The 2023 CPT Coding and Medicare Payment Update

There are a host of changes that will affect family physicians, including new vaccine codes and bundled Medicare payments for chronic pain management.

'Vast Majority' of Mild SARS-CoV-2 Cases Clear Long COVID by One Year

The article presents the discussion on COVID examining the association of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and longterm health outcomes. Topics include mild disease not leading to serious or chronic long-term morbidity in the vast majority of patients and adding a small, continuous burden on healthcare providers;and showing fairly significant risks for cognitive impairment, dyspnea, and weakness.

Examining Clinical Readiness and Performance of Students on Clinical Education Experiences: Is There an Influence From Virtual Learning?

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Introduction.: Peer simulation is a mechanism to enhance clinical reasoning and determine clinic readiness of Doctor of Physical Therapy students. In 2020, coursework that was traditionally face-to-face (F2F) was conducted completely online at many universities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine if students who completed a stand-alone virtual simulation course presented with the same readiness and performance on their first full-time clinical education experience (CEE) as compared with students who completed the course during the previous 2 years in the traditional F2F format. Review of Literature.: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, literature focused on virtual learning explored hybrid methods of delivering physical therapy education. There are limited studies exploring the impact of virtual learning on clinical performance of DPT students. Subjects.: One hundred eight students completed their first full-time CEE during this 3-year period, with 34 having a virtual preparation and 74 having F2F coursework. Twelve of the clinical instructors (CIs) who had supervised students both virtually and in the previous 2 years were included in survey data analysis to compare cohorts. Methods.: This study used final Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) data to compare objective ratings of student performance from CIs as well as a standardized survey of student clinical readiness based on 22 items previously published. Both instruments were used to compare students from the class of 2022 (virtual cohort) to those from the previous 2 years (F2F cohort). Independent sample t tests were used to examine group differences in perceptions of student readiness and CPI data for compiled professional practice and patient management constructs. Results.: Clinical Performance Instrument data revealed lower mean scores of students in all areas of performance in the virtual cohort as compared with F2F, but none of the differences reached statistical significance. For the clinical readiness survey, CIs rated students from the virtual cohort lower than prior students in overall readiness, as well as psychomotor, cognitive, and affective skill domains, including safety and accountability. However, none of the mean score differences reached statistical significance. Discussion and Conclusion.: Although there was no statistical difference in scores on the CPI or perception of clinic readiness by CIs, students from the virtual cohort consistently scored lower on both instruments. Transition of students from F2F coursework for psychomotor skills to virtual formats should transpire with caution. As students transition back to traditional learning environments, programs should evaluate the effectiveness of various teaching methods to ensure excellence in physical therapist education.

Tools, guidance and key events for general practice nurses

The article offers news briefs related to practice nursing in the United Kingdom as of September 2022 including the release of a guidance on type 1 diabetes in adults, the availability of resources for COVID-19 autumn booster, and the updated guide on eye care for non-ophthalmic nursing staff.

Worried Sick: Anxiety, depression, and the impact on dental health care workers

The article calls for the evaluation of the impact of anxiety and depression on dental health care workers and for improved identification and prevention of mental health disorders. It explains the relationship of psychological stress, anxiety and depression and identifies symptoms of depression and anxiety. Emphasis is also given on the need to recognize and screen mental health disorders. It discusses the impact of stress, distress and burnout on personal and professional functioning.

Operational reflections on what contributes to building a successful Project ECHO network

The findings within this short report, generated from thematic analysis of nine semistructured interviews with the Northern Ireland Project ECHO team (including authors of this reflection) and informed by reflective practice literature,7 highlight important additional lessons for other teams and organisations using the ECHO approach. Participatory approaches to setting curriculum and programme content, and linking objectives to wider service goals such as integration of care, service transformation and achieving measurable patient outcomes, were consistently present in networks that were considered most effective by the Northern Ireland Project ECHO operational team. Participants must feel safe in sharing sensitive information, discussing challenging cases, while being open to learning and critical feedback. Funding This study was undertaken as part of programmatic and process evaluation with healthcare providers funded through the Health and Social Care Board of Northern Ireland.

Developing a simulation-based learning model for acute medical education during COVID-19 pandemic with Simulation via Instant Messaging - Birmingham Advance (SIMBA).

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is well-established in medical education and has gained popularity, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person teaching is infeasible. SBL replicates real-life scenarios and provides a fully immersive yet safe learning environment to develop clinical competency. Simulation via Instant Messaging - Birmingham Advance (SIMBA) is an exemplar of SBL, which we previously showed to be effective in endocrinology and diabetes. Previous studies reported the efficacy of SBL in acute medicine. We studied SIMBA as a learning intervention for healthcare professionals interested in acute medicine and defined our aims using the Kirkpatrick model: (i) develop an SBL tool to improve case management; (ii) evaluate experiences and confidence before and after; and (iii) compare efficacy across training levels.Three sessions were conducted, each representing a PDSA cycle (Plan-Do-Study-Act), consisting of four cases and advertised to healthcare professionals at our hospital and social media. Moderators facilitated progression through 25 min simulations and adopted patient and clinical roles as appropriate. Consultants chaired discussion sessions using relevant guidelines. Presimulation and postsimulation questionnaires evaluated self-reported confidence, feedback and intended changes to clinical practice.Improvements were observed in self-reported confidence managing simulated cases across all sessions. Of participants, 93.3% found SIMBA applicable to clinical practice, while 89.3% and 88.0% felt SIMBA aided personal and professional development, respectively. Interestingly, 68.0% preferred SIMBA to traditional teaching methods. Following participant feedback, more challenging cases were included, and we extended the time for simulation and discussion. The transcripts were amended to facilitate more participant-moderator interaction representing clinical practice. In addition, we refined participant recruitment over the three sessions. In cycle 1, we advertised incentives: participation counted towards teaching requirements, certificates and feedback. To rectify the reduction in participants in cycle 2, we implemented new advertisement methods in cycle 3, including on-site posters, reminder emails and recruitment of the defence deanery cohort.

An introduction to motivational interviewing

Nurses can use this tool for change in a variety of situations to help patients learn to live healthier lives.

WIP: The Role of [Onboarding Program] in Fostering a Sense of Belonging and Sociocultural Competence in New Engineering Students

The purpose of this work-in-progress paper is to describe the development and assessment of a new onboarding program designed for all incoming first-year and transfer engineering students at the A. James Clark School of Engineering (Clark School) at the University of Maryland. TerrapinSTRONG has the following overarching goals: Cultivate a sense of community, sense of belonging, and connectedness amongst students in the Clark School;and Develop an appreciation for and understanding of diversity and inclusion. There are several components and attributes of TerrapinSTRONG in which incoming engineering students participate prior to and during their first semester in the Clark School. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TerrapinSTRONG for fall 2020 was implemented virtually. The online nature of these programs and their various components will be outlined in the work-in-progress paper to provide the ASEE community with an example of recent and continuing developments in first-year and transfer student onboarding programming in an engineering school. We will also discuss past programmatic efforts that took place on-campus and outline promising practices for future cohorts of students. These initiatives, both in-person and online, were developed to promote an understanding of diversity and inclusivity in the engineering context. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Assessing medical emergencies

Rebecca Silver explains the ABCDE approach of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the dental practice

Implementing the National Incident Management System at schools of nursing in response to COVID-19.

Unprecedented financial and logistical barriers in educating nurses during COVID-19 have threatened nursing education. The purpose of this article is to provide a template to facilitate the maintenance and stability of teaching and learning in a pandemic environment for nursing school administration and faculty leaders. The National Incident Management System (NIMS), previously used in training nurses for emergency preparation and response, has been applied as a guiding framework. The framework consists of five elements: Preparedness, Communication/Information Management, Resource Management, Command and Ongoing Management/Maintenance. This paper addresses how schools of nursing may apply each of these elements to address both the needs of the institution and community. The Comprehensive Vulnerability Management paradigm is further offered as a lens for professional development. Free preparedness education is showcased from leading nursing and healthcare professional and government organizations. Finally, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies are used for integrating NIMS and social dimensions of disaster. Such tools may equip academic leaders at schools of nursing to surmount challenges posed by the pandemic, and to ensure educational readiness to respond to global health crisis through use of the NIMS framework.