Family Conference Simulation Designed for Physician Assistant Students and Chaplain Residents.

Background: Physician Assistants (PAs) are increasingly likely to work in clinical areas where family conference skills are needed, but there is currently a lack of family conference education in PA program curricula. Objectives: To (1) describe a novel interprofessional education (IPE) event for PA students and chaplain residents; (2) examine whether participating in the IPE event is associated with improvements in attitudes and knowledge regarding interprofessional teams; and (3) describe participant perceptions about the event. Design: Two cohorts of PA students and chaplain residents completed a required interprofessional simulation activity involving a critically ill patient and a family conference. All participants completed pre- and postsimulation activity questionnaires. Bivariate tests were utilized to analyze the quantitative data. Setting/Subjects: Over two years, 171 PA students and 20 chaplain residents completed the activity at a school of medicine in the United States. Measurements: Pre- and postactivity measurements included role-specific questions plus overlapping sections regarding roles and responsibilities of the other discipline, comfort facilitating end-of-life discussions, and the value of IPE. Results: For PA students, there was a statistically significant increase for all questionnaire items. The largest effect size increases were in PA students' confidence in provider-patient communication at the end of life (Cohen's d > 1.1). Chaplain data demonstrated increases in knowledge of the PA role and likelihood of consulting with PAs in the future. Conclusion: This simulation event improved participant attitudes and knowledge relating to interprofessional interactions in the setting of an end-of-life family conference, and may contribute to more effective collaboration between PAs and chaplains in the clinical setting.

Safety in Numbers: Successful Student-Approved Case-Based Interprofessional Safety Workshop Utilizing Simulated Real-Life Safety Cases.

Introduction: Increasing emphasis on medical trainee competence in patient safety and quality improvement processes has led to development of various safety and quality curricula. Methods: Curriculum surveys indicated our medical school's module-based safety and quality improvement curriculum did not meet student satisfaction benchmarks. We developed a single-day interprofessional patient safety workshop combining students from three different health care training programs (medical doctor, physician assistant, nurse anesthetist). Clinical facilitators from each profession were paired with institutional safety and quality officers. A novel curriculum was created based on a real patient safety case: Students were charged with conducting key interviews of those involved in the event as a root cause analysis (RCA) and developing a process improvement plan based on their RCA findings to present to a panel of institutional executives. Pre- and postevent surveys were completed and analyzed by trainee program. Results: This workshop improved students' attitudes regarding interprofessional education and expanded their knowledge of investigating safety events. Overall, assessed knowledge and attitudes improved 53% over the previous safety curriculum. Eighty-one percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop helped them think about the health care system in a new and different way. One corrective action suggested by a student group during the executive panel was later adopted by our institution and resulted in a permanent change to our health care system. Discussion: This case-based interprofessional workshop was well received by students and facilitators and allowed purposeful interactions between students in different arenas of medical training.

An approach to managing HPV-associated anal dysplasia.

Although anal cancer is rare, incidence rates are rising in the United States. Recognizing and screening high-risk patients can improve management. Vaccination may also play a role in the prevention of HPV-related anal cancer, but more research is needed.