Implementing a Quality Intervention to Improve Confidence in Outpatient Venous Thromboembolism Management.

INTRODUCTION: Guidelines recommend that patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) represented by low-risk deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) receive initial treatment at home versus at the hospital, but a large percentage of these patients are not managed at home. This study assessed the effectiveness of a quality intervention on provider knowledge and confidence in evaluating outpatient treatment for patients with VTE in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A pilot program to overcome obstacles to outpatient VTE treatment in appropriate patients was initiated at Baylor Scott & White Health Temple ED. Subsequently, a formalized quality intervention with a targeted educational program was developed and delivered to ED providers. Provider surveys were administered pre- and post-quality intervention in order to assess clinical knowledge, confidence levels, and perceived barriers. Patient discharge information was extracted from electronic health records. RESULTS: Twenty-five ED providers completed the pre- and post-surveys; 690 and 356 patients with VTE were included in the pre- and post-pilot and pre- and post-quality intervention periods, respectively. Many ED providers reported that a major barrier to discharging patients to outpatient care was the lack of available and adequate patient follow-up appointments. Notably, after the quality intervention, an increase in provider clinical knowledge and confidence scores was observed. Discharge rates for patients with VTE increased from 25.6% to 27.5% after the pilot intervention and increased from 28.5% to 29.9% after the quality intervention, but these differences were not statistically significant. Despite instantaneous uptick in discharge rates after the interventions, there was not a long-lasting effect. CONCLUSION: Although the quality intervention led to improvements in provider clinical knowledge and confidence and identified barriers to discharging patients with VTE, discharge rates remained stable, underscoring the need for additional endeavors.

When patients develop blood clots in their veins or have blood clots travel to their lungs, they may seek treatment at the hospital emergency department. As a best practice, most people can treat blood clots with medicines at home; however, many patients are treated at the hospital. This study looked at how an education program for doctors in the hospital could help more patients be treated at home. The education program improved doctors' knowledge and confidence when evaluating patients with blood clots who could be treated at home. However, this study found that the number of patients treated at home was the same before and after the doctors participated in the education program. Two major problems that prevented patients from being treated at home were not having follow-up appointments readily available and patients taking their medicine as needed. More and different types of programs may help doctors understand the best ways to treat patients with blood clots in the emergency department.

Selection of abstracts from Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas Scholars Day.

Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas displayed the diversity and growth of scholarly pursuits during Scholars Day, which debuted online on May 6, 2022. Residents and fellows, medical students, nurses, and research staff were among those showcasing their scholarly activity in areas such as medical innovation, clinical vignettes, research, and quality improvement. A selection committee chose 34 abstracts-16 select podium, 18 rapid fire. In addition, 66 abstracts were included as electronic poster presentations, an increase of 20 from 2021. Residency and fellowship program directors nominated presentations for the Excellence Awards. The Scholarship Committee chose four to receive travel awards to support the presentation of each project at a national meeting. Excellence Awards were granted to Nada A. Mohamed, MD, Irfan Shehzad, MD, Abirami Subramanian, MPH, MD, and Hadley K. Young, MD. A selection of abstracts is presented here.

Selection of abstracts from Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas Scholars Day.

Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas displayed the diversity and growth of scholarly pursuits during Scholars Day, which debuted online on May 7, 2021. Residents and fellows, medical students, nurses, and research staff were among those showcasing their scholarly activity in areas such as medical innovation, clinical vignettes, research, and quality improvement. A selection of Scholar Day abstracts is presented here.

Selection of abstracts from Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas Scholars Day.

Baylor Scott & White Health Central Texas displayed the diversity and growth of scholarly pursuits during Scholars Day on May 3, 2019. Residents and fellows, medical students, nurses, and research staff were among those showcasing their scholarly activity in areas such as medical innovation, clinical vignettes, research, and quality improvement. A selection committee chose 32 abstracts-12 select podium, 20 rapid fire. In addition, 60 abstracts were included as electronic poster presentations. Residency and fellowship program directors nominated presentations for the Excellence Awards. The scholarship committee chose four to receive travel awards to support the presentation of each project at a national meeting. Excellence Awards were granted to Jasson Abraham, MD, Jerry Fan, MD, Veronica Lozano, MD, and Chhaya Patel, MD. A selection of abstracts is presented here.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare syndrome of widespread inflammation due to massive amounts of cytokines released from activated macrophages. The most common trigger for HLH is infection from a virus, most commonly Epstein-Barr virus. Here we report an adult case of this rare and life-threatening syndrome.

Relationships Between the ACGME Resident and Faculty Surveys and Program Pass Rates on the ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Examination.

PURPOSE: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has surveyed residents since 2003, and faculty since 2012. Surveys are designed to assess program functioning and specify areas for improvement. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of the ACGME's resident and faculty surveys with residency-program-specific performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification exam. METHOD: Data were available from residents and faculty in 375 U.S. ACGME-accredited internal medicine programs from the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 academic years. Analysis of variance and correlations were used to examine the relationship between noncompliance with ACGME program requirements as assessed by the resident and faculty surveys, and ABIM program pass rates. RESULTS: Noncompliance reported on the resident and faculty surveys was highest for programs not meeting the ACGME program requirement of an 80% pass rate on the ABIM certification examination. This relationship was significant for overall noncompliance, both within the resident (P < .001) and faculty (P < .05) surveys, for many areas within the two surveys (correlations ranged between -.07 and -.25, and P values ranged between .20 and < .001), and for the highest levels of noncompliance across areas of the resident (P < .001) and faculty (P < .04) surveys. CONCLUSIONS: ACGME resident and faculty surveys were significantly associated with ABIM program pass rates, supporting the importance of these surveys within the ACGME's Next Accreditation System.

Mantle cell lymphoma of the prostate gland treated with holmium laser enucleation.

Mantle cell lymphoma of the prostate is rare and is seldom encountered in general urologic practice. It either arises primarily from the prostate or is a result of metastatic spread from another site. This specific type of lymphoma has an aggressive course and may respond poorly to traditional chemotherapy with frequent relapses. Mantle cell lymphoma occurs in middle age or older, which is also when symptoms of benign prostatic enlargement begin in men. This overlap makes the diagnosis of lymphoma of the prostate difficult and makes the treatment more complex. We describe a case of mantle cell lymphoma of the prostate that caused significant enlargement and bladder outlet obstruction with urinary retention. The obstruction was treated with holmium laser enucleation of the prostate with good functional results.

Treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma presenting simultaneously with acquired hemophilia and warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Since both acquired factor VIII inhibitor in non-hemophiliac patients and warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia are uncommon disorders with no case-controlled trials, managing these diseases can be challenging. We present a case of a 75-year-old man in whom both diseases were present simultaneously with life-threatening bleeding. This case is an example of the successful initial management and long-term treatment of acquired hemophilia A, warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma with rituximab, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide.

Severe palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia and aplasia in an adult undergoing re-induction treatment with high-dose cytarabine for acute myelogenous leukemia: a possible drug interaction between posaconazole and cytarabine.

High-dose cytarabine is recommended for re-induction chemotherapy in patients less than 60 years of age with acute myelogenous leukemia. This case describes a patient receiving high-dose cytarabine for re-induction and subsequently developed tingling and numbness in her hands and feet followed by severe pain, swelling, and erythema consistent with a diagnosis of palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Furthermore, the patient's hemoglobin, platelets, and neutrophils did not recover after over 30 days post high-dose cytarabine. The patient was concurrently receiving posaconazole for fungal prophylaxis which was initiated after the induction therapy. We speculate that posaconazole may inhibit the cytarabine efflux through P-glycoprotein inhibition leading to the patient's palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia and subsequent aplasia. Future pharmacokinetic studies need to be conducted to ascertain if posaconazole does influence the pharmacokinetics of cytarabine.

Learner Perspectives of a Surgical Educators Faculty Development Program Regarding Value and Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The BaylorScott & White Health Division of Plastic Surgery began a faculty development program designed to train clinicians to be better educators. The program consisted of presession reading, 11 small group didactic sessions, and individually chosen educational projects. Cross-discipline collaboration was pursued by enrolling faculty and students from diverse departments. Department chair permission was required for participation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore learner perspectives of the Surgical Educators Program. METHODS: Fourteen physicians completed the Surgical Educators Program. Focus groups were held with the learners who completed the 2011 and 2012 programs 6 months after completion. The groups were moderated by an educational faculty member who was not involved in any aspect of the course. Questions were designed to elicit the components of the course curriculum of significance to the learners. Narrative data were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the investigators performed independent content analyses to identify themes. The data were thematically coded and summarized using calculation of frequencies. RESULTS: Thirteen learners participated in the focus groups. Three main themes were identified. First, the program increased the participants' knowledge and practice of medical education. Second, the structure of the program was a key contributor to the outcomes. Third, the program produced a community of practice. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that a faculty development program comprising a diverse group of physicians consisting of readings, guided small group sessions, and a mandatory project can train plastic surgical faculty to become better surgical educators within the constraints of a busy clinical practice.

Iron deficiency and hemolytic anemia reversed by ventricular septal myectomy.

Hemolytic anemia has been reported to occur in the setting of aortic stenosis and prosthetic heart valves, but much more rarely in association with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). Of the few descriptions of hemolytic anemia secondary to HC, all but one case involved bacterial endocarditis contributing to left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. We present the case of a 67-year-old man with recurrent hemolytic anemia and HC, without infective endocarditis. Attempts at iron repletion and augmentation of beta-blocker therapy proved his anemia to be refractory to medical management. Ventricular septal myectomy led to the resolution of hemolysis, anemia, and its coexisting symptoms.

Why are you here? Needs analysis of an interprofessional health-education graduate degree program.

Little is known about the nature of faculty development that is needed to meet calls for a focus on quality and safety with particular attention to the power of interprofessional collaborative practice. Through grounded-theory methodology, the authors describe the motivation and needs of 20 educator/clinicians in multiple disciplines who chose to enroll in an explicitly interprofessional master's program in health profession education. The results, derived from axial coding described by Strauss and Corbin, revealed that faculty pursue such postprofessional master's degrees out of a desire to be better prepared for their roles as educators. A hybrid-delivery model on campus and online provided access to graduate degrees while protecting the ability of participants to remain in current positions. The added benefit of a community of practice related to evidence-based and innovative models of education was valued by participants. Authentic, project-based learning and assessment supported their advancement in home institutions and systems. The experience was described by participants as a disruptive innovation that helped them attain their goal of leadership in health profession education.

Newly diagnosed congenital factor VII deficiency and utilization of recombinant activated factor VII (NovoSeven(®)).

UNLABELLED: This case report presents a newly diagnosed congenital factor VII deficiency treated with recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa). Congenital factor VII deficiency is a rare autosomal-recessive bleeding disorder that occurs in fewer than 1/500,000 persons. Its presentation can vary from epistaxis to hemarthroses and severe central nervous system bleeding, and correlates poorly with factor VII levels. Our patient had not had a significant hemostatic challenge prior to his presentation and therefore never had any symptomatology suggestive of this disease. He was treated with rFVIIa, and was able to undergo repair of his fractures without bleeding. CASE REPORT: A 19-year-old African-American male presented to the emergency room after an altercation that resulted in significant trauma. He sustained bilateral mandibular angle fractures and orbital floor fractures, requiring urgent surgical correction. On initial evaluation, he was noted to have a prolonged prothrombin time of 40.1 seconds, with an International Normalized Ratio of 4.0, a normal activated partial thromboplastin time of 29.9 seconds, and a platelet count of 241. After receiving vitamin K and fresh frozen plasma, he was taken to the operating room for a temporary rigid maxillomandibular fixation. A 1:1 mixing study with normal plasma corrected the prothrombin time (decreasing from 40.7 to 14.7 seconds) and a factor VII assay revealed 5% of the normal factor VII level. The patient was diagnosed with congenital factor VII deficiency. Due to his coagulopathy and the extensive surgical correction needed, rFVIIa was administered and surgery was accomplished without hemorrhagic sequelae. CONCLUSION: This case report and review describes a rare congenital disease, the history of rFVIIa use, and its mechanism. rFVIIA use in our patient provided a treatment option that allowed the necessary surgical correction, but further prospective studies on dose optimization would ensure adequate dosing with minimal risk of severe side effects.

The writing retreat: a high-yield clinical faculty development opportunity in academic writing.

BACKGROUND: The need for consistent academic productivity challenges junior clinician-scholars, who often lack the aptitude to ensure efficient production of manuscripts. INTERVENTION: To solve this problem, an academic division of a major medical center developed an off-site writing retreat. The purpose of the retreat was not to teach writing skills, but to offer senior mentor assistance with a focus on the elements of manuscript writing. METHODS: The retreat paired senior faculty members with junior staff. Senior faculty identified manuscript topics and provided real-time writing and editing supervision. Team-building exercises, midcourse corrections, and debriefing interviews were built into the retreat. The number of manuscripts and grant proposals generated during the 2008-2011 retreats was recorded, and the program was evaluated by using unstructured debriefing interviews. RESULTS: An average of 6 to 7 faculty members and fellows participated in each retreat. During the past 4 years, participants produced an average of 3 grant proposals and 7 manuscripts per retreat. After the writing retreat, each fellow and junior faculty member produced an average of 4 scholarly products per year, compared to fewer than 2 for prior years' retreats. Participant feedback indicated the success of the retreat resulted from protected time, direct mentorship by the scholars involved, and pairing of authors, which allows for rapid production of manuscripts and accelerated the editing process. More than 80% of mentors returned each year to participate. CONCLUSIONS: The writing retreat is a feasible, effective strategy to increase scholarship among faculty, acceptable to mentees and mentors, and sustainable over time.

Teaching plastic surgery from different perspectives.

Just as everyone has a different learning style, teachers too approach the task from different perspectives. There are five basic teaching perspectives or styles: transmission, apprenticeship, developmental, nurturing, and social justice. The acronym BIAS is useful to describe the beliefs, intentions, assessments, and strategies associated with each perspective. The authors present a hypothetical 1-week rotation in plastic and reconstructive surgery in which a student encounters instructors who embody the five basic teaching perspectives. By presenting these perspectives, the authors introduce valuable teaching techniques that can benefit all those charged with the education of learners along the spectrum from premedical to continuing education venues. Educational objectives include the following: (1) explain and illustrate different approaches to effective teaching in plastic surgery; (2) introduce readers to the Teaching Perspectives Inventory as a means of determining their primary teaching style; and (3) argue for a "plurality of the good" in teaching.

An alternative practice model: residents transform continuity clinic and become systems thinkers.

BACKGROUND: A changing health care environment has created a need for physicians trained in health system improvement. Residency programs have struggled to teach and assess practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice competencies, particularly within ambulatory settings. INTERVENTION: We describe a resident-created and resident-led quality and practice-improvement council in an internal medicine continuity clinic. We conducted focus groups and report on residents' perspectives on council membership, practice management experiences, quality improvement projects, and resident satisfaction. METHOD: Focus groups were held from May 2009 to March 2010 with internal medicine residents (N  =  5/focus group) who participated in the Continuity Clinic Ownership in Resident Education (CCORE) council. Data were analyzed with a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: DURING THE FOCUS GROUPS, RESIDENTS RESPONDED TO THE QUESTION: "Do you have any new insights into delivering quality patient care in an outpatient clinic as a result of this experience (CCORE membership)?" The qualitative analysis resulted in 6 themes: systems thinking and systems-based care skills; improving quality of patient care; improved clinic efficiency; ownership of patients; need for improved communication of practice changes; and a springboard for research. CONCLUSIONS: CCORE residents participated in system changes and acquired leadership skills while working on practice-based and system problems in a clinic microsystem. We believe this model can be implemented by other residency programs to promote the development of systems thinking in residents, increase their ownership of continuity clinic, and empower them to implement system changes.