Estimating the size and scope of the academic emergency physician workforce.

BACKGROUND: Academic emergency medicine (EM) is foundational to the EM specialty through the development of new knowledge and clinical training of resident physicians. Despite recent increased attention to the future of the EM workforce, no evaluations have specifically characterized the U.S. academic EM workforce. We sought to estimate the national proportion of emergency physicians (EPs) identified as academic and the proportion of emergency department (ED) visits that take place at academic sites. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of EPs and EDs using data from the American Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Doximity's Residency Navigator. EPs were identified as "academic" if they were affiliated with at least one facility determined to be academic, defined as EDs officially designated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as clinical training sites at accredited EM residency programs. Our primary outcomes were to estimate the national proportion of EPs identified as academic and the proportion of ED visits performed at academic sites. RESULTS: Our analytic sample included 26,937 EPs practicing clinically across 4920 EDs and providing care during 130,471,386 ED visits. Among EPs, 11,720 (43.5%) were identified as academic, and among EDs, 635 (12.9%) were identified as academic sites, including 585 adult/general sites, 45 pediatric-specific sites, and 10 sites affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2021, academic EDs provided care for 42,794,106 ED visits or 32.8% of all ED visits nationally. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately four in 10 EPs practice in at least one clinical training site affiliated with an ACGME-accredited EM residency program, and approximately one in three ED visits nationally occur in these academic EDs. We encourage further work using alternative definitions of an academic EPs and EDs, along with longitudinal research to identify trends in the workforce's composition.

Prospective derivation and validation of a NECROtizing Soft tissue InfectionS (NECROSIS) score: An EAST multicenter trial.

BACKGROUND: Although several risk indices have been developed to aid in the diagnosis of NSTIs, these instruments suffer from varying levels of reproducibility and failure to incorporate key clinical variables in model development. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a clinical risk index score - NECROSIS - for identifying NSTIs in emergency general surgery (EGS) patients being evaluated for severe skin and soft tissue infections. METHODS: We performed a prospective study across 16 sites in the US of adult EGS patients with suspected NSTIs over a 30-month period. Variables analyzed included demographics, admission vitals and labs, physical exam, radiographic, and operative findings. The main outcome measure was the presence of NSTI diagnosed clinically at the time of surgery. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors for the presence of NSTI using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and the Akaike information criteria. RESULTS: Of 362 patients, 297 (82%) were diagnosed with a NSTI. Overall mortality was 12.3%. Multivariate analysis identified 3 independent predictors for NSTI: systolic blood pressure ≤ 120 mmHg, violaceous skin, and WBC ≥15 (x103/uL). Multivariate modelling demonstrated Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit (p = 0.9) with a c-statistic for the prediction curve of 0.75. Test characteristics of the NECROSIS score were similar between the derivation and validation cohorts. CONCLUSION: NECROSIS is a simple and potentially useful clinical index score for identifying at-risk EGS patients with NSTIs. Future validation studies are warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Tests or Criteria, Level III.

Practical Guide to Common Flaws With Surgical Education Research.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods provides an overview of common flaws with surgical education research, including how to recognize and avoid them.

Practical Guide to Surgical Simulation Research.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods provides an overview of simulation-based education and its impact on surgeon performance.

Practical Guide to Qualitative Research in Surgical Education.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods provides an overview of the selection and application of qualitative research in surgical education.

The Utility of ACR TI-RADS in Predicting False-Negative Fine Needle Aspiration for Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid nodule fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies are associated with a low false-negative rate. There is limited data regarding the predictive value of American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System for false-negative FNA. METHODS: This single-center retrospective study evaluated 119 patients who underwent thyroidectomy. The association of TR category, along with other clinical variables, with false-negative FNA was evaluated. RESULTS: The overall false-negative rate of FNA was 10.8% (n = 9). False-negative FNAs were associated with younger age (mean 42 years vs 50.6 years, P = .04), larger nodule size (mean 4.4 cm vs 3.2 cm, P = .03), and a lower TR category (median 3 v 4, P = .01). DISCUSSION: Lower TR category, younger age, and larger nodule size were associated with false-negative FNA of thyroid nodules. These findings should be taken into context when counseling patients with thyroid nodules who have a benign FNA.

Practical Guide to Ethics in Surgical Education Research.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods describes ethical considerations when a study population includes learner participants.

Four- and three-year emergency medicine residency graduates perform similarly in their first year of practice compared to experienced physicians.

INTRODUCTION: United States emergency medicine (EM) post-graduate training programs vary in training length, either 4 or 3 years. However, it is unknown if clinical care by graduates from the two curricula differs in the early post-residency period. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study comparing measures of clinical care and practice patterns between new graduates from 4- and 3-year EM programs with experienced new physician hires as a reference group. We included emergency department (ED) encounters from a national EM group (2016-19) between newly hired physicians from 4- and 3- year programs and experienced new hires (>2 years' experience) during their first year of practice with the group. Primary outcomes were at the physician-shift level (patients per hour and relative value units [RVUs] per hour) and encounter-level (72-h return visits with admission/transfer and discharge length of stay [LOS]). Secondary outcomes included discharge opioid prescription rates, test ordering, computer tomography (CT) use, and admission/transfer rate. We compared outcomes using multivariable linear regression models that included patient, shift, and facility-day characteristics, and a facility fixed effect. We hypothesized that experienced new hires would be most efficient, followed by new 4-year graduates and then new 3-year graduates. RESULTS: We included 1,084,085 ED encounters by 4-year graduates (n = 39), 3-year graduates (n = 70), and experienced new hires (n = 476). There were no differences in physician-level and encounter-level primary outcomes except discharge LOS was 10.60 min (2.551, 18.554) longer for 4-year graduates compared to experienced new hires. Secondary outcomes were similar among the three groups except 4- and 3-year new graduates were less likely to prescribe opioids to discharged patients, -3.70% (-5.768, -1.624) and - 3.38% (-5.136, -1.617) compared to experienced new hires. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, measures of clinical care and practice patterns related to efficiency, safety, and flow were largely similar between the physician groups; however, experienced new hires were more likely to prescribe opioids than new graduates. These results do not support recommending a specific length of residency training in EM.

Perception of Treatment Success and Impact on Function with Antibiotics or Appendectomy for Appendicitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial with an Observational Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To compare secondary patient reported outcomes of perceptions of treatment success and function for patients treated for appendicitis with appendectomy vs. antibiotics at 30 days. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The Comparison of Outcomes of antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy trial found antibiotics noninferior to appendectomy based on 30-day health status. To address questions about outcomes among participants with lower socioeconomic status, we explored the relationship of sociodemographic and clinical factors and outcomes. METHODS: We focused on 4 patient reported outcomes at 30 days: high decisional regret, dissatisfaction with treatment, problems performing usual activities, and missing >10 days of work. The randomized (RCT) and observational cohorts were pooled for exploration of baseline factors. The RCT cohort alone was used for comparison of treatments. Logistic regression was used to assess associations. RESULTS: The pooled cohort contained 2062 participants; 1552 from the RCT. Overall, regret and dissatisfaction were low whereas problems with usual activities and prolonged missed work occurred more frequently. In the RCT, those assigned to antibiotics had more regret (Odd ratios (OR) 2.97, 95% Confidence intervals (CI) 2.05-4.31) and dissatisfaction (OR 1.98, 95%CI 1.25-3.12), and reported less missed work (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.27-0.56). Factors associated with function outcomes included sociodemographic and clinical variables for both treatment arms. Fewer factors were associated with dissatisfaction and regret. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, participants reported high satisfaction, low regret, and were frequently able to resume usual activities and return to work. When comparing treatments for appendicitis, no single measure defines success or failure for all people. The reported data may inform discussions regarding the most appropriate treatment for individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02800785.

Practical Guide to Statistical Considerations in Clinical Trials in Surgery.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods discusses key statistical considerations in the conduct of randomized clinical trials in surgery.

Practical Guide to Quality Control in Surgical Trials.

This Guide to Statistics and Methods outlines the elements of clinical trial quality control that are important to safeguarding data integrity and addressing the unique challenges of procedural trials.

Faculty Scoring of General Surgery Residency Interviewees: A Comparison of In-Person and Virtual Interview Formats.

OBJECTIVE: With new rules regarding social distancing and non-essential travel bans, we sought to determine if faculty scoring of general surgery applicants would differ between the in-person interview (IPI) and virtual interview (VI) platforms. DESIGN: A single institution, retrospective review comparing faculty evaluation scores of applicant interviewees in the 2019 and 2020 MATCH® application cycles (IPIs) and the 2021 and 2022 application cycle (VIs) was conducted. Faculty scored applicants using a 5-point Likert scale in 7 areas of assessment and assigned each student to 1 of 4 tiers (tier 1 highest). A composite score for the 7 assessments (maximum score 35) was calculated. Mean and composite scores and tiers were compared between VI and IPI cycles and adjusted for within-interviewer correlations. The variance of the 2 groups were also compared. SETTING: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, an academic, tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: General Surgery applicants for the 2019 to 2022 MATCH® application cycles. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-one faculty IPI ratings of General Surgery applicants were compared to 531VI ratings. No difference in mean composite scores, individual assessments, or tier ranking. Less variance was identified in the VI group for academic credentials (0.6 vs 0.6, p = 0.01), strength of letters (0.7 vs 0.4, p = 0.005), communication skills (0.4 vs 0.6, p = 0.01), personal qualities (0.2 vs 0.5, p = 0.02), overall sense of fit for program (0.6 vs 0.9, p = 0.01), and tier ranking (0.3 vs 0.4, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Faculty ratings of General Surgery applicants in the VI format appear to be similar to IPI. However, faculty ratings of VI applicants demonstrated less variability in scores in most assessments. This finding is potentially concerning, as it may suggest an inability of VI to detect subtle differences between applicants as comparted to IPI.

Association of Patient Belief About Success of Antibiotics for Appendicitis and Outcomes: A Secondary Analysis of the CODA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: A patient's belief in the likely success of a treatment may influence outcomes, but this has been understudied in surgical trials. Objective: To examine the association between patients' baseline beliefs about the likelihood of treatment success with outcomes of antibiotics for appendicitis in the Comparison of Outcomes of Antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA) trial. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a secondary analysis of the CODA randomized clinical trial. Participants from 25 US medical centers were enrolled between May 3, 2016, and February 5, 2020. Included in the analysis were participants with appendicitis who were randomly assigned to receive antibiotics in the CODA trial. After informed consent but before randomization, participants who were assigned to receive antibiotics responded to a baseline survey including a question about how successful they believed antibiotics could be in treating their appendicitis. Interventions: Participants were categorized based on baseline survey responses into 1 of 3 belief groups: unsuccessful/unsure, intermediate, and completely successful. Main Outcomes and Measures: Three outcomes were assigned at 30 days: (1) appendectomy, (2) high decisional regret or dissatisfaction with treatment, and (3) persistent signs and symptoms (abdominal pain, tenderness, fever, or chills). Outcomes were compared across groups using adjusted risk differences (aRDs), with propensity score adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Results: Of the 776 study participants who were assigned antibiotic treatment in CODA, a total of 425 (mean [SD] age, 38.5 [13.6] years; 277 male [65%]) completed the baseline belief survey before knowing their treatment assignment. Baseline beliefs were as follows: 22% of participants (92 of 415) had an unsuccessful/unsure response, 51% (212 of 415) had an intermediate response, and 27% (111 of 415) had a completely successful response. Compared with the unsuccessful/unsure group, those who believed antibiotics could be completely successful had a 13-percentage point lower risk of appendectomy (aRD, -13.49; 95% CI, -24.57 to -2.40). The aRD between those with intermediate vs unsuccessful/unsure beliefs was -5.68 (95% CI, -16.57 to 5.20). Compared with the unsuccessful/unsure group, those with intermediate beliefs had a lower risk of persistent signs and symptoms (aRD, -15.72; 95% CI, -29.71 to -1.72), with directionally similar results for the completely successful group (aRD, -15.14; 95% CI, -30.56 to 0.28). Conclusions and Relevance: Positive patient beliefs about the likely success of antibiotics for appendicitis were associated with a lower risk of appendectomy and with resolution of signs and symptoms by 30 days. Pathways relating beliefs to outcomes and the potential modifiability of beliefs to improve outcomes merit further investigation. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02800785.