Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Most trainees in combined pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship programs complete in-service training examinations (ITEs) that test knowledge in both disciplines. Whether ITE scores predict performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine Pulmonary Disease Certification Examination and Critical Care Medicine Certification Examination is unknown. ⋯ The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine ITE score is an independent, and stronger, predictor of subspecialty certification examination performance than fellow demographics, program director competency ratings, and fellowship characteristics. These findings support the use of the ITE to identify the learning needs of fellows as they work toward subspecialty board certification.
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Selection of physicians into anesthesiology, intensive care, and emergency medicine training has traditionally relied on evaluation of curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, and interviews, despite these methods being poor predictors of subsequent workplace performance. ⋯ A multistation selection process involving interviews, simulation, and personality testing is feasible and has face validity. A potential barrier to adoption is the high number of faculty required to conduct the process.
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Airway mucus obstruction is a key feature of cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The thin layer of mucus that covers healthy airway surfaces has important protective functions in lung defense. However, excess mucus produces airflow obstruction and provides a nidus for bacterial infection and inflammation. ⋯ Furthermore, preclinical testing demonstrated that hydration strategies, including osmotically active hypertonic saline and preventive inhibition of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na(+) channel are effective in unplugging airways in this mouse model of chronic obstructive lung disease. On the other hand, genetic deletion of neutrophil elastase, a potent stimulus for mucus hypersecretion, reduced goblet cell metaplasia and mucin expression but had no effect on mucus obstruction in vivo. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that airway surface dehydration is sufficient to produce mucus obstruction even in the absence of mucus hypersecretion and support further clinical testing of hydrating agents as a promising therapeutic strategy to unplug mucus in CF and COPD.
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Flexible bronchoscopy is performed by clinicians representing multiple medical specialties in a variety of settings. Given the increasing importance of competency-based assessment in postgraduate training, it is important that this skill be assessed within a competency-based framework using a valid measurement tool. ⋯ The OBAT demonstrates promise as a reliable tool to assess trainee competence for bronchoscopy in clinical settings.
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Academic physicians encounter many demands on their time including patient care, quality and performance requirements, research, and education. In an era when patient volume is prioritized and competition for research funding is intense, there is a risk that medical education will become marginalized. Bedside teaching, a responsibility of academic physicians regardless of professional track, is challenged in particular out of concern that it generates inefficiency, and distractions from direct patient care, and can distort physician-patient relationships. ⋯ Assess and model clinical reasoning through a hypothesis-driven approach that explores the rationale for clinical decisions. Focused, specific, real-time feedback is essential for the learner to modify behaviors for future patient encounters. Together, these strategies may alleviate challenges associated with bedside teaching and ensure it remains a part of physician practice in academic medicine.