Implementation and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Health Systems Science Professional Development Program.

PROBLEM: Few interprofessional development programs focused on learning knowledge and skills in health systems science (HSS) have been described. The authors implemented a professional development program (the HSS Academy) for interprofessional clinicians and trainees. The authors describe the HSS Academy, report preliminary outcomes, and describe strategies for use in other programs. APPROACH: The HSS Academy (an 8-month active learning classroom and project-based curriculum) was implemented at Penn State College of Medicine in 2015. To create an interprofessional environment, participants were selected from various professions and phases of training. The curriculum was anchored in HSS competencies (e.g., high-value care, quality improvement, social determinants of health, health system strategy and delivery) and included 2 distinct threads focused on systems thinking competencies and academic skill development. It featured course speakers and faculty from diverse roles and disciplines both inside and outside the health system, application of HSS competencies in local system contexts, and networking with interprofessional colleagues. OUTCOMES: From 2015 to 2021, 121 of 128 participants, including physicians, medical students, and nurses, completed the HSS Academy (95% completion rate). Over 90 individuals, including faculty and system leaders, contributed to the HSS Academy as educators. Comparisons of pre-post evaluations demonstrated statistically significant self-perceived improvements in HSS knowledge and skills, systems thinking, and HSS teaching knowledge and skills. Projects (n = 110) most commonly focused on health care delivery, quality improvement, or patient safety. Teaching strategies to meet each objective, several barriers encountered, and strategies to address those barriers are described. NEXT STEPS: Next steps will be to address financial support for creating and sustaining the HSS Academy, ensure a mutually shared understanding of the HSS Academy's goals among all stakeholders, facilitate meaningful change from scholars' work, and provide networking and opportunities for scholars to continue work in HSS after completion of the HSS Academy.

Aligning Education With Health Care Transformation: Identifying a Shared Mental Model of "New" Faculty Competencies for Academic Faculty.

PURPOSE: To develop a potential competency framework for faculty development programs aligned with the needs of faculty in academic health centers (AHCs). METHOD: In 2014 and 2015, the authors interviewed 23 health system leaders and analyzed transcripts using constant comparative analysis and thematic analysis. They coded competencies and curricular concepts into subcategories. Lead investigators reviewed drafts of the categorization themes and subthemes related to gaps in faculty knowledge and skills, collapsed and combined competency domains, and resolved disagreements via discussion. RESULTS: Through analysis, the authors identified four themes. The first was core functional competencies and curricular domains for conceptual learning, including patient-centered care, health care processes, clinical informatics, population and public health, policy and payment, value-based care, and health system improvement. The second was the need for foundational competency domains, including systems thinking, change agency/management, teaming, and leadership. The third theme was paradigm shifts in how academic faculty should approach health care, categorized into four areas: delivery, transformation, provider characteristics and skills, and education. The fourth theme was the need for faculty to be aware of challenges in the culture of AHCs as an influential context for change. CONCLUSIONS: This broad competency framework for faculty development programs expands existing curricula by including a comprehensive scope of health systems science content and skills. AHC leaders can use these results to better align faculty education with the real-time needs of their health systems. Future work should focus on optimal prioritization and methods for teaching.

Tuberculosis extrapulmonar: experiencia con tratamiento quimioterápico acortado / Extrapulmonary tuberculosis: the experience with short chemotherapy

Se analizan 264 casos de tuberculosis extrapulmonar tratados en el INERyCT con esquemas de corta duración. Las localizaciones más frecuentes fueron la pleura, ganglionar y renal. La bacteriología y la biopsia fueron las técnicas diagnósticas principales con positividad global de 45,3 y 82,7% respectivamente, lo que significa que el 73,9% de los casos tuvo confirmación diagnóstica. Al término del tratamiento había 231 casos inactivos (87,5%), 18 abandonos (6,8%), 14 traslados (5,3%) y 1 fallecido (0,4%). Ocurrieron 8 recaídas en los 133 casos que se siguieron, lo que representa un 6% del grupo