Integrating self-assessment into feedback for emergency medicine residents

BACKGROUND

In 2013 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced "Milestones" designed to nationally standardize the assessment of resident physicians. Previous studies compare resident self-assessment on milestones to faculty assessment, with varying degrees of agreement, but integration of self-assessment into the formative feedback process has not yet been directly studied. This study uses a conceptual framework of self-determination theory, integrated with concepts from adult learning theory, to compare the perception of the feedback quality given in semiannual reviews before and after the incorporation of resident self-assessment into the feedback process.

METHODS

This was an interventional study conducted in a single emergency medicine residency program at a major academic hospital over 1 calendar year. Residents first engaged in a semiannual review without self-assessment. At subsequent semiannual reviews, residents completed a Milestone-based self-assessment that was provided to the faculty member assigned to conduct their semiannual review. Residents and faculty completed surveys rating perception of feedback quality. Two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used in comparison analysis.

RESULTS

One resident did not self-assess prior to the semiannual review and was excluded leaving 25 paired surveys for analysis. Residents found feedback after the self-assessment more actionable (p = 0.013), insightful (p = 0.010), and better overall (p = 0.025). Similarly, faculty felt the feedback they provided was more actionable (p < 0.001), more insightful (p < 0.001), and better communicated (p < 0.001); led to improved resident understanding of milestones (p < 0.001); and were overall more satisfied (p < 0.001). Free-text comments explore pre- and postintervention perceptions of feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

Integration of self-assessment into semiannual reviews improves perception of feedback given to residents as perceived by both residents and faculty. Although limited by sample size, the results are promising for a simple, evidence-based intervention to improve feedback during an existing mandated feedback opportunity.

Use of antitussive medications in acute cough in young children

Acute cough, a common complaint in young children, is often the result of a viral upper respiratory infection. Cough and cold remedies generate billions of dollars in annual sales in the United States, despite a lack of evidence of their efficacy and multiple warnings by the US Food and Drug Administration. The current article begins with the best available evidence for common over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription antitussive remedies in children. The article concludes with a discussion of the pros and cons for the use of antitussives in children with cough. In general, OTC antitussive medications should not be routinely used in children under 2 years of age. In certain cases, antitussives with minimal adverse profile and some evidence of benefit may be recommended after informed counseling.

Sertraline-Induced Rhabdomyolysis, Trismus, and Cardiac Arrest in a Child

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a commonly used and often effective class of medications in the treatment of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Sertraline (1S,4S-N-methyl-4-[3,4-dichlorophenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine [Zoloft; Pfizer, New York City, NY]) is a frequently used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has shown efficacy in children, adolescents, and adults. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy with sertraline-induced rhabdomyolysis and renal failure, trismus, and cardiopulmonary arrest. Pharmacogenetic testing later revealed our patient had serotonin transporter polymorphisms and enzymatic alterations that put him at risk for increased levels of sertraline and greater likelihood for untoward side effects.

Local delivery of nitric oxide from an eluting stent to inhibit neointimal thickening in a porcine coronary injury model

To assess the effect of a NO-eluting stent on reducing neointimal thickening in a porcine coronary artery stent injury model, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, was incorporated into polyurethane (PU) polymer and coated onto metallic coil stents, and two types of stents with thin and thick barrier coatings were characterized. In vivo biological activity of the NO-eluting stents was assessed by measurement of coronary arterial cGMP levels in 32 pigs/64 arteries at days 1, 2, 7 and 14. Morphometric analyses were performed in 16 pigs to determine the effect of NO-eluting stents on neointimal hyperplasia 28 days following arterial injury. The SNP-coated stents released NO in a controlled manner for up to 4 weeks in the in vitro experiments and an increase in local tissue cGMP levels was demonstrated for up to 14 days. The neointimal area at 28 days was not diminished, however, by NO eluded from either stents of thin or thick barriers (control bare stent - 0.66 mm2, control PU stent - 0.68 mm2, SNP-PU thin coating stent - 0.78 mm2, SNP-PU thick coating stent - 0.85 mm2; all p=NS). In conclusion, the SNP-coated polymer stent exerted a local biological effect on the arterial wall, with sustained elevation of cGMP level. Although local delivery of NO from this device did not reduce neointimal hyperplasia in this porcine model, this polymer-coated stent might be a promising tool for administration of other agents that may modify the reparative tissue responses leading to restenosis.