"How to article:" guidelines for serving on an expert panel.

Academics in medicine are frequently asked to serve on panels to discuss their clinical, research, education, administrative or personal expertise. While panel discussions are often the highlight of a conference or event, in the medical literature, there is very little published on how an individual can effectively prepare and present as an expert panelist. This paper offers guidelines that will enable academics to prepare, deliver, and engage in active dialogue during a panel discussion. Specific tactics include how to accept invitations to serve on a panel, conducting pre-panel conference meetings and background research, preparing concise opening statements and new insights, connecting with the audience, answering questions in a collaborative spirit, and debriefing after the panel. These guidelines will be valuable to any individual invited to serve on a panel discussion and will promote future panelists in engaging in constructive and fulfilling dialogue, with the ultimate goal of leaving the audience with a greater understanding of the topic of discourse.

Child Health Needs and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Workforce: 2020-2040.

Approximately 30 million ill and injured children annually visit emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. Data suggest that patients seen in pediatric EDs by board-certified pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians receive higher-quality care than those cared for by non-PEM physicians. These benefits, coupled with the continued growth in PEM since its inception in the early 1990s, have impacted child health broadly. This article is part of a Pediatrics supplement focused on predicting the future pediatric subspecialty workforce supply by drawing on the American Board of Pediatrics workforce data and a microsimulation model of the future pediatric subspecialty workforce. The article discusses the utilization of acute care services in EDs, reviews the current state of the PEM subspecialty workforce, and presents projected numbers of PEM subspecialists at the national, census region, and census division on the basis of this pediatric subspecialty workforce supply model through 2040. Implications of this model on education and training, clinical practice, policy, and future workforce research are discussed. Findings suggest that, if the current growth in the field of PEM continues on the basis of the increasing number and size of fellowship programs, even with a potential reduction in percentage of clinical time and attrition of senior physicians, the PEM workforce is anticipated to increase nationally. However, the maldistribution of PEM physicians is likely to be perpetuated with the highest concentration in New England and Mid-Atlantic regions and "PEM deserts" in less populated areas.

Feasibility of a Video Otoscope for Diagnosis of Otologic Pathology in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVES: Performing pediatric otoscopy can be difficult secondary to patient compliance, which potentiates misdiagnosis and inaccurate treatment of acute otitis media. This study used a convenience sample to assess the feasibility of using a video otoscope for the examination of tympanic membranes in children presenting to a pediatric emergency department. METHODS: We obtained otoscopic videos using the JEDMED Horus + HD Video Otoscope. Participants were randomized to video or standard otoscopy, and a physician completed their bilateral ear examinations. In the video group, physicians reviewed otoscope videos with the patient's caregiver. The caregiver and physician completed separate surveys using a 5-point Likert Scale regarding perceptions of the otoscopic examination. A second physician reviewed each otoscopic video. RESULTS: We enrolled 213 participants in 2 groups (standard otoscopy, n = 94; video otoscopy, n = 119). We used Wilcoxon rank sum, Fisher exact test, and descriptive statistics to compare results across groups. For physicians, there were no statistically significant differences between groups with ease of device use, quality of otoscopic view, or diagnosis. There was moderate agreement between physician video otoscopic view satisfaction and slight agreement between physician video otologic diagnosis. Estimates of length of time to complete the ear examinations were longer more often for the video otoscope compared with standard for both caregivers (OR, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-3.70; P = 0.02) and physicians (OR, 3.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.67-5.78; P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between video and standard otoscopy with regard to caregiver perception of comfort, cooperation, satisfaction, or diagnosis understanding. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers perceive that video otoscopy and standard otoscopy are comparable in comfort, cooperation, examination satisfaction, and diagnosis understanding. Physicians made a wider range of more subtle diagnoses with the video otoscope. However, examination length of time may limit the JEDMED Horus + HD Video Otoscope's feasibility in a busy pediatric emergency department.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow Training for Bedside Teaching: A National Survey of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellows and Program Directors.

Background The pediatric emergency department (PED) is a unique fast-paced learning environment. Most pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians work in academic centers and therefore require specific bedside teaching skills to improve and enhance learners' experiences, yet there is no standardized training in bedside teaching for PEM fellows. We aimed to (1) evaluate whether PEM fellowship programs train their fellows to become bedside teachers through a dedicated curriculum and (2) determine how these programs measure curricular effectiveness. Methods In 2022, we developed and disseminated two separate electronic surveys to PEM fellows and PEM fellowship program directors (PDs) and associate program directors (APDs) through the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section of Emergency Medicine PEM PD Survey Committee. Results One-third of PEM fellows (32.7%, n=69/211) and PEM PDs/APDs (32.5%, n=26/80) completed the surveys. The majority of fellows (59.4%, n=41/69) and PDs/APDs (76.9%, n=20/26) reported that their programs did not have a formal bedside teaching curriculum. Of the respondents, 81.2% (n=56/69) of fellows and 100% of PDs/APDs believed that their programs prepared fellows to be bedside teachers (p-value=0.04). Most fellows (75.4%, n=52/69) expressed interest in working at an academic medical center, with 19.2% (n=10/52) feeling unprepared to be bedside teachers upon completion of the fellowship. Additionally, 19.2% (n=5/26) PDs/APDs, evaluated their bedside teaching curriculum effectiveness. In addition, the majority of fellows (60.9%, n=42/69) and PDs/APDs (61.5%, n=16/26) described clinical expectations and competing fellowship priorities, respectively, as major barriers to learning bedside teaching. Most PDs/APDs (53.8%, n=14/26) stated that they were uncertain on how to create a bedside teaching curriculum. Conclusions While the majority of PEM fellows plan to be academicians, where they will be expected to teach a variety of learners at the bedside, most PEM fellowship programs do not have dedicated bedside teaching curricula. There is a compelling need to investigate how to encourage and implement bedside teaching education into PEM fellowship curricula.

Disrupting Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying in Academic Medicine: An Innovative Workshop.

Introduction: Bullying, a severe form of mistreatment, occurs when an individual in an authority position intentionally imposes negative persistent behaviors on a target. In academic medicine, bullying is used to impede the target's professional growth. While there is abundant literature on how to disrupt other forms of mistreatment, the literature related to bullying among academic medical faculty members is scarce. Methods: We developed an interactive workshop on disrupting faculty-on-faculty bullying in academic medicine, with a focus on gender-based bullying, following Kern's model of curriculum development. The workshop consisted of three didactics on the scope of bullying in academic medicine: identifying bullying behaviors, learning strategies to mitigate bullying, and understanding what constitutes comprehensive antibullying policies. The workshop also included three small-group activities to reinforce learned concepts. Results: Eighty-seven faculty attended one of three workshops held over a 6-month period. We received 24 completed evaluations for a 28% rate of return. Most participants rated workshop activities as being well taught and of great value. Many respondents commented that after participating in the workshop, they realized they had likely experienced or witnessed bullying in their careers and that mitigating bullying required effort at multiple levels (individual, institutional, national). Discussion: This workshop fills a need in academic medicine through addressing how faculty members and institutions can help themselves and others to disrupt bullying. We will continue to disseminate this workshop at national conferences and at individual institutions. This resource will allow other educators to offer the workshop at their home institutions.

Physician Men Leaders in Emergency Medicine Bearing Witness to Gender-Based Discrimination.

Importance: Approximately 60% of women physicians in emergency medicine (EM) experience gender-based discrimination (GBD). Women physicians are also more likely to experience GBD than men physicians, particularly from patients, other physicians, or nursing staff. Objective: To describe the responses of men who are academic department chairs in EM to GBD directed toward a woman colleague. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study was a secondary data analysis drawn from interviews of men EM academic department chairs at 18 sites who participated in a qualitative descriptive study between April 2020 and February 2021 on their perceptions of the influence of gender and leadership in academic medicine. Narrative data related to GBD were extracted and coded using conventional content analysis. Codes were clustered into themes and subthemes and summarized. Data were analyzed from November to December 2021. Exposure: Semistructured interviews conducted via teleconferencing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Qualitative findings identifying experiences witnessing or learning about incidents of GBD against women colleagues, the impact of these observations, and personal or leadership actions taken in response to their observations. Results: All 18 men participants (mean [SD] age, 52.2 [7.5] years; mean [SD] time as a department chair, 7.2 [5.1] years) discussed witnessing or learning about incidents of GBD against women colleagues. The participant narratives revealed 3 themes: emotional responses to GBD, actions they took to address GBD, and reasons for not taking action to address GBD. When witnessing GBD, participants felt anger, disbelief, guilt, and shame. To take action, they served as upstanders, confronted and reported discrimination, provided faculty development on GBD, or enforced "zero-tolerance" policies. At times they did not take action because they did not believe the GBD warranted a response, perceived a power differential or an unsupportive institutional culture, or sought self-preservation. Conclusions and Relevance: In this qualitative study of men physician leaders, we found all participants reported feeling troubled by GBD against women colleagues and, if possible, took action to address the discrimination. At times they did not take action because of unsupportive workplace cultures. These findings suggest that institutional culture change that supports the interventions of upstanders and does not tolerate GBD is needed.

Why Gender-Based Bullying Is Normalized in Academic Medicine: Experiences and Perspectives of Women Physician Leaders.

Background: Bullying has been identified as a problem in the academic medicine. Bullying behaviors persist because organizational cultures have allowed them to become normalized. In academic medicine, women are more likely to be bullied than men. Our purpose was to explain why gender-based bullying persists in academic medicine and identify mitigation strategies. Methods: We interviewed senior faculty women physicians who graduated from the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® program. We asked participants about their experience with bullying and its consequence on their careers. We also asked about the types of culture they think perpetuates bullying and their thoughts on how best to mitigate bullying. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using Averbuch's Cycle of Academic Bullying as a framework. Results: We sampled 30 women physician leaders for interviews from a pool of 96 volunteers who had screened positive for experiencing bullying. All 30 either experienced or witnessed bullying during their careers. Bullying behaviors included public humiliation, defamation, verbal disparagement, and social isolation. Subjects suffered numerous negative effects from bullying such as stress, burnout, depression, and having to leave the job. Participants believed bullying behaviors persisted due to hierarchical organizational cultures. Barriers to reporting and mitigation were thought to originate from lack of leadership combined with ineffective policies and reporting mechanisms. Conclusions: Dysfunctional hierarchies embedded in organizational cultures within academic medicine have contributed to the normalization of bullying. Committed leadership, focused on implementing comprehensive bullying prevention policies, is needed to promote an inclusive culture in which everyone feels that they belong.

Bullying in Academic Medicine: Experiences of Women Physician Leaders.

PURPOSE: Bullying is defined as offenders abusing positions of authority and intentionally targeting individuals through persistent negative behaviors to impede education or career growth. This study sought to estimate the prevalence and nature of bullying experienced by women physician leaders in academic medicine. METHOD: In this survey-based study, 547 physician graduates of an executive women's leadership training program were invited to complete a survey that measured workplace bullying in 2021. Participants were asked whether and when they had been bullied, how it impacted their careers, and remedies for bullying. Descriptive statistics were used to profile mistreatment and bullying experienced by the respondents during their professional careers and the nature of bullying. Content analysis of open-ended comments was used to describe how bullying impacted women physicians and outline recommendations for bullying prevention and mitigation. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 64.7% (354/547). Most women (302/354 [85.3%]) had experienced mistreatment during their careers, with more than half experiencing bullying while an attending physician (198/302 [65.6%]). Many women (187/302 [61.9%]) who screened positive for mistreatment also reported that they had been bullied at work. Of these 187 respondents, 173 (92.5%) experienced bullying from men and 121 (64.7%) reporting bullying from women (effect size = 0.34, P ≤ .001), and 115 (61.5%) reported that bullies were their immediate supervisors. Qualitative findings suggested that bullying harmed individuals' career advancement, mental health, reputation, and relationships with others. Many had to change roles or leave jobs. Participants proposed that initiatives by top-level leaders, clear definitions of bullying behavior, reporting mechanisms, and upstander training for faculty and staff could mitigate bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Most women physician leaders have experienced bullying. These results highlight the need to address bullying in academic medicine so that women can reach their full career potential.

Residents' Perspective on Need for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education During Pediatric Residency.

OBJECTIVES: Many medical disciplines incorporate point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into their practice. Despite well-defined applications, POCUS has not been widely adopted in pediatrics and is not commonly taught during residency. Our objective was to profile the current state of POCUS education in pediatric residency training from the resident perspective. METHODS: We surveyed pediatric trainees about their POCUS education, general opinions about POCUS, and perceived barriers to POCUS training in residency. We distributed the survey to a random sample of Ohio pediatric residents, stratified by program size and training level. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize responses. RESULTS: We sampled 66.4% of the population (371 of 559) of Ohio pediatric residents and achieved a response rate of 59.3%. Only 15% of respondents received POCUS training during residency, with 85% having never performed a POCUS scan. Most (86%) desired POCUS education and 67% believed it should be required during residency. Residents felt that POCUS would be useful for procedural guidance (95%), clinical diagnosis (94%), and patient safety (74%). Most residents (61%) believed POCUS education would benefit their careers, particularly those planning on subspecialization. Barriers to POCUS education included lack of an established curriculum (75%), competing educational priorities (58%), and a shortage of qualified instructors (52%). CONCLUSIONS: Although Ohio pediatric residents do not receive formal POCUS education in residency, they desire such training and believe it would benefit their future practice. Consensus on scope of practice, development of a standardized curriculum, and increased faculty training in POCUS may help address this educational gap.

How general pediatricians learn procedures: implications for training and practice.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires General Pediatricians (GPeds) to learn thirteen procedures during training. However, GPeds infrequently perform these procedures in practice. We sought to determine:1) how GPeds learned procedures, 2) if GPeds self-reported achieving competence in the required ACGME procedures during training, and 3) if GPeds maintained these skills into practice. We conducted this mixed methods study from 2019-2020. 51 GPeds from central Ohio and the American Board of Pediatrics General Examination Committee were recruited via email or snowball sampling and participated in semi-structured recorded phone interviews probing procedural performance during training and current practice. Participants represented varied geographic regions and clinical settings. We employed Sawyer's 'Learn, See, Practice, Prove, Do, Maintain' mastery learning pedagogical framework as a lens for thematic analysis. Participants did not demonstrate competence in all ACGME required procedures during training, nor sustain procedural skills in practice. Most participants learned procedures through a 'see one, do one' apprenticeship model. GPeds reported never being formally assessed on procedural competence during residency. All GPeds referred out at least one procedure. GPeds also believed that skill maintenance was unwarranted for procedures irrelevant to their current practice. GPeds did not sufficiently demonstrate competence in all ACGME required procedures during training, partially suggesting why they infrequently perform some procedures. Alternatively, these required procedures may not be relevant to their practice. Pediatric residency procedures education might consider using mastery learning for practice-specific procedures and surface-level methods (learning without mastery) for other skills.

What Procedures Are Important to General Pediatricians and Why?

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Pediatric residents must demonstrate competence prior to graduation in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) required procedures. Recent literature shows general pediatricians (GPeds) infrequently perform these procedures yet believe them important to learn. The purpose of this study was to determine why GPeds believe learning procedures was important, what barriers prevent them from developing and maintaining procedural skills, and what procedures they believe should be included in training. METHODS: Fifty-one GPeds from the American Board of Pediatrics General Examination Committee and the central Ohio region participated in 30-minute semistructured recorded phone interviews that probed their use of procedures across training and current practice. Participants represented urban, suburban, and rural geographic regions and practiced in a variety of settings. We conducted a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews. RESULTS: GPeds believed currently required ACGME procedures were crucial to learn for 5 reasons: 1) adaptation to change in practice type or location, 2) emergency preparedness, 3) counseling patients and families, 4) distance from a tertiary care center and specialists, and 5) professional identity as a pediatrician. Numerous barriers, particularly never learning the procedures, prevented GPeds from performing procedures in practice. Recommended procedures to be taught included high- (eg, circumcision), and low-risk (eg, cerumen removal, nasopharyngeal swabs, umbilical cauterization) skills. CONCLUSIONS: GPeds believed procedural training was important, however may never have learned certain procedures. These findings suggest that teaching methods should be adapted or customized procedural education should be implemented to ensure relevancy of skills learned for clinical practice.

Maintenance of Certification Pediatrics: Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM): The New Part 3 Maintenance of Certification Assessment Option.

ABSTRACT: Starting in 2022, the American Board of Pediatrics will launch the Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics: Pediatric Emergency Medicine (MOCA-Peds: PEM) longitudinal assessment, which will provide an at-home alternative to the point-in-time examination. This longitudinal assessment will help engage PEM physicians participating in continuing certification in a more flexible and continuous lifelong, self-directed learning process while still providing a summative assessment of their knowledge. This commentary provides background information on MOCA-Peds and an introduction to MOCA-Peds: PEM and how it gives the PEM physician another option to participate in continuing certification.

The COVID-19 Elective for Pediatric Residents: Learning About Systems-Based Practice During a Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted pediatric residency programs to adjust the delivery of educational curricula and to update content relevant to the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: In this descriptive paper, we present how we rapidly developed and implemented a COVID-19 pandemic elective for pediatric residents. METHODS: This curriculum was established at a single tertiary care children's hospital in June 2020. We used the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) framework to develop a two-week elective (30 hours) consisting of six flexibly scheduled modules. We administered post-elective surveys and exit interviews to solicit feedback to improve the elective and obtain effectiveness of our educational interventions. RESULTS: We developed an asynchronous online COVID-19 Elective for Pediatric Residents. The curriculum modules focus on pathophysiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disaster management ecosystem, simulation of clinical care, mental health ramifications, and public health consequences. We also include six in-situ experiences (visits to a drive-through COVID-19 testing site, testing laboratory and local public health department, a simulation of a critically ill child, and meetings with emergency managers and social workers) to solidify learning and allow for further reflection. To date, eight participants have taken the elective. All participants strongly agreed on a five-point Likert item survey that the elective enhanced their knowledge in current evidence-based literature for COVID-19, disaster preparedness, hospital response, management of the critically ill child, and mental and public health ramifications. All participants agreed this curriculum was relevant to and will change their practice. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate how a COVID-19 elective for pediatric residents could be quickly developed and implemented. The pilot results show that pediatric trainees value asynchronous learning, supplemented by relevant in-situ experiences. Moreover, these results suggest that this curriculum provides needed disaster response and resiliency education for pediatric residents.

Influences on and Characteristics of the Professional Identity Formation of Clinician Educators: A Qualitative Analysis.

PURPOSE: Professional identity formation is the process of internalizing the ideals, values, and beliefs of a profession. In recent years, research on clinician-educator (CE) identity formation has expanded, yet gaps exist in understanding initial influences on an educator identity, sustainment throughout a career, and development of successful pathways for early CEs. This study explored the initial influences on and characteristics of the professional identity formation of CEs in an age-diverse, multispecialty population in the United States. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study of a purposive sample of medical educators at 6 institutions across the United States between 2018 and 2019. Focus groups were conducted to obtain participants' perspectives on their career choice and subsequent formation of their professional identity as CEs. The authors used a thematic analysis of focus group data to identify themes and domains through an iterative process. RESULTS: Twelve focus groups were conducted with a total of 93 participants. Responses were categorized into 5 domains: community supportive of medical education, culture of institution and training, personal characteristics, facilitators, and professionalization of medical education. Themes highlighted the importance of role models and mentors, an affinity and aptitude for teaching and education, specific facilitators for entry into a career in medical education, the evolution from a layperson, importance of formalized training programs, and a supportive academic community. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians experienced a variety of factors that influenced their initial career choice in medical education and subsequent professional identity formation as a CE. This study confirms and expands the current understanding of this process in an age-diverse, multispecialty population of CEs. Educators and administrators designing career development programs across the continuum of medical education should consider these aspects as they mentor and support their learners and faculty.

COVID-19 Implications on Clinical Clerkships and the Residency Application Process for Medical Students.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant disruption to undergraduate medical education (UME). Although the immediate scheduling challenges are being addressed, there has been less discourse regarding how this pandemic will impact medical students in their preparation for and application to residency programs. While some historical disasters and pandemics provide a loose precedent for UME response during COVID-19, the impact of the current pandemic has surpassed any other events. COVID-19 will likely impact UME in the suspension of clinical rotations, alterations in grading, suspension or elimination of away rotations, changes in medical licensing exams, and ramifications on mental health. This review assesses governing medical bodies' recommendations regarding UME during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this may impact preparation for residency. In particular, residency programs will likely have to create new guidelines for assessing applicants during this unique cycle.

A Paucity of Code Status Documentation Despite Increasing Complex Chronic Disease in Pediatrics.

Objectives: An increasing number of children are living with complex chronic diseases (CCDs) due to medical advances. Despite a need for code status discussions (CSDs), there is great variability in the frequency and documentation of such conversations. The objective was to identify gaps in the documentation of CSDs within the electronic health record (EHR), focusing on patients with CCDs. Methods: This was a retrospective review of all patients admitted from the emergency department of a tertiary care children's hospital in 2016. An EHR query using the Apache Hadoop cluster and manual review identified documentation of CSDs, including (1) code status orders, (2) advance directives, and (3) CSDs in provider notes. Patient complexity was stratified using the Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm 3.0. Comparative analysis was performed using chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis tests and multivariable logistic regression. Results: There were 12,648 unique patients of whom 4157 (32.9%) had CCD. Only 209 (1.7%) patients had a code status documented, of whom 200 (95.7%) had CCD. Of 528 (4.2%) patients ≥18 years of age, 428 (81.1%) had CCD and only 65 (12.3%) had CSDs. Palliative care consultation increased odds of CSDs (OR: 21.4, 95% CI: 13.8-33.2, p < 0.0001), whereas African American race decreased odds of CSDs (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.27-0.64, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Among admitted pediatric patients, most do not have documentation of CSDs, including those with CCD and patients ≥18 years of age. Improvements in both frequency and consistency of CSD documentation are needed to inform the family-centered care of patients living with CCDs.

General Pediatricians' Performance of Accreditation Agency's Recommended Procedures: A Complementary Analysis Using Administrative Data and the Knowledge Translation Model.

INTRODUCTION: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education provided guidelines, in 2013, regarding 13 clinical procedures pediatric residents should learn. Previous studies show that, when asked, general pediatricians (GPeds) self-report performing these procedures infrequently. When examined using the knowledge translation model, this low procedural performance frequency, especially by GPeds, may indicate a problem within the primary care landscape. METHODS: This was a descriptive study using the Partners For Kids, an accountable care organization, database to obtain how frequently each of the procedures was performed for a geographically representative sample of GPeds in central Ohio. RESULTS: A total of 296 physicians participated in Partners For Kids. Nearly one-third practiced for more than 15 years (n = 83, 28%) and one-third also lived in a rural region (n = 78, 26.4%). The most commonly billed procedure was administering immunizations (n = 79,292, 92.3%); the least was peripheral intravenous catheter placement (n = 2, 0.002%). Most procedures were completed in the office-based setting. DISCUSSION: General pediatricians in central Ohio do not frequently perform the 13 recommended procedures of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Evaluation of this problem using the knowledge translation model shows that potential barriers could be inadequate training during or after residency or more likely that these procedures are not necessary in GPeds' current scope of practice. The next step should be to see, from the practitioner's perspective, what procedures are important to their daily practice. Adapting this knowledge to the local context will help target continuing medical education/continuing professional development interventions.

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Increase the Number of Pediatric Resident Laceration Repairs.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric residents must demonstrate competence in several clinical procedures prior to graduation, including simple laceration repair. However, residents may lack opportunities to perform laceration repairs during training, affecting their ability and confidence to perform this procedure. OBJECTIVE: We implemented a quality improvement initiative to increase the number of laceration repairs logged by pediatric residents from a baseline mean of 6.75 per month to more than 30 repairs logged monthly. METHODS: We followed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Model for Improvement with rapid plan-do-study-act cycles. From July 2016 to February 2018, we increased the number of procedure shifts and added an education module on performing laceration repairs for residents in a pediatric emergency department at a large tertiary hospital. We used statistical process control charting to document improvement. Our outcome measure was the number of laceration repairs documented in resident procedure logs. We followed the percentage of lacerations repairs completed by residents as a process measure and length of stay as a balancing measure. RESULTS: Following the interventions, logged laceration repairs initially increased from 6.75 to 22.75 per month for the residency program. After the number of procedure shifts decreased, logged repairs decreased to 13.40 per month and the percentage of lacerations repaired by residents also decreased. We noted an increased length of stay for patients whose lacerations were repaired by residents. CONCLUSIONS: While our objective was not met, our quality improvement initiative resulted in more logged laceration repairs. The most effective intervention was dedicated procedure shifts.

A Comparison of National Pediatric Procedures Training Guidelines With Actual Clinical Practice in Ohio.

BACKGROUND: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Pediatrics Review Committee (RC) recommends the clinical procedures residents should master during their training. These guidelines may be partially based on consensus opinion or tradition rather than actual need. The literature defining which procedures general pediatricians actually perform in practice is limited. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine how often general pediatricians perform procedures recommended by accreditation bodies, how well prepared they feel to perform them, and how important the procedures are to their practice. METHODS: We categorized recommended procedures as emergent, urgent, or office-based, then developed and administered a survey in 2017 based on these classes. We randomly sampled and polled 439 general pediatricians from urban, suburban, or rural regions across central Ohio. Responses were compared using the Welch ANOVA, Mann Whitney U, and post-hoc tests. RESULTS: The response rate was 60% (265 of 439). Pediatricians almost never performed 11 of 13 recommended procedures, yet felt well prepared to perform them all and believed that all were important. Rural pediatricians performed significantly more emergent and office-based procedures and rated them as more important. Commonly performed non-ACGME/RC procedures were circumcision, wart removal, cerumen removal, umbilical cauterization, and suture removal. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that pediatricians rarely perform most of the recommended procedures, but think they are important. There are several office-based non-ACGME recommended procedures that pediatricians commonly perform. Regional differences suggest the need for customized training based on future practice plans.