Educating the next generation of pulmonary fellows in transbronchial needle aspiration. Leading the blind to see

Training in interventional pulmonology: the European and US perspective

As the breadth of interventional pulmonology continues to expand, training in this discipline gains further importance. Interventional pulmonology training in the USA and Europe has common roots and similar concepts; however, there are variations in its delivery. We discuss the similarities, differences, challenges and goals of interventional pulmonology training in both continents. Collaboration and exchange of experiences between the USA and Europe are fundamental to entering the new era of competency/mastery training to implement a multidimensional approach to procedure-related education.

Pulmonary passport: a service evaluation study of a standardised web-based procedure logbook to aid specialist respiratory training and appraisal

INTRODUCTION

The pulmonary passport (PP) is a secure web-based procedural logbook for specialist respiratory trainees with enhanced functionality that includes automated analysis to provide key performance metrics and in-platform interactions with supervisors.

METHODS

This service evaluation study used preimplementation and postimplementation online surveys in both trainees and supervisors along with analysis of recorded data within the PP to evaluate the impact of this service on data capture, training, appraisal and quality assurance.

RESULTS

From August 2017 to August 2019, 69/73 (95%) specialist respiratory trainees eligible to use the PP across two UK health education deaneries registered with the system and logged 7352 procedures. 3105 thoracic ultrasound procedures identified 2145 pleural effusions and resulted in 1253 pleural procedures of which 96% were successful. 4% of ultrasounds required referral to a more expert sonographer. Iatrogenic bleeding and pneumothorax both occurred in ≤1% of all pleural procedures. 1909 basic diagnostic bronchoscopies were recorded including 1236 bronchial washes, 328 brushes and 221 endobronchial biopsies where definite tumour was identified (biopsy sensitivity 74%). Preimplementation and postimplementation survey data confirmed the PP had increased the consistency of logging procedures by trainees, the depth of data captured, the review of procedural performance metrics in appraisal and the frequency of formal supervisor feedback.

DISCUSSION

In this regional project, the implementation of a web-based procedural logbook has been feasible with excellent uptake and has enhanced procedural recording, supervision and appraisal. Furthermore, it provides unprecedented quality assurance at an individual trainee, trust and deanery level and has a number of potential wider applications in the future.

Competence and training in interventional pulmonology

Interventional pulmonology (IP) is experiencing a rapid evolution of new technologies. There is a need to develop structured training programs, organized in high volume expert centers in order to improve trainee education, and including the development of validated metrics for their competency assessment. Concerning teaching methods, a gradual progression from theory to practice, using new teaching techniques, including live sessions and low and high-fidelity simulation, flipped classroom models and problem-based learning (PBL) exercises would provide a training setting more suitable for our current need to improve skills and update professionals. Training programs should be learner-centered and competence-oriented, as well as being based on a spiral-shaped approach in which the same subject is addressed many times, from new and different perspectives of knowledge, ability, behavior and attitude, until the trainee has demonstrated a high degree of skill and professionalism. Furthermore there is a need to standardize the training programs as guide for physicians wishing to undertake a gradual and voluntary improvement of their own competencies, and assist those planning and organizing training programs in IP. The article includes a general part on core curriculum contents, innovative training methods and simulation, and introduces the following articles on the skills that the Interventional Pulmonologist must master in order to perform the different procedures. This monography should be considered a starting point that will evolve over time and results in better training for practitioners and better care for our patients. The task of establishing a trainee's competence to practice independently as an Interventional Pulmonologist remains the responsibility of the IP fellowship program director and faculty, who validate logbooks and assess competence for each procedure. These standards need to be reviewed and approved by national and International Scientific Societies and Healthcare Institutions with the aim to improve, disseminate and incorporate them in healthcare programs.

Considering cognition. Current challenges and future directions in pulmonary and critical care fellowship training

Fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care has evolved substantially over the past decade. Training programs are increasingly focused on a rigorous, multifaceted assessment of an individual trainee's progress toward achieving specific curricular milestones, and their ability to independently manage a series of entrustable professional activities. This new system has provided programs with an enormous amount of detailed information related to the specific goals and outcomes of training. However, it has not addressed the unmet need for fellowship programs to systematically assess and teach advanced clinical reasoning and judgment. Training programs must address these cognitive processes in a proactive and supportive way, and are challenged to develop novel approaches that encourage continuous self-evaluation. Only by addressing these critical deficiencies will programs enable trainees to progress beyond a level of clinical competence to one of true expertise. These efforts will also encourage physicians at all levels of training to embrace their commitment to lifelong learning.