A questionnaire for physical findings of malnutrition when physical exams are not possible.

BACKGROUND: When nutrition assessments must be performed virtually, such as during the coronavirus pandemic, it is difficult to fully assess patients for malnutrition without the ability to perform a nutrition-focused physical exam. Practitioners may ask patients about their physical appearance, but there is currently no validated set of questions whose answers correlate with nutrition-focused physical findings for the diagnosis of malnutrition in such situations. The aim of this study was to evaluate correlations between patients' responses to verbalized questions and physical signs of malnutrition. METHODS: Questions related to the physical findings of malnutrition were developed and evaluated for content validity. Thirty patients receiving nutrition assessments at an acute care veterans' hospital were asked the questions prior to a nutrition-focused physical exam. Patients' responses were compared with a diagnosis of malnutrition and physical findings of muscle, fat, fluid accumulation, and handgrip strength. RESULTS: Four questions significantly correlated with malnutrition: "Does the area around your eyes appear sunken in?" (P = 0.03), "Are you able to see your ribs?" (P = 0.05), "Do you feel you are unusually skinny for you?" (P = 0.001), and "Do you find yourself eating less due to swelling in your belly?" (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: There are relationships between patients' responses to certain verbalized questions and their physical status. Such questions can be used to identify physical signs of malnutrition when nutrition-focused physical exams cannot be performed. Further research is needed to validate these questions in other populations.

A Systematic Review of Physical Examination Components Adapted for Telemedicine.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a rapid, transformative adoption of telemedicine to maintain patient access to care. As clinicians made the shift from in-person to virtual practice, they faced a paucity of established and reliable clinical examination standards for virtual care settings. In this systematic review, we summarize the accuracy and reliability of virtual assessments compared with traditional in-person examination tools. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL from inception through September 2019 and included additional studies from handsearching of reference lists. We included studies that compared synchronous video (except allowing for audio-only modality for cardiopulmonary exams) with in-person clinical assessments of patients in various settings. We excluded behavioral health and dermatological assessments. Two investigators abstracted data using a predefined protocol. Results: A total of 64 studies were included and categorized into 5 clinical domains: neurological (N = 41), HEENT (head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat; N = 5), cardiopulmonary (N = 5), musculoskeletal (N = 8), and assessment of critically ill patients (N = 5). The cognitive assessment within the neurological exam was by far the most studied (N = 19) with the Mini-Mental Status Exam found to be highly reliable in multiple settings. Most studies showed relatively good reliability of the virtual assessment, although sample sizes were often small (<50 participants). Conclusions: Overall, virtual assessments performed similarly to in-person exam components for diagnostic accuracy but had a wide range of interrater reliability. The high heterogeneity in population, setting, and outcomes reported across studies render it difficult to draw broad conclusions on the most effective exam components to adopt into clinical practice. Further work is needed to identify virtual exam components that improve diagnostic accuracy.

An Algorithmic Approach to the Physical Exam for the Pain Medicine Practitioner: A Review of the Literature with Multidisciplinary Consensus.

BACKGROUND: Increased utilization of telemedicine has created a need for supplemental pain medicine education, especially for the virtual physical assessment of the pain patient. Traditional clinical training utilizes manual and tactile approaches to the physical examination. Telemedicine limits this approach and thus alternative adaptations are necessary to acquire information needed for sound clinical judgement and development of a treatment plan. Clinical assessment of pain is often challenging given the myriad of underlying etiologies contributing to the sensory experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the use of virtual and telemedicine visits, further complicating the ease of assessing patients in pain. The increased reliance on telemedicine visits requires clinicians to develop skills to obtain objective information from afar. While eliciting a comprehensive history and medication assessment are performed in a standard fashion via telemedicine, a virtual targeted physical examination is a new endeavor in our current times. In order to appropriately diagnose and treat patients not directly in front of you, a pivot in education adaptations are necessary. OBJECTIVE: To summarize best care practices in the telemedicine physical exam while presenting an algorithmic approach towards virtual assessment for the pain practitioner. DESIGN: Review of the literature and expert multidisciplinary panel opinion. SETTING: Nationally recognized academic tertiary care centers. SUBJECTS: Multidisciplinary academic experts in pain medicine. METHODS: Expert consensus opinion from the literature review. RESULTS: An algorithm for the virtual physical exam for pain physicians was created using literature review and multidisciplinary expert opinion. CONCLUSIONS: The authors here present simple, comprehensive algorithms for physical exam evaluations for the pain physician stemming from a review of the literature.

The flipped classroom: a novel approach to physical examination skills for osteopathic medical students.

CONTEXT: Medical students are faced with the challenge of synthesizing large volumes of information quickly. With the increasing accessibility of technology, a "flipped classroom" allows students to learn foundational material independently. Class time is instead devoted to in-depth skill building with instructors, promoting an active learning environment. This method of content delivery is also relevant given the current COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively evaluate the benefit of adopting a flipped classroom approach in teaching physical exam skills (PES) to first-year osteopathic medical students. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted comparing first-year osteopathic students in the class of 2022 (n=201), who had taken the PES course traditionally, with the class of 2023 (n=203), who experienced the flipped classroom approach. Objective metrics such as cumulative grades, objective structural clinical examination performance (OSCE), and practical exam performance were compared using nonparametric Mann-Whitney U rank sum tests. Subjective measures such as student course evaluations were used to analyze course perceptions using independent sample t-tests assuming unequal variances. A faculty survey was administered to faculty who taught both cohorts to assess instructor attitudes toward the flipped classroom approach. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spring 2020 quarter data was not included, given the transition of all classes to an online learning environment. RESULTS: The flipped classroom approach significantly improved objective student performance for the Fall (p=0.009) and Winter (p<0.001) student cumulative grades and the History-Taking OSCE (p=0.010). Performance on Fall and Winter practical exam scores had no significant association with the flipped classroom. General student perceptions of the course remained unchanged between both cohorts. Faculty survey results from 10 faculty members showed that six (60%) faculty members preferred the traditional classroom, while four (40%) preferred the flipped classroom. CONCLUSIONS: The flipped classroom approach showed some statistically significant improvement in student PES. Further studies are needed to evaluate the benefits of a flipped classroom approach using skills-based assessments styles to measure student performance, with a focus on standardization of in-classroom groupwork.

"I Have a Cough": An Interactive Virtual Respiratory Case-Based Module.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has radically disrupted traditional models of medical education, forcing rapid evolution in the delivery of clinical training. As a result, clinical educators must quickly transition away from in-person sessions and develop effective virtual learning opportunities instead. This virtual resource was designed to replace a clinical simulation session for the physical examination course for medical students in the preclinical years. Methods: We designed an online interactive module in three sections for preclinical (first- or second-year) medical students who had not yet learned the respiratory physical exam. The first section incorporated demonstration and practice of the components of the respiratory physical exam that could be effectively taught via videoconferencing software. Following this, students conducted a telemedicine encounter with a standardized patient and received patient-centered feedback evaluating their communication skills. The final segment involved a case discussion and clinical reasoning component. Results: These sessions were implemented for 122 first-year medical students. The module was well received by the students. A majority felt that it helped improve their telemedicine communication skills (93%), interpretation of physical exam findings (84%), development of differential diagnosis (95%), and correlation of clinical and basic science content (93%). Discussion: Our pilot educational session demonstrates that this virtual instruction method is an effective tool for teaching basic clinical skills during medical school. Virtual learning resources allow remote instruction to take place and can be a supplement when face-to-face clinical teaching is not possible.

Physical Examination of the Spine Using Telemedicine: A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a systematic review. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review (1) the reliability of the physical examination of the spine using telehealth as it pertains to spinal pathology and (2) patient satisfaction with the virtual spine physical examination. METHODS: We searched EMBASE, PubMed, Medline Ovid, and SCOPUS databases from inception until April 2020. Eligible studies included those that reported on performing a virtual spine physical examination. Two reviewers independently assessed all potential studies for eligibility and extracted data. The primary outcome of interest was the reliability of the virtual spine physical exam. Secondary outcomes of interest were patient satisfaction with the virtual encounter. RESULTS: A total of 2321 studies were initially screened. After inclusion criteria were applied, 3 studies (88 patients) were included that compared virtual with in-person spine physical examinations. These studies showed acceptable reliability for portions of the low back virtual exam. Patient satisfaction surveys were conducted in 2 of the studies and showed general satisfaction (>80% would recommend). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the virtual spine examination may be comparable to the in-person physical examination for low back pain, though there is a significant void in the literature regarding the reliability of the physical examination as it pertains to specific surgical pathology of the spine. Because patients are overall satisfied with virtual spine assessments, validating a virtual physical examination of the spine is an important area that requires further research.

The Spine Physical Examination Using Telemedicine: Strategies and Best Practices.

STUDY DESIGN: Technical note. OBJECTIVES: To provide spine surgeons new to telemedicine with a structured physical examination technique based on manual motor testing principles. METHODS: Expert experience describing a series of specific maneuvers for upper and lower extremity strength testing that can be performed using a telemedicine platform. In addition, we offer instruction on "setting up" for these visits and highlight special tests that can be used to diagnose specific cervical and lumbar spine conditions. RESULTS: From our experiences in conducting telemedicine visits, we provide a means of testing and scoring upper and lower extremity strength for interpretation of weakness in the context of traditional manual motor testing. Also, we acknowledge the limitations of a remote examination and discuss maneuvers that cannot be performed remotely. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has drastically altered the delivery of care for patients with spine-related complaints. The need for social distancing has led to the widespread adoption of telemedicine. This technical note provides an urgently needed framework for the standardization of the remote physical exam. Validation of the exam as a diagnostic tool will be a crucial next step in studying the impact of telemedicine.