Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Simulation is effective at improving healthcare students' knowledge and communication. Despite increasingly interprofessional approaches to medicine, most studies demonstrate these effects in isolation. We enhanced an existing internal medicine curriculum with immersive interprofessional simulations. ⋯ Nursing students showed the most improvement in "confidence to figure out roles" (Δ = 1.1). This study supports the hypothesis that interdisciplinary simulation improves each discipline's self-efficacy communication skills and understanding of each profession's role. Despite many barriers to interprofessional simulation, this model is being sustained.
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A tool to measure shared clinical understanding following handoffs to help evaluate handoff quality.
Information exchanged during handoffs contributes importantly to a team's shared mental model. There is no established instrument to measure shared clinical understanding as a marker of handoff quality. ⋯ Results suggest that the PKAT has high inter-rater reliability and can detect differences in understanding between handoff senders and receivers for routine and complex patients. Additionally, the PKAT is feasible for use in a real-time clinical environment. The PKAT or similar instruments could be used to study effects of handoff improvement efforts in inpatient settings.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Specialties performing paracentesis procedures at university hospitals: implications for training and certification.
Paracentesis procedure competency is not required for internal medicine or family medicine board certification, and national data show these procedures are increasingly referred to interventional radiology (IR). However, practice patterns at university hospitals are less clear. ⋯ Internal medicine- and family medicine-trained clinicians frequently perform paracentesis procedures on complex inpatients but are not currently required to be competent in the procedure. Increasing bedside paracentesis procedures may reduce healthcare costs.
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US inpatient capacity increased until the 1970s, then declined. The US Census Bureau expects the population aged ≥65 years to more than double by 2050. The implications for national inpatient capacity requirements have not been quantified. ⋯ The total projected growth in required inpatient capacity is 72%, accounting for both number of admissions and length of stay. This analysis accounts only for changes in the population's age structure. Other factors could increase or decrease demand, as discussed in the article.
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Comparative Study
A national comparison of burnout and work-life balance among internal medicine hospitalists and outpatient general internists.
General internists suffer higher rates of burnout and lower satisfaction with work-life balance than most specialties, but the impact of inpatient vs outpatient practice location is unclear. ⋯ Burnout was common among both hospitalists and outpatient general internists, although hospitalists were more satisfied with work-life balance. A better understanding of the causes of distress and identification of solutions for all internists is needed.