Board-certified Physicians Research Articles

The optimal dose of Ramelteon for the better treatment adherence of delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: a dropout rate study.

Evidence regarding the effectiveness of melatonin receptor agonists in treating delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD) remains limited. This study aimed to determine the optimal dose of ramelteon, a melatonin receptor agonist, for the better treatment adherence of DSWPD. The patients who were diagnosed definitely as having DSWPD by board-certified physicians specialized in sleep medicine and started to receive strategically timed ramelteon medications after the diagnosis were included. Data on the initial ramelteon dose and follow-up duration (up to 24 months) were collected retrospectively. Patients with treatment discontinuation, changes in ramelteon dose, or the addition of other sleep-related medications were considered dropouts. Kaplan-Meier estimates, log-rank tests, and Cox regression analyses were performed. Overall, 373 patients were analyzed. The findings revealed that the 2 mg dose of ramelteon was associated with a lower dropout rate compared to the other doses (8 mg, 4 mg, and 1 mg). The dropout rate for the 2 mg group was estimated to have a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.5762 when compared with the 8 mg dose group. Sex did not reveal a significant HR, whereas older age exhibited a small but significant HR (0.9858). For achieving better adherence, a dosing regimen of strategically timed 2 mg ramelteon may be the best for the treatment of DSWPD. The therapeutic dose window for better adherence seems to center approximately 2 mg of ramelteon. Furthermore, caution should be exercised when treating younger patients to prevent dropouts.

Adaption and Usability of Telemedicine in Orthopedic Surgery in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Telemedicine has proven beneficial in improving patient satisfaction and access to care and reducing health care costs. The effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery has been reported. However, data on its use in Saudi Arabia are scarce. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of telemedicine in orthopedic surgery in Saudi Arabia to better understand its integration and efficiency in this field. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between August and December 2022 to evaluate the knowledge and practice of telemedicine among orthopedic board-certified physicians in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a valid, structured, self-administered questionnaire distributed online via Google Forms. Results: A total of 111 orthopedic surgeons were included in this study. Most of the participants were males (95.5%), consultants (39.6%), and working in the central region (55.8%). Approximately 44.1% of the physicians used telemedicine before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, while 94% used it during the pandemic. More than half of the physicians reported easy access to telemedicine. However, most of the physicians reported that they were not satisfied with conducting virtual physical examinations for new, follow-up, and postoperative patients and were mostly satisfied with taking the virtual history. Conclusion: This study suggests that telemedicine is highly adopted for follow-up care and postoperative management in orthopedics, with high satisfaction rates among surgeons.

Impact of e-ASPECTS software on the performance of physicians compared to a consensus ground truth: a multi-reader, multi-case study.

The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) is used to quantify the extent of injury to the brain following acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to inform treatment decisions. The e-ASPECTS software uses artificial intelligence methods to automatically process non-contrast CT (NCCT) brain scans from patients with AIS affecting the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and generate an ASPECTS. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of e-ASPECTS (Brainomix, Oxford, UK) on the performance of US physicians compared to a consensus ground truth. The study used a multi-reader, multi-case design. A total of 10 US board-certified physicians (neurologists and neuroradiologists) scored 54 NCCT brain scans of patients with AIS affecting the MCA territory. Each reader scored each scan on two occasions: once with and once without reference to the e-ASPECTS software, in random order. Agreement with a reference standard (expert consensus read with reference to follow-up imaging) was evaluated with and without software support. A comparison of the area under the curve (AUC) for each reader showed a significant improvement from 0.81 to 0.83 (p = 0.028) with the support of the e-ASPECTS tool. The agreement of reader ASPECTS scoring with the reference standard was improved with e-ASPECTS compared to unassisted reading of scans: Cohen's kappa improved from 0.60 to 0.65, and the case-based weighted Kappa improved from 0.70 to 0.81. Decision support with the e-ASPECTS software significantly improves the accuracy of ASPECTS scoring, even by expert US neurologists and neuroradiologists.

Meeting the demand for fertility services: the present and future of reproductive endocrinology and infertility in the United States

The field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is at a crossroads; there is a mismatch between demand for reproductive endocrinology, infertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART) services, and availability of care. This document's focus is to provide data justifying the critical need for increased provision of fertility services in the United States now and into the future, offer approaches to rectify the developing physician shortage problem, and suggest a framework for the discussion on how to meet that increase in demand. The Society of REI recommend the following: 1. Our field should aggressively explore and implement courses of action to increase the number of qualified, highly trained REI physicians trained annually. We recommend efforts to increase the number of REI fellowships and the size complement of existing fellowships be prioritized where possible. These courses of action include: a. Increase the number of REI fellowship training programs. b. Increase the number of fellows trained at current REI fellowship programs. c. The pros and cons of a 2-year focused clinical fellowship track for fellows interested primarily in ART practice were extensively explored. We do not recommend shortening the REI fellowship to 2 years at this time, because efforts should be focused on increasing the number of fellowship training slots (1a and b). 2. It is recommended that the field aggressively implements courses of action to increase the number of and appropriate usage of non-REI providers to increase clinical efficiency under appropriate board-certified REI physician supervision. 3. Automating processes through technologic improvements can free providers at all levels to practice at the top of their license.

Horizontal mattress uterine closure compared to single layered lock suture in cesarean section - A retrospective cohort study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to compare the outcomes of standard cesarean section uterine closure, single-layered running lock sutures, versus using primary horizontal mattress sutures (the K uterine closure technique). MethodThis study used a retrospective cohort chart review of patients undergoing elective primary and repeat cesarean section between January 2016 and August 2020 at a South Florida hospital. From 613 included patients, 176 received the K uterine closure technique completed by a triple board-certified physician. Remaining 437 patients received single-layered lock uterine closure completed by other physicians in the same hospital. Clinical, demographic, and post-operative outcomes were collected using patients’ operative, post-operative, and progress notes. ResultsUsing the data gathered, the experimental group demonstrated a greater difference between pre- and post-cesarean section hemoglobin (p < 0.027) and hematocrit (p < 0.014) compared to single-layered lock closure methods. There was a significantly lower estimated blood loss (p < 0.001), however, there was no significant difference in the average quantitative blood loss (p < 0.374). There was also a significant reduction in the length of total and postoperative hospital stay (p < 0.001), but the total operation time was significantly increased (p < 0.016). No significant difference was found in the percentage of patients using opioids as pain management during hospital stay (p < 0.431). There was no need for blood transfusion nor an increase in infectious morbidity using this method. ConclusionsUsing the K uterine closure technique for post-cesarean section uterine closure was a reasonable alternative for closure of hysterotomy. It led to decreased duration of hospital stay and no significant difference in quantitative blood loss. The greater difference in hemoglobin and hematocrit for the K uterine closure technique group could be explained due to the significantly greater total operation time. Although the single-layered running lock suture closure is what has been more historically performed by obstetricians for cesarean sections, this data supports the viability and efficacy of the K uterine closure technique as an equally safe, non-inferior alternative. The value of this technique for uterine closure can be confirmed with future prospective studies and potential research in reduction of uterine scar defects. SynopsisPrimary horizontal mattress closure at cesarean section provides a safe alternative to single-layered lock closure and may reduce blood loss, hospital stay, and opioid use.

A method to automate the discharge summary hospital course for neurology patients.

Generation of automated clinical notes has been posited as a strategy to mitigate physician burnout. In particular, an automated narrative summary of a patient's hospital stay could supplement the hospital course section of the discharge summary that inpatient physicians document in electronic health record (EHR) systems. In the current study, we developed and evaluated an automated method for summarizing the hospital course section using encoder-decoder sequence-to-sequence transformer models. We fine-tuned BERT and BART models and optimized for factuality through constraining beam search, which we trained and tested using EHR data from patients admitted to the neurology unit of an academic medical center. The approach demonstrated good ROUGE scores with an R-2 of 13.76. In a blind evaluation, 2 board-certified physicians rated 62% of the automated summaries as meeting the standard of care, which suggests the method may be useful clinically. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to demonstrate an automated method for generating a discharge summary hospital course that approaches a quality level of what a physician would write.

How we achieve satisfaction in training - A German-wide survey on preferred training conditions among trainers and trainees for board certification in gastroenterology.

a majority of resident physicians in Germany are not satisfied with their training conditions. However, training satisfaction is important for physician retention and patient care. Although federal and state laws define the general training regulations and conditions, considerable variability still exists concerning their implementation in the healthcare units. Little is known about the expectations concerning training for gastroenterology board certification by trainers and trainees in Germany. This lack of data hinders discussion on and improvement of training in gastroenterology in Germany. assessment of preferred training conditions among trainers and trainees for board certification in gastroenterology in Germany. an anonymous, voluntary survey consisting of single- and multiple-choice questions utilizing the Likert scale and fill-in responses was circulated to all members of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs und Stoffwechselerkrankungen), as well as through the student council mailing lists of all German medical schools. The survey aimed to assess the consent regarding the ideal implementation of training regulations for gastroenterology board certification. Department heads, senior physicians, board-certified physicians, and outpatient-care physicians were classified as trainers and residents and students as trainees. Subgroups defined by place of work, age, gender, professional position, employment status, and parental status were investigated. 958 responses were included in the final analysis. We found a broad consensus among trainers and trainees on most aspects of our survey. Considerable differences were seen in items on part-time work, overtime, protected time for research, and advanced endoscopy training. the broad consensus seen in this survey is indicative of a shared vision for training conditions among trainers and trainees. However, the areas of dissent identified in this survey may assist trainers to better understand the expectations of trainees. Furthermore, this survey creates a sound basis upon which training conditions for board certification in gastroenterology in Germany can be discussed and improved.

Attrition From the US Emergency Medicine Workforce During Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Attrition From the US Emergency Medicine Workforce During Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Rapid cycle training for non-critical care physicians to meet intensive care unit staff shortage at an academic training center in a developing country during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe sudden unexpected increase in critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs), resulted in an urgent need for expanding the physician workforce. A COVID-19 critical care crash (5C) course was implemented to introduce physicians without formal critical care training to care for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Upon successful completion of the course, physicians were recruited to work in a COVID-19 ICU under the supervision of a board-certified critical care physician. The aim of this study is to describe the methods of a novel course designed specifically to teach the management critically ill COVID-19 patients, while assessing change in knowledge, skill competency, and self-reported confidence.MethodsThe blended focused 5C course is composed of both virtual and practical components. Candidates may register for the practical component only after successful completion of the virtual component. We assessed knowledge acquisition using a multiple-choice question test (pre- and post-test assessment), skill competency, and self-reported confidence levels during simulated patient settings. Paired T-test was used to compare before and after course results.ResultsSixty-five physicians/trainees from different specialties were included in the analysis. Knowledge significantly increased from 14.92± 3.20 (out of 20 multiple-choice questions) to 18.81± 1.40 (p< 0.01), skill competence during practical stations had a mean minimum of 2 (out of 3), and self-reported confidence during a simulated patient setting increased significantly from 4.98± 1.15 (out of 10) to 8.76± 1.10 (out of 10) (p< 0.01).ConclusionWe describe our initiative in increasing the ICU physician workforce in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The blended 5C course is a valuable educational program designed by experts from different backgrounds. Future research should be directed at examining outcomes of patients associated with graduates of such program.

A Pilot Study of the Signal ReliefTM Patch for the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain

The aim of this IRB approved study was to evaluate the efficacy of the non-invasive, drug-free, re-usable patch, Signal ReliefTM, for the management of general musculoskeletal pain. Pain severity was assessed at baseline and upon completion of 7-day treatment schedule using Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS), Brief Pain Inventory form (BPI) and Pain Interference Score (PIS). Reduction in pain medication use was evaluated via pain medication diary. An optional, exploratory endpoint of Substance P blood serum levels at baseline and end of treatment was also assessed. We enrolled 42 subjects with 2 board-certified physicians, one primary care and one a pain specialist. Thirty-two subjects completed the trial. Seventy five percent (24/32) subjects had a ≥ 30% reduction in pain on VAS. The average reduction in pain per VAS, BPI and PSI for the cohort was 59.7% (-65.6, -53.7); 44% (-53.1, -34.9); and 47.4% (-53.7, -41.1) respectively. Sixty eight percent (22/32) subjects were taking pain medication upon study entry. Reduction in pain medication use demonstrated was a 96.5% decrease for non-opioids and 91.4% decrease for opioids. Substance P levels were collected for 24 subjects. While 50% of subjects (12/24) showed a reduction in Substance P levels there was an overall increase of 11.7% across the entire cohort. Safety assessments included physical examination, monitoring of vital signs, and adverse event reporting per study visit schedule. No adverse events were reported. Our findings suggest that the Signal ReliefTM may be an effective non-invasive, drug-free option for the management of general musculoskeletal pain.

A Needs Assessment for Infectious Diseases Consultation in Community Hospitals.

Infectious diseases (ID) consultations have been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes in the treatment of severe infections. However, ID consultation is often unavailable to patients that live in rural communities. Little is known regarding the treatment of infections in rural hospitals with no coverage from an ID specialist. We characterized the outcomes of patients cared for in hospitals without coverage from an ID physician. Patients aged 18years or older admitted to eight community hospitals without access to ID consultation during a 6.5-month period were assessed. All patients had received at least three days of continuous antimicrobial therapy. The primary outcome was the need for transfer to a tertiary facility for ID services. The secondary outcome was the characterization of antimicrobials received. Antimicrobial courses were evaluated independently by two board-certified ID physicians. 3706 encounters were evaluated. Transfers for ID consultation occurred in 0.01% of patients. The ID physician would have made modifications in 68.5% of patients. Areas for improvement included treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, broad-spectrum treatment of skin and soft tissue infection, long courses of azithromycin, and management of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, including choice and length of therapy, as well as obtaining echocardiography. Patients evaluated received 22,807days of antimicrobial therapy. Patients hospitalized in community hospitals are rarely transferred for ID consultation. Our work demonstrates a need for ID consultation in community hospitals, identifying opportunities to enhance patient care by modifying antimicrobial regimens to improve antimicrobial stewardship and avoid inappropriate antimicrobials. Efforts to expand the ID workforce to include coverage at rural hospitals will likely improve antibiotic utilization.

Neurosurgery residency rankings: An assessment of Doximity’s survey-based data and objective program characteristics

BackgroundMedical students often consult residency program reputation rankings whilst creating residency program rank lists. Accurate assessment of a residency program remains a cumbersome task, primarily due to varying degrees of interpretation and bias. The Doximity Residency Navigator (DRN) is a tool used to assist medical students in making informed residency decisions whilst simultaneously increasing transparency in the residency match process. DRN is comprised of data that assist applicants research prospective training programs, including reputation rankings across specialties, resident and alumni satisfaction surveys, and objective statistics such as training program size and research output. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the correlation between different Doximity rankings across neurosurgical residency programs. MethodsRankings and the relevant criteria (reputation, research output, and percentage of graduates that subspecialize) and program size for all neurological surgery residency programs in the United States were obtained from the 2020–2021 Doximity Residency Navigator. Independent correlation analyses were run to ascertain the relationship between reputation ranking and 1) program size, 2) research output ranking and 3) ranking of the percentage of graduates who subspecialize. ResultsThe reputation rankings of neurosurgical residency programs are determined, in part, by nomination surveys completed by board-certified physicians. A statistically significant correlation was observed between reputation ranking and 1) program size and 2) research output ranking. ConclusionReputation rankings of neurosurgical residency programs put forth by Doximity Inc. incorporate reputational data and other objective outcome criteria. A nuanced understanding of the Doximity rankings will facilitate its use by medical students and healthcare professionals.

Development of the “Conductor Type Human Resources Development” program for Disaster Medicine and Health Care by Tohoku University and Fukushima Medical University

Introduction:On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake with a 9.0 magnitude struck the northeastern coast of Japan. The death toll reached 15,892 and 2,576 people were reported missing. Tohoku University and Fukushima Medical University, both of which are located in the affected prefectures, responded massively to the disaster.Method:To deal with the next disaster, both universities established the “Conductor type Human Resources Development” (CHRD) program for Disaster Medicine and Health Care in 2019, not only for doctors, but also other medical professionals (such as dentists, nurses, pharmacists, etc.) supported by the Japanese government. The main course of CHRD program, “Disaster Management course,” which is also a certification program at Tohoku University, comprises 14 practical educational contents (seven practical trainings and seven lectures) based on the work experience of both universities in collaboration with various organizations.Results:To date, 59 students have enrolled in the Disaster Management course, two students are enrolled in the board-certified physician in public health and social medicine acquisition course, three students are enrolled in the master's course, a Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine course, and two students are enrolled in the doctoral course. Until October 2022, a total of 17 people were certified to have completed the "Disaster Management course," and one person completed the board-certified physician in public health and social medicine acquisition course. A total of 68 practical trainings and lectures were held until 2021, the total number of times this program was attended by students until 2021 was 916. Average comprehension rate and satisfaction rate with practical trainings and lectures by students are 97.2% and 98.3%, respectively.Conclusion:All the students who complete the CHRD program are believed to acquire comprehensive skills related to disaster health and medical care and will be able to respond effectively in all phases.

0783 Sleep Continuity and Quality in Adolescents with Functional Abdominal Pain

Abstract Introduction Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders (FAPD), in which chronic abdominal pain occurs independently of organic pathology, are common in adolescents. FAPD can lead to significant impairment in daytime function and may overlap with sleep disorders. Though several studies have explored the nature of sleep disturbances experienced by adolescents with FAPD, none have characterized differences in sleep architecture in this population. Methods Adolescents (age 11-18 years) with FAPD and age/gender-matched controls were prospectively recruited to undergo polysomnography (PSG). PSG was performed according to AASM guidelines, scored by a registered sleep technologist, and interpreted by a board-certified sleep physician. The first four hours of artifact-free NREM sleep were analyzed using fast Fourier transformation with Welch tapered windows of 1024 samples (and 50% overlap) averaged over 30-second epochs. Total power was calculated for very low (0.3 – 1 Hz), delta (1 – 4 Hz), theta (4 – 8 Hz), and alpha (8-12 Hz) frequencies. Comparisons between groups were made using Wilcoxon rank sum tests or t-tests for non-normal and normal data, respectively. Results A total of 41 subjects were recruited (FAPD n=21, control n=20). The FAPD group had a greater arousal index and a lower percentage of NREM 3 sleep when compared to the control group (FAPD arousals: mean=10.08/min ± 4.89 min, control arousals mean=7.31/min ± 3.61/min, p = 0.046), FAPD NREM 3: mean=20.13% ± 5.47%, control NREM 3: mean=24.77% ± 6.94%, p =0.023). Delta power was significantly lower in the FAPD group compared to controls (FAPD Delta mean=488.67 µV2 ± 282.82 µV2, control Delta mean=1193.14 µV2 ± 663.89 µV2, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates significant differences in sleep architecture of adolescents with FAPD compared to their peers. In particular, decreased proportions of NREM 3 sleep and lower Delta power are indicative of diminished slow wave sleep (SWS). Reductions in SWS may be indicative of common neurotransmitter pathways shared between sleep and chronic pain syndromes, or secondary to sleep disruption associated with pain. Further research is indicated. Support (if any) This research is supported by the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation and the Summer Medical Student Respiratory Research Fellowship program at Cincinnati Children’s.

0925 Population Health and Data Analytics as an Opportunity for Improving Care Quality in Sleep Medicine

Abstract Introduction The volume and diversity of sleep-related and quality of life complaints in sleep medicine has increased through improved availability of data from wearables and public education on sleep health. Future shifts away from quantity and towards quality-based compensation by insurance payors will require practices to understand and actively monitor population health and outcomes data and implement data-driven practices to improve diagnostic efficiency. Currently, prevalence and population health data benchmarks are incomplete or absent in many aspects of sleep disorders treatment. The integrated care model of sleep medicine, with board-certified primary sleep physicians, an in-house Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Therapy clinic and certified sleep medicine Dentist, is uniquely positioned to improve care by characterizing the impact of clinical decision-making on care cost and quality. Methods Population health data was gathered in the course of patient care in the integrated care model. Baseline/Diagnostic Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT) results from 2018-2021 were included. Diagnostic severity was categorized based on AASM treatment guidelines. Matched therapy visits were included from PAP Therapy Initiation or Compliance visit and treatment outcomes, as well as non-PAP treatments for sleep-disordered breathing, Oral Appliance (OA) and Inspire Therapy. Results 20% of 8531 Diagnostic HSAT results were non-diagnostic for sleep apnea, 35% were Mild, 21% Moderate and 24% Severe. Of non-diagnostic tests, 81% had no sleep apnea treatment associated. Of Mild diagnostic tests, 49% had associated PAP initiation or compliance, 9% had associated OA, and 42% had no treatment associated. The relationship between diagnostic severity and associated treatment was significant (Χ2 &amp;lt; 0.0001). Further, Moderate and Severe resulting diagnostic tests had no associated treatment in 24% and 28% of cases, respectively. Conclusion Sleep medicine patients are commonly symptomatic and often have major quality of life complaints. Yet as these data demonstrate, there is a substantial proportion of patients who do not have an associated treatment after a positive diagnostic home sleep apnea test. Future studies should include additional demographic and follow up data to better understand care pathways both for patients who receive a positive diagnostic test but pursue alternative treatment methods, as well as more complicated non-diagnostic sleep disorders patients. Support (if any)

Distribution of Psychological Instability Among Surgeons

High emotional instability (i.e., neuroticism) is associated with poor mental health. Conversely, traumatic experiences may increase neuroticism. Stressful experiences such as complications are common in the surgical profession, with neurosurgeons being particularly affected. We compared the personality trait neuroticism between physicians in a prospective cross-sectional study. We used an online survey using the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, an internationally validated measure of the 5-factor model of personality dimensions. It was distributed to board-certified physicians, residents, and medical students in several European countries and Canada (n= 5148). Multivariate linear regression was used to model differences between surgeons, nonsurgeons, and specialties with occasional surgical interventions with respect to neuroticism, adjusting for sex, age, age squared, and their interactions, then testing equality of parameters of adjusted predictions separately and jointly using Wald tests. With an expected variability within disciplines, average levels of neuroticism are lower in surgeons than nonsurgeons, especially in the first part of their career. However, the course of neuroticism across age follows a quadratic pattern, that is, an increase after the initial decrease. The acceleration of neuroticism with age is specifically significant in surgeons. Levels of neuroticism are lowest towards mid-career, but exhibit a strong secondary increase towards the end of the surgeon's career. This pattern seems driven by neurosurgeons. Despite initially lower levels of neuroticism, surgeons suffer a stronger increase of neuroticism together with age. Because, beyond well-being, neuroticism influences professional performance and health care systems costs, explanatory studies are mandatory to enlighten causes of this burden.

Cervical Spinal Immobilization: A Head-to-Head Comparison of a One-Step Spray-on Foam Splint Versus Structural Aluminum Malleable Splint Immobilization.

Cervical spine immobilization in a low-resource environment is difficult secondary to limited equipment, prolonged transportation, and secondary complications. A structural aluminum malleable (SAM) splint is commonly utilized because of its availability and multipurpose intention. A one-step spray-on foam immobilization technique (Fast Cast) has been shown to be effective in lower-extremity splinting. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability of the Fast Cast to effectively immobilize the cervical spine in a head-to-head comparison against the SAM splint. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in surgeon scoring between Fast Cast and SAM splints for the immobilization of the cervical spine. This was a cadaveric experimental comparative study that compared a SAM splint versus Fast Cast for the immobilization of an unstable cervical spine. Each of the three cadaveric specimens had a corpectomy without fixation performed. A board-certified emergency medicine physician specialized in disaster medicine performed all SAM immobilizations. An orthopedic surgeon performed Fast Cast immobilizations. Each method of immobilization was done on each cadaver. Lateral fluoroscopic imaging was taken before and after immobilization and after log roll/gravity stress. Five board-certified orthopedic surgeons served as graders to independently score each splint. A 5-point Likert scale based on 10 splinting criteria (50 total points possible) was utilized to evaluate cervical spine immobilization. The lead statistical analyst was blinded to the immobilization groups. The statistical significance was assessed via a Wilcoxon signed-rank test and chi-square Fisher's exact test with significance between groups set at α < .05. Inter-rater reliability of the Likert scale results was assessed with the interclass correlation coefficient. Inter-rater reliability for the current Likert scale in the evaluation of cervical spine stabilization was good (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.76). For the cumulative Likert scale score, Fast Cast (32 [28-34]) exhibited a higher total score than SAM (44 [42-47]; P < .01). Likewise, Fast Cast exhibited a greater likelihood of higher Likert scores within each individual question as compared to SAM (P ≤ 0.04). In 100% of cases, raters indicated that Fast Cast passed the gravity stress examination without intrinsic loss of reduction or splinting material, whereas 33% of SAM passed (P < .01). In 100% of cases, raters indicated that Fast Cast passed the initial radiographic alignment following immobilization, whereas 66% of SAM passed (P = .04). In 100% of cases, raters indicated that Fast Cast passed radiographic alignment after the gravity stress examination, whereas 47% of SAM passed (P < .01). The Fast Cast exceeded our expectations and was shown to be rated not equivalent but superior to SAM splint immobilization for the cervical spine. This has significant clinical implications as the single-step spray-on foam is easy to transport and has multifaceted applications. It also eliminates pressure points and circumferential wrapping and obstruction to airway/vascular access while immobilizing the cervical spine and allowing for radiographic examination. Further studies are needed for human use and application.

Rural Versus Urban Family Medicine Residency Scope of Training and Practice.

Little is known about how rural and urban family medicine residencies compare in preparing physicians for practice. This study compared the perceptions of preparation for practice and actual postgraduation scope of practice (SOP) between rural and urban residency program graduates. We analyzed data on 6,483 early-career, board-certified physicians surveyed 2016-2018, 3 years after residency graduation, and 44,325 later-career board-certified physicians surveyed 2014-2018, every 7 to 10 years after initial certification. Bivariate comparisons and multivariate regressions of rural and urban residency graduates examined perceived preparedness and current practice in 30 areas and overall SOP using a validated scale, with separate models for early-career and later-career physicians. In bivariate analyses, rural program graduates were more likely than urban program graduates to report being prepared for hospital-based care, casting, cardiac stress tests, and other skills, but less likely to be prepared in some gynecologic care and pharmacologic HIV/AIDS management. Both early- and later-career rural program graduates reported broader overall SOPs than their urban-program counterparts in bivariate analyses; in adjusted analyses this difference remained significant only for later-career physicians. Compared with urban program graduates, rural graduates more often rated themselves prepared in several hospital care measures and less often in certain women's health measures. Controlling for multiple characteristics, only rurally trained, later-career physicians reported a broader SOP than their urban program counterparts. This study demonstrates the value of rural training and provides a baseline for research exploring longitudinal benefits of this training to rural communities and population health.

Paediatric sleep apnea event prediction using nasal air pressure and machine learning.

Sleep-disordered breathing is an important health issue for children. The objective of this study was to develop a machine learning classifier model for the identification of sleep apnea events taken exclusively from nasal air pressure measurements acquired during overnight polysomnography for paediatric patients. A secondary objective of this study was to differentiate site of obstruction exclusively from hypopnea event data using the model. Computer vision classifiers were developed via transfer learning to either normal breathing while asleep, obstructive hypopnea, obstructive apnea or central apnea. A separate model was trained to identify site of obstruction as either adeno-tonsillar or tongue base. In addition, a survey of board-certified and board-eligible sleep physicians was completed to compare clinician versus model classification performance of sleep events, and indicated very good performance of our model relative to human raters. The nasal air pressure sample database available for modelling comprised 417 normal, 266 obstructive hypopnea, 122 obstructive apnea and 131 central apnea events derived from 28 paediatric patients. The four-way classifier achieved a mean prediction accuracy of 70.0% (95% confidence interval [67.1-72.9]). Clinician raters correctly identified sleep events from nasal air pressure tracings 53.8% of the time, whereas the local model was 77.5% accurate. The site of obstruction classifier achieved a mean prediction accuracy of 75.0% (95% confidence interval [68.7-81.3]). Machine learning applied to nasal air pressure tracings is feasible and may exceed the diagnostic performance of expert clinicians. Nasal air pressure tracings of obstructive hypopneas may "encode" information regarding the site of obstruction, which may only be discernable by machine learning.

Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Hospitalized Patients

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in the general population. In addition, patients with comorbid OSA are frequently hospitalized for unrelated conditions. This review focuses on managing patients with comorbid OSA in inpatient and acute care settings for inpatient providers. OSA can impact the length of stay, the risk of intubation, the transfer to the intensive care unit, and mortality. Screening questionnaires such as STOP-BANG can help with screening hospitalized patients at admission. High-risk patients can also undergo additional screening with overnight pulse oximetry, which can be used to guide management. Options for empiric treatment include supplemental oxygen, continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP), auto adjusting-PAP, bilevel positive airway pressure therapy (BPAP), or high-flow nasal cannula. In addition, discharge referral to a board-certified sleep physician may help improve these patients’ long-term outcomes and decrease readmission risks.