An Observational Time Study of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Multidisciplinary Rounds.

OBJECTIVE: In this observational study, we aimed to describe the rounding structure in a high acuity neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to identify potential barriers to efficient multidisciplinary rounds. STUDY DESIGN: We observed daily medical rounds (January-December 2018) on the resident teaching service in a 46-bed academic level IV NICU. Daily census, duration of rounds, and causes for rounding delays were recorded. During a subset of the study period, additional data were collected describing the time spent on specific activities and the room-to-room pathway followed by the rounding team. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the census, total rounding time, time spent on each activity, and rounding time by day of the week and by attending. RESULTS: A total of 208 rounding days were observed. During the study period, the teaching service mean daily census was 17 patients and total rounding time (mean ± standard deviation) was 136 ± 31 minutes. Mean rounding time and time/patient varied between the nine attendings (total time range 109 minutes to 169 minutes, time/patient range 6.4 minutes/patient to 10.0 minutes/patient). In total, 91% of rounding time focused on patient care, teaching, and discussions with parents, while 9% of the time was spent deciding which patient to see next, moving between rooms, and waiting for members of the team to be ready to start rounds. CONCLUSION: On average, the medical team spent over 2 hours per day making multisciplinary rounds in the NICU with substantial variation between attending providers. While most time was spent on patient care, teaching, and talking with parents, we identified opportunities to improve rounding efficiency. KEY POINTS: · The structure of rounds in a NICU was observed to identify the potential barriers to efficiency.. · There are limited data on MDR processes in the NICU.. · In total, 9% of time was spent on patient care activities during daily rounds..

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Neonatal Autopsy Tissues and Placenta.

Severe coronavirus disease in neonates is rare. We analyzed clinical, laboratory, and autopsy findings from a neonate in the United States who was delivered at 25 weeks of gestation and died 4 days after birth; the mother had asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and preeclampsia. We observed severe diffuse alveolar damage and localized SARS-CoV-2 by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and electron microscopy of the lungs of the neonate. We localized SARS-CoV-2 RNA in neonatal heart and liver vascular endothelium by using in situ hybridization and detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in neonatal and placental tissues by using reverse transcription PCR. Subgenomic reverse transcription PCR suggested viral replication in lung/airway, heart, and liver. These findings indicate that in utero SARS-CoV-2 transmission contributed to this neonatal death.

A Video and Case-Based Transport Curriculum for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Trainees Using a Flipped Classroom Methodology.

Introduction: Neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) providers actively manage medical transports. However, there is wide variation in transport education among fellowship programs. Using the flipped classroom methodology, we developed a video and case-based transport education curriculum. Methods: A national needs assessment identified safety, communication skills, and physiology as the most important aspects of transport management. Three 10-minute video modules and two 20-minute case-based discussions were developed to address this content. Using the flipped classroom format, seven NPM fellows from all three postgraduate years of training took part in the curriculum by individually viewing each video followed by participation in group case-based discussions. Cognitive and affective outcomes were assessed using a knowledge and attitude pretest, individual video module posttests, and a postcurriculum follow-up survey. Results: NPM fellows showed significant improvements in transport knowledge and reported increased confidence in their ability to perform important transport roles. Case discussions were adaptable to learners who had different levels of training and had variable transport experience. Case discussions were successfully executed both in person and by video telecommunications during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: This transport curriculum addressed a national education gap in NPM fellowship training. Using the flipped classroom methodology, cognitive and affective objectives were achieved by improving knowledge and confidence in transport skills among NPM learners. The video and case-based formats were easily implemented, applicable to multiple types of learners, and adaptable to different environments.

Perspectives: The Flipped Classroom in Graduate Medical Education.

Andragogy, the art and science of helping adults learn, is a learner-centric conceptual framework that considers adult learner characteristics and their motivations for learning. These motivations range from internal will, readiness to learn, and relevance to one's own life. The flipped classroom, an increasingly popular educational method for both learners and educators, aligns with an andragogical approach as it uses classroom time for application of knowledge and critical thinking rather than for a passive didactic lecture. The growing body of educational research demonstrating increased performance and knowledge retention using this method has led to its incorporation into graduate medical education materials, including the National Neonatology Curriculum. In this article, the authors review how the flipped classroom, an active educational method that embraces the tenets of adult learning theory, may be more effective in graduate medical education compared with traditional lecture.