 patients used EMGT for >=3 sessions;of those, 14 completed > 6 sessions. Median Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC) at baseline was 0 (range 0-1), rising post treatment to 2 (range 0-4). Mean modified Rivermead Mobility Index rose from 13.5 to 24.3. 57% of patients who used EMGT as part of their rehabilitation programme were able to mobilise at least 10 metres post intervention. Initially, only 1 patient could manage a step transfer and following treatment this increased to 8. Conclusion(s): Early results indicate that EMGT is feasible in an acute NHS setting, alongside conventional care. It enables early and highly intensive mobilisation, resulting in improved function. Further work is required to develop clinical protocols, establishing recommended dose, time after stroke for EMGT initiation, and recommended duration of treatment.

Socially Vulnerable Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Are at Increased Risk for Vaccine Preventable Illness

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects patients across diverse ethnic, minority, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds;however, the relationship between these social determinants of health (SDOH) and IBD outcomes is not well-studied. SDOH have a known impact on disparities in vaccination, but these effects may be more salient in the IBD population where patients are at greater risk for vaccine-preventable illness from immunosuppressive therapies. The social vulnerability index (SVI) is a tool provided by Centers for Disease Control that can identify individuals at risk for health care disparities by estimating neighborhood-level social need on a 0-1 scale (higher scores indicating greater social vulnerability). Utilizing census tract-level SVI data, we aimed to identify the relationship between the SDOH and vaccination rates in patients with IBD. METHOD(S): We used a retrospective cohort design of patients seen at a single IBD center between 01/01/2015 and 08/31/2022. Using the current address listed in the electronic medical record, we geocoded patients to individual census tracts and linked them to corresponding SVI and subscales (Figure 1). Controlling a priori for age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, English proficiency, electoral district, and religious affiliation, we used multivariable linear regression to examine the relationship between SVI and vaccination against influenza, Covid-19, pneumococcal pneumonia (conjugate and polysaccharide), and Zoster. RESULT(S): 15,245 patients with IBD were included and the percent of unvaccinated individuals was high across all vaccine types: flu (42.8%), Covid-19 (50.9%), pneumonia (62.4%), and Zoster (89.6%). High total levels of social vulnerability were associated with lower vaccination rates across all vaccine groups: flu (B -1.3, 95% CI -1.5, -1.2, p<0.001), Covid-19 (B -0.99, 95% CI -1.1, -0.88), p<0.001), pneumonia (B -0.21, 95% CI -0.27, -0.14, p<0.001), Zoster (B -0.23, 95% CI -0.27, -0.19, p<0.001). On SVI subscales, high scores in Socioeconomic Status, Household Composition, and Housing/ Transportation were important predictors of vaccine uptake while Minority Status/ Language was non-significant (Table 1). CONCLUSION(S): Living in a socially vulnerable community is associated with lower vaccination rates across all vaccine types. Higher scores on neighborhood level Socioeconomic Status, Household Composition, and Housing/Transportation were also associated with lower vaccine uptake. Many factors may affect why socially vulnerable patients are under-vaccinated, including a lack of patient and provider knowledge of routine vaccines, lack of access to care, and poor trust in vaccines and healthcare system. Further research is needed improve IBD health maintenance in gastroenterology clinics and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines to socially vulnerable patients. (Figure Presented).

Selection of Pediatric Mental Health Quality Measures for Health System Improvement in British Columbia Based on a Modified Delphi Approach.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing. The identification and implementation of quality measures can improve health outcomes and patient experience. The objective was to identify and define a core set of valid and relevant pediatric mental health quality measures that will support health system evaluation and quality improvement in British Columbia, Canada. Methods: The study consisted of four phases. First, a comprehensive database search identified valid pediatric quality measures focused on mental health and substance use (MH/SU). Second, the identified quality measures were mapped to focus areas, which were then prioritized by two stakeholder groups consisting of 26 members. Third, up to two representative measures for each prioritized focus area were pre-selected by an expert panel (n = 9). And fourth, a three-step modified Delphi approach was employed to (1) assess each quality measure on a 7-point Likert scale against three relevance criteria (representative of a quality problem, value to intended audience and actionable), (2) discuss the results, and (3) select and rank the most relevant measures. Forty-eight stakeholders were invited to participate; of those 24 completed the round 1 survey, 21 participated in the round 2 discussion and 18 voted in the round 3 selection and ranking survey. For round 1, consensus was determined when at least 70% of the response rates were within the range of five to seven. For round 3, Kendall's coefficient of concordance W was used as an estimator of inter-rater reliability. Results: One-hundred pediatric mental health quality measures were identified in the database search. Of those, 37 were mapped to ten focus areas. Pre-selection resulted in 19 representative measures moving forward to the Delphi study. Eleven measures met the consensus thresholds and were brought forward to the round 2 discussion. Round 3 ranking showed moderate to strong raters' agreement (Kendall's W = 0.595; p < 0.01) and resulted in the following five highest-ranked measures: level of satisfaction after discharge from inpatient admission due to MH/SU, number of patients experiencing seclusion or restraint, length of time from eating disorder referral to assessment, number of ED visits due to MH/SU, and number of readmissions to ED. Conclusion: The selected core set of valid and relevant pediatric quality measures will support sustainable system change in British Columbia. The five top-ranked measures will be refined and tested for data collection feasibility before being implemented in the province.

Mortality Prediction Using Medication-Related Data in Patients with Covid-19

INTRODUCTION: The medication regimen complexityintensive care unit (MRC-ICU) score was developed prior to the existence of COVID-19 and has demonstrated an association with increased mortality, ICU length of stay, fluid balance, drug interactions, and quantity and quality of pharmacist interventions. Previous reports have questioned the ability of traditional predictors of mortality in critically ill patients to predict death in patients with COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to assess if MRC-ICU could predict mortality patients with COVID-19. METHOD(S): A single-center, observational study was conducted from August 2020 to January 2021. The primary outcome of this study was the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for mortality for the 48- hour MRC-ICU. Age, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Severity Classification were also assessed. Logistic regression was also performed to predict mortality as well as WHO Severity Classification at 7 days. RESULT(S): A total of 149 patients were included. The median SOFA score was 8 (IQR 5 - 11) and median MRC-ICU score at 48 hours was 15 (IQR 7 - 21). The inhospital mortality rate was 36% (n = 54). The AUROC for MRC-ICU was 0.71 (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 0.62 - 0.78) compared to 0.66 for age, 0.81 SOFA, and 0.72 for the WHO Severity Classification. In univariate analysis, age, SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification all demonstrated significant association with mortality, while SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification demonstrated significant association with WHO Severity Classification at 7 days. A multiple logistic regression model for mortality was developed using these four predictors. CONCLUSION(S): In the first analysis of medication-related variables as a predictor of severity and mortality in COVID-19, MRC-ICU demonstrated acceptable predictive ability;however, SOFA was the strongest predictor in both AUROC and regression analysis.

Effect of High-Dose versus Standard-Dose Dexamethasone on Mortality Among Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients

Background. Anti-inflammatory agents like dexamethasone (DEX) have become a mainstay of treatment for COVID-19. Despite randomized trials demonstrating that a 6 mg daily dose of DEX improved patient outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving oxygen, clinicians often prescribe higher doses of corticosteroids without evidence to support this practice. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of ventilated COVID-19 patients who received standard dose (SD) versus high dose (HD) DEX. Methods. This was a multi-site, retrospective, observational study of ventilated COVID-19-positive patients who received at least three days of DEX between June 1, 2020 and January 31, 2022. Sample size was calculated based on a 3:1 high:standarddose prescribing pattern ratio. The primary outcome of this study was the association between mortality and SD (<6mg daily) versus HD ( >10mg daily) DEX in ventilated COVID-19 patients. Secondary outcomes included average blood glucose (BG), number of BG readings above 200, incidence of bacterial nosocomial infection, ventilatorfree days, length of stay (LOS) and ICU LOS. Results. Of 322 patients screened, 110 were excluded primarily for average daily DEX dose of > 6 to <= 10mg. Of the 212 included patients, 53 (25%) received SD DEX and 159 (75%) received HD DEX. Data demonstrate no significant effect of DEX dose on mortality, number of BG readings > 200, incidence of nosocomial infections, LOS, or ventilator-free days (p >0.05). After controlling for confounding factors no difference in mortality persisted (OR 1.45 95% CI 0.66- 3.20). Average daily BG and ICU LOS were significantly greater in the HD group compared to the SD group (p = 0.003, p = 0.019 respectively). Conclusion. There is no association betweenHDDEX and mortality among ventilated COVID-19 patients compared to SD DEX. Moreover, HD DEX is associated with detrimental effects such as prolonged ICU LOS and higher average daily BG. This study supports the use of SD DEX in ventilated COVID-19 patients.

In flammatory Representation of COVID-19 at the Time of Hospitalization: An Insight into the Mild, Moderate, Severe and Critical COVID-19 Disease

Background. The ongoing state of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates the characterization of the biological basis of disease severity. We aimed to correlate the clinical severity of illness upon hospitalization with inflammatory sero-biomarker levels. Methods. A single-center prospective cohort study was conducted at a 776-bed tertiary care urban academic medical center in Detroit, Michigan. Adults with con-firmed reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assay for COVID-19 were recruited in equal numbers into four disease severity categories, as defined by the WHO, upon hospital admission from January 8th, 2021 to September 1st, 2021. Electronic medical charts were reviewed. In addition to clinical markers, cytokines and chemokines were assessed to gain detailed understanding of COVID-19 pathology. Results. We included 200 patients with 50 patients each in the mild, moderate, severe and critical illness. The mean age of the cohort was 58.6. +/-15.9 yrs, 104 (52%) were males, and 135(67.5%) were blacks. The common comorbidities were hypertension (67.5%), diabetes (37%) and chronic lung diseases (26.5%). At the time of admission, oxygen therapy was needed in 49.5% but intubation in only 0.5%. Conclusion. We noted COVID-19 severity dependent changes in the clinical representation as well as the biomarker profiles. Clinical markers such as CRP, LDH, D-dimer and Ferritin were relatable to COVID-19 severity. Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as CCL-2, CXCL-10, IL-1ra, IL-6 and TNF-alpha also varied with the severity of disease. Our results provide a system level insight into the inflammatory state of COVID-19 at the time of hospital representation.

Home-based, telehealth-delivered, stroke-adapted cardiac rehabilitation is safe and feasible

Background: Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary approach involving exercise training and health-related education routinely available to cardiac patients, but rarely offered to people with stroke. We have shown people with stroke can be integrated into centre-based CR, but due to access difficulties, opportunities for people with stroke to participate in centre-based CR are limited. Home-based CR is well-established for people with heart disease and offers an alternative for people with stroke who are unable to access centre-based rehabilitation. Aim(s): Investigate the safety and feasibility of home-based, telehealthdelivered, stroke-adapted CR. Method(s): A single-site, prospective-cohort safety and feasibility trial. People with ischaemic stroke were screened for eligibility and invited to participate in a six-week program of exercise and education delivered via telehealth to the participant in their own home following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation (i.e. <6-weeks post-stroke). Safety and feasibility were assessed by incidence of adverse events and measures of participant recruitment, retention, and adherence. Result(s): Ninety-five people with stroke were screened, 67 (70%) were eligible to participate, and 19 (28%) consented. Of the 28 that were ineligible to participate, the main reasons for exclusion were haemorrhagic stroke (53%), nil medical clearance (18%), and nil acute stroke (14%). Of the 48 eligible participants that did not consent, 45% were not included due to the impact of COVID-19, 20% were discharged prior to being approached to participate, and 12% did not consent due to a lack of time. Three participants dropped out of the study prior to commencing the outpatient intervention. The remaining 16 participants completed the six-week intervention. Positive written and verbal feedback was received from participants on the appropriateness of the intervention. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 significantly impacted our capacity to recruit participants to this trial. Preliminary data suggests home-based, telehealthdelivered, stroke-adapted CR is safe and potentially feasible in early subacute stroke.

Triaging Two Week Wait Referrals According to ABS Guidelines Established During the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Safe Practice

Aim: CoVid-19 has affected healthcare globally, disrupting cancer care. Two weeks wait (2ww) breast cancer referrals were triaged according to Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) guidelines with patients with no red flag symptoms deemed low risk and able to be discharged back to their GP. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of implementing these guidelines. Method: A database was established to prospectively collect 2ww breast cancer referrals from the outset of CoVid-19. Two Consultants triaged the referrals and if there was disagreement, a third Consultant arbitrated. Data were recorded for patient age, gender, presenting complaint, assessment, investigations, diagnosis, and outcome and also time from initial referral to discharge letter to the GP. Results: 188 patients were referred via the 2ww pathway to St Bartholomew's Hospital from 22/03/2020 to 08/04/2020. 43 (22.9%) were discharged with a median age of 34 (22-83 years) at the time of referral. The mean time from referral receipt to response was 12.1 (0 - 60 days). 15 (34.9%) patients were subsequently re-referred. Mean time from re-referral to one-stop clinic assessment was 9.1 (2 - 22 days), in keeping with NICE two week wait criteria. Of the patients re-referred, all patients underwent imaging in the form of mammogram and/or ultrasound scan. No patients were found to have pre-invasive or invasive disease. Conclusions: Triaging patients based on GP referrals is a safe way of streamlining low risk patients. This has the potential to become standard practice worldwide but requires larger multi-centre studies prior to implementation.

Existing Ethical Tensions in Xenotransplantation.

The genetic modification of pigs as a source of transplantable organs is one of several possible solutions to the chronic organ shortage. This paper describes existing ethical tensions in xenotransplantation (XTx) that argue against pursuing it. Recommendations for lifelong infectious disease surveillance and notification of close contacts of recipients are in tension with the rights of human research subjects. Parental/guardian consent for pediatric xenograft recipients is in tension with a child's right to an open future. Individual consent to transplant is in tension with public health threats that include zoonotic diseases. XTx amplifies concerns about justice in organ transplantation and could exacerbate existing inequities. The prevention of infectious disease in source animals is in tension with the best practices of animal care and animal welfare, requiring isolation, ethologically inappropriate housing, and invasive reproductive procedures that would severely impact the well-being of intelligent social creatures like pigs.

Selection of Pediatric Mental Health Quality Measures for Health System Improvement in British Columbia Based on a Modified Delphi Approach

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing. The identification and implementation of quality measures can improve health outcomes and patient experience. The objective was to identify and define a core set of valid and relevant pediatric mental health quality measures that will support health system evaluation and quality improvement in British Columbia, Canada. Methods The study consisted of four phases. First, a comprehensive database search identified valid pediatric quality measures focused on mental health and substance use (MH/SU). Second, the identified quality measures were mapped to focus areas, which were then prioritized by two stakeholder groups consisting of 26 members. Third, up to two representative measures for each prioritized focus area were pre-selected by an expert panel (n = 9). And fourth, a three-step modified Delphi approach was employed to (1) assess each quality measure on a 7-point Likert scale against three relevance criteria (representative of a quality problem, value to intended audience and actionable), (2) discuss the results, and (3) select and rank the most relevant measures. Forty-eight stakeholders were invited to participate;of those 24 completed the round 1 survey, 21 participated in the round 2 discussion and 18 voted in the round 3 selection and ranking survey. For round 1, consensus was determined when at least 70% of the response rates were within the range of five to seven. For round 3, Kendall's coefficient of concordance W was used as an estimator of inter-rater reliability. Results One-hundred pediatric mental health quality measures were identified in the database search. Of those, 37 were mapped to ten focus areas. Pre-selection resulted in 19 representative measures moving forward to the Delphi study. Eleven measures met the consensus thresholds and were brought forward to the round 2 discussion. Round 3 ranking showed moderate to strong raters' agreement (Kendall's W = 0.595;p < 0.01) and resulted in the following five highest-ranked measures: level of satisfaction after discharge from inpatient admission due to MH/SU, number of patients experiencing seclusion or restraint, length of time from eating disorder referral to assessment, number of ED visits due to MH/SU, and number of readmissions to ED. Conclusion The selected core set of valid and relevant pediatric quality measures will support sustainable system change in British Columbia. The five top-ranked measures will be refined and tested for data collection feasibility before being implemented in the province.

EXAMINING CHANGES IN STROKE RESEARCH RECRUITMENT TRENDS PRE AND POST COVID-19

Background and aims: Covid-19 has disrupted essential stroke prevention and treatment services, stroke rehabilitation and support services and delivery of stroke research. We examine recruitment data for two stroke rehabilitation trials recruiting within a single centre in November 2019 and November 2021, to identify if/how Covid-19 impacted upon recruitment rates and processes. Both studies were managed by the same research team and comprised of comparable protocols and selection criteria. Methods: Recruitment data from the two corresponding time periods, are reported using descriptive statistics. Field notes and direct researcher experiences are used to support observations derived from the data. Results: Patients screened reduced by >40% in November 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, despite an almost 20% increase in admissions, recruitment reduced by 75%. Research staffing issues (sickness) resulted in missed recruitment data and opportunities in November 2021. There were changes in participant identification methods, resulting from restricted researcher screening within clinical areas;more remote screening, less attendance at clinical meetings and increased initiation of referrals from the clinical staff (Table 1). While the centre's clinical trials portfolio expanded between 2019 and 2021 (from 11 to 17), we noted a reduction in research co-enrolment;reasons for this are unclear, however lower recruitment rates more broadly may have contributed to this. Conclusions: Covid-19 has changed how we engage with/in clinical research. Understanding the ways in which Covid-19 has altered the research recruitment landscape will be important in the continued delivery of vital stroke research, driving clinical advancements in the field.

COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTED FUNDAMENTAL FAILURES IN 365 OF THE BANKRUPTCY CODE: UTILIZING OPTION-VALUE THEORY TO ASSUME OR REJECT EXECUTORY CONTRACTS IN BANKRUPTCY

COVID-19 highlighted inherent problems existing within the Bankruptcy Code (the "Code"), namely, the inflexible timelines in 365(d)(4) given to real property tenant-debtors to assume or reject leases. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 attempted to solve this problem by modifying the treatment of unexpired leases of real property in bankruptcy. This Note argues that the legislation ultimately failed to address underlying issues present in the Code. Instead, this Note analogizes the debtor's assumption or rejection power in bankruptcy as a costless option. Understanding 365 under this option-value paradigm allows us to realize that prolonged waiting periods in the Code cause landlords to lose-out on value of their unexpired leases. Debtors should be allowed more flexibility to extend the period to assume or reject their leases, but in return they should be required to internalize the added costs of waiting. If we take the perspective that, at the moment of commencement, an unexpired lease converts to a costless option for the tenant-debtor, we can calculate the value of such an option using the Black-Scholes model and allow for the landlord to recover the lease-value amount as an administrative expense in bankruptcy. As such, we can allow the landlord to recoup some of the lost value of the unexpired lease as compensation for letting the tenant-debtor extend their option over time.

NOVEL, SAFE, INDIGENOUS COST-EFFECTIVE INFECTION CONTAINMENT CHAMBER FOR HIGH-RISK AUTOPSIES: THE NEED OF THE HOUR

In view of the ongoing pandemic, healthcare workers are rightfully concerned about performing autopsies, due to the risk of infection. An autopsy surgeon and his/her team can inadvertently be exposed to infectious diseases. Use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and mortuaries equipped with negative pressure are essential to protect the autopsy team from exposure to potentially infected bodies, bodily fluids, tissues, and aerosolized particles. Unfortunately, in a developing country like India, due to a lack of funding most mortuaries have only the bare minimum facilities. Taking these issues into consideration, the authors have developed a prototype of a Low-Cost Infection Containment Chamber (LCICC) within which autopsies or sample collection from suspected or confirmed highly infectious cadaver can be performed. This innovation could provide infectious disease experts and pathologists a safer alternative to collect specimens to aid in the management outbreaks of highly infectious diseases.

Sex-Related Differences in Mortality from COVID-19: Survival Analysis of Patients from an Urban Hospital

Background. Mortality from COVID-19 is associated with male sex, older age, black race, and comorbidities including obesity. Our study identified risk factors for in-hospital mortality from COVID-19 using survival analysis at an urban center in Detroit, MI. Methods. This was a single-center historical cohort study. We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (the COVID-19 virus) on qualitative polymerase-chain-reaction assay, who were admitted between 3/8-6/14/20. We assessed risk factors for mortality using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Results. We included 565 patients with mean age (standard deviation) 64.4 (16.2) years, 52.0% male (294) and 77.2% (436) black/African American. The overall mean body mass index (BMI) was 32.0 (9.02) kg/m2. At least one comorbidity was present in 95.2% (538) of patients. The overall case-fatality rate was 30.4% (172/565). The unadjusted mortality rate among males was 33.7% compared to 26.9% in females (p=0.08);the median time to death (range) for males was 16.8 (0.3, 33.9) compared to 14.2 (0.32, 47.7) days for females (p=0.04). Univariable survival analysis with Cox proportional hazards models revealed that age (p=< 0.0001), admission from a facility (p=0.002), public insurance (p< 0.0001), respiratory rate ≥ 22 bpm (p=0.02), lymphocytopenia (p=0.07) and serum albumin (p=0.007) were additional risk factors for mortality (Table 1). From multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling (Table 2), after controlling for age, Charlson score and qSofa, males were 40% more likely to die than females (p=0.03). Conclusion. After controlling for risk factors for mortality including age, comorbidity and sepsis-related organ failure assessment, males continued to have a higher hazard of death. These demographic and clinical factors may help healthcare providers identify risk factors from COVID-19.