A modified healthy steps model to improve resident training in behavioral and developmental care.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether implementing a modified Healthy Steps (HS) for young children program in residency clinics could improve resident education and their perception of the quality of care provided for common behavioral and developmental (B/D) issues. METHODS: Residents and faculty blinded to study intent were surveyed to assess perceptions of resident preparedness and the quality of behavioral and developmental (B/D) care at 4 pediatric residency training sites in North Carolina. Initially, Program 1 (with an established HS program) was compared with 3 sites without established programs at baseline (Programs 2, 3, and 4), and then the results before and after implementation at Programs 2 to 4 were compared. RESULTS: Initially, subjects at Program 1 were more likely than those at Programs 2 to 4 to rate residents as "well" or "very well" prepared to provide B/D care (63% vs 20% respectively, 95% confidence interval of the difference, 25-61%) and more likely to rate the overall quality of B/D care at their clinic as "high" or "extremely high" (94% and 47% respectively, 95% confidence interval for the difference, 34-59%). After implementation of HS at Programs 2 to 4, the mean percentage of subjects rating residents as "well" or "very well" prepared and the ratings of the care provided increased dramatically. CONCLUSION: A modified HS model focusing on resident B/D education substantially increased attending and resident ratings of residents' preparedness to deliver B/D care and increased the ratings of the quality of B/D care provided.

Use of a 360-degree evaluation in the outpatient setting: the usefulness of nurse, faculty, patient/family, and resident self-evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Faculty have traditionally evaluated resident physician professionalism and interpersonal skills without input from patients, family members, nurses, or the residents themselves. The objective of our study was to use "360-degree evaluations," as suggested by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), to determine if nonfaculty ratings of resident professionalism and interpersonal skills differ from faculty ratings. METHODS: Pediatrics residents were enrolled in a hospital-based resident continuity clinic during a 5-week period. Patient/families (P/Fs), faculty (MD [doctor of medicine]), nurses (RNs [registered nurses]), and residents themselves (self) completed evaluator-specific evaluations after each clinic session by using a validated 10-item questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. The average Likert score was tallied for each questionnaire. Mean Likert scale scores for each type of rater were compared by using analysis of variance, text with pair-wise comparisons when appropriate. Agreement between rater types was measured by using the Pearson correlation. RESULTS: A total of 823 evaluations were completed for 66 residents (total eligible residents, 69; 95% participation). All evaluators scored residents highly (mean Likert score range, 4.4 to 4.9). However, MDs and RNs scored residents higher than did P/Fs (mean scores: MD, 4.77, SD [standard deviation], 0.32; RN, 4.85, SD, 0.30; P/F, 4.53, SD, 0.96; P < .0001). MD and RN scores also were higher than residents' self-evaluation scores, but there was no difference between self-scores and P/F scores (average resident self-score, 4.44, SD, 0.43; P < .0001 compared to MD and RN; P  =  .19 compared to P/F). Correlation coefficients between all combinations of raters ranged from -0.21 to 0.21 and none were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our study found high ratings for resident professionalism and interpersonal skills. However, different members of the health care team rated residents differently, and ratings are not correlated. Our results provide evidence for the potential value of 360-degree evaluations.

Integrating dental screening and fluoride varnish application into a pediatric residency outpatient program: clinical and financial implications.

Delivery of preventive oral health services (POHS) has been embraced by many pediatric andfamily medical practices in North Carolina (NC). The outcome of implementing a state-wide Medicaid-supported oral health prevention initiative, "Into the Mouth of Babes Varnish and Screening Program (IMB), in an academic medical residency setting is described Retrospective chart audit of encounterforms and collection of administrative records related to POHS provided by pediatric medical residents for Medicaid recipients less than 3 years of age at the University of North Carolina pediatric continuity care clinic over 31 months were examined A total of 1,081 visits and 655 patients were documented during the study period accountingfor 36.6% of all children aged 6-36 months seen in the clinic during the period of this study. Thirty-eight percentof the patients received one or more IMB follow-up visits. Twenty-nine (4.4%) children were reported to have one or more carious teeth and 94 children (14.1%) were referred to a dentist. The IMB program provides an oral screening, parent oral health counseling and application of fluoride varnish to the teeth at the medical appointment by non-dental personnel. Following a cost/revenue analysis it was concluded that a preventive oral health initiative in an academic setting provides an additional access to oral health preventative services for underserved children and contributes to the financial viability of the clinic.