Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has the potential to provide real-time valuable information that could alter diagnosis, treatment, and management practices in pediatric hospital medicine. We review the existing pediatric POCUS literature to identify potential clinical applications within the scope of pediatric hospital medicine. Diagnostic point-of-care applications most relevant to the pediatric hospitalist include lung ultrasound for pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pneumonia, and bronchiolitis; cardiac ultrasound for global cardiac function and hydration status; renal or bladder ultrasound for nephrolithiasis, hydronephrosis, and bladder volumes; soft tissue ultrasound for differentiating cellulitis from abscess; and procedural-guidance applications, including line placement, lumbar puncture, and abscess incision and drainage. We discuss POCUS applications with reviews of major pathologic findings, research gaps, the integration of POCUS into practice, and barriers to implementation.
IntroductionDifficult patient encounters (DPEs) are common and can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction among healthcare providers. Pediatric resident physician experiences with DPEs and curricula for enhancing necessary communication skills have not been well described.Materials and methodsWe used a cross-sectional survey research design for our needs assessment on resident experiences with DPEs. Thirty-three pediatric residents completed this anonymous survey. The survey assessed residents’ experiences with and self-efficacy regarding DPEs. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. Additionally, two authors independently coded free response data to include in the narrative description of the survey results.ResultsThese survey results include the views of 92% of the residents in the program (33/36). Residents reported a greater frequency of difficult encounters in the inpatient setting than the outpatient setting. The majority of residents rated their communication skills during DPEs as “fair” or “good” (70%, 23/33). Residents tended to have lower confidence when discussing chronic pain, managing parental insistence on a plan, and breaking bad news. They generally reported higher levels of anxiety for scenarios involving angry patients and families, families insisting on a plan, and when breaking bad news. Residents cited many challenges, including working with angry and demanding families. Additionally, residents described difficulty with managing discordant opinions between the family and the healthcare team regarding the care plan. Residents expressed a preference for learning how to manage challenging patient encounters using clinical experiences. Simulation, discussion, and observation of role models also rated highly as educational methods for increasing skills, while most residents rated lectures as the least important means of training skills for these difficult encounters.DiscussionWe found that pediatric residents experience difficult encounters frequently, especially in the inpatient setting. Individual residents vary in their confidence and anxiety levels with different types of difficult encounters and may benefit from not only general communication skills training, but also from targeted training to equip them for the particular contexts they find most challenging. Residents value interactive structured learning activities, including discussion and simulation. Residents most consistently value the opportunity to lead challenging conversations in the clinical setting, especially when followed by effective debriefing and feedback by trained faculty preceptors.ConclusionsNext steps include creating a “Difficult Encounters” communication skills curriculum informed by this needs assessment, which aim to enhance patient care as well as increase resident self-efficacy. In addition to the curriculum development for residents, it may be helpful to initiate faculty development on how to supervise resident-led difficult conversations and provide effective debriefing and feedback to...
Although a full evaluation of our program is only possible after many years, this article presents the core tenets which guided curricular development and discusses our experiences thus far. We provide lessons learned for programs considering similar innovations.
Introduction: As health care systems recognize the importance of high-value care (HVC), physicians must focus on individualized patient outcomes using economically responsible and evidence-based medicine. The best ways to teach medical trainees HVC principles that can result in meaningful practice and behavior changes are unknown. Methods: We designed a case-based curriculum mapping six common pediatric clinical scenarios to HVC principles. Each scenario included learning objectives, small-group activities, educational resources, a facilitator guide, and participant evaluations. After internal and external review, the scenarios were piloted at four teaching institutions (Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital). Facilitators were encouraged to adapt each vignette to learner needs and site-specific conference characteristics. All participants were asked to complete anonymous case-specific evaluations at the end of each session. Results: Approximately 331 individuals (students, residents, attendings) participated, with an evaluation response rate of 76% (n = 253). Participants across all sites acknowledged the sessions as a valuable use of time (range: 4.2-4.6 on a 5-point Likert scale) and identified HVC principles that could be applied daily in clinical practice (range: 4.4-4.6). Discussion: Implementation of six case-based HVC vignettes at four pilot institutions was both feasible and well received by a diverse group of learners. The curriculum was perceived as valuable and applicable to learners' clinical practice. Next steps include longitudinal assessments of learners and the development of tools measuring HVC-related behaviors to understand better the impact of the curriculum on clinical practice.
Background Social determinants of health (SDoH) play an important role in pediatric health outcomes. Trainees receive little to no training on how to identify, discuss and counsel families in a clinical setting. The aim of this study was to determine if a simulation-based SDoH training activity would improve pediatric resident comfort with these skills. Methods We performed a prospective study of a curricular intervention involving simulation cases utilizing standardized patients focused on four social determinants (food insecurity, housing insecurity, barriers to accessing care, and adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]). Residents reported confidence levels with discussing each SDoH and satisfaction with the activity in a retrospective pre-post survey with five-point Likert style questions. Select residents were surveyed again 9–12 months after participation. Results 85% (33/39) of residents expressed satisfaction with the simulation activity. More residents expressed comfort discussing each SDoH after the activity (Δ% 38–47%; all p < .05), with the greatest effect noted in post-graduate-year-1 (PGY-1) participants. Improvements in comfort were sustained longitudinally during the academic year. More PGY-1 participants reported engaging in ≥ 2 conversations in a clinical setting related to food insecurity (43% vs. 5%; p = .04) and ACEs (71% vs. 20%; p = .02). Discussion Simulation led to an increased resident comfort with discussing SDoH in a clinical setting. The greatest benefit from such a curriculum is likely realized early in training. Future efforts should investigate if exposure to the simulations and increased comfort level with each topic correlate with increased likelihood to engage in these conversations in the clinical setting.
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