Informal Survey Research Articles

Librarian-Lead Faculty Learning Communities Offer Opportunities for Collaboration

A Review of: Burress, T., Mann, E., & Neville, T. (2020). Exploring data literacy via a librarian-faculty learning community: A case study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2019.102076 Abstract Objective – To describe a librarian-lead faculty learning community (FLC) focused on data literacy. Design – Case study. Setting – A public university in Florida. Subjects – 10 participants in the FLC. Methods – Two librarians proposed the Data Literacy Across the Curriculum FLC as part of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Participants were recruited from all full-time instructional faculty. The group met for monthly 90-minute meetings throughout the fall and spring semesters. Meetings were focused on group goal-setting, lightning talks, open discussion, data tool demonstrations, and the planning and development of work projects. In addition, the group designed an informal survey on the use of data tools across the institution. Main Results – At the conclusion of the year-long FLC, the group developed a frame for data literacy competencies that can be utilized across the curriculum. The FLC participants created a Data Literacy Faculty Toolkit that presented that theoretical framework, as well as providing sample activities and other resources to help faculty to practically implement that framework into their instruction. The student success librarian also integrated data literacy into the first-year student information literacy curriculum. Conclusion – Participation and facilitation of the FLC by librarians served to further librarian-faculty collaboration, as well as demonstrating library value. The work of the Data Literacy Across the Curriculum FLC raised awareness about information and data literacy on campus, and provided support to faculty members looking to further integrate data literacy into their instruction.

SWK-01. Partnership between caregivers, patients and healthcare professionals: promoting collaboration in a complex care pathway in pediatric neuro-oncology

Children with a brain tumor and their families encounter, from the moment of diagnosis, a complex, multidisciplinary and multisite journey. Oscar's Angels (OA) is an association of trained patient advocate volunteers within a hospital structure who provide daily support to pediatric neuro-oncology patients and their families in complex care pathways. The association promotes collaboration in healthcare by facilitating a strong link between the daily reality of patients and their families and that of the hospital. OA volunteers are active and fully accepted members of the hospital multi-disciplinary team and collaborate on a very high level in the care of pediatric patients. Such a collaborative setting is possible because the work of OA is structured around three principles: Innovative, practical and theoretical initial and ongoing training and quality assessment of volunteers Patient and family support from Oscar’s Angels volunteers throughout the care pathway Government certification, institutional representation and active collaboration in educating healthcare professionals about the importance of patient advocacy and patients’ needs Operating in France since 2001 and in Italy since 2017 (with more than 600 and 200 families respectively supported last year), the OA volunteering program is specifically tailored to the needs and demands of hospitals and families. It can therefore be successfully reproduced in many settings. OA’s services come at no cost to hospitals. This is particularly important for implementing the program in developing countries where healthcare resources are extremely limited. But it is also relevant in developed countries as well where healthcare budgets are under strain. In 2020 an informal internal OA survey highlighted that the patient/family/volunteer/healthcare professional interface provides added value for all of these stakeholders. A formal survey will be conducted in 2022 to corroborate these results.

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality

An educational intervention to improve nurses’ knowledge and self-confidence: An integrated literature review

Purpose: To provide educational intervention to improve the knowledge and self-confidence of nurses in ambulatory and urgent care clinics in detecting early deterioration, intervening, and evaluating changes in patient condition using a consistent assessment tool. A review of the organization policy indicated a process to call the medical alert response team (MAR). However, there was no established algorithm for nurses to escalate or implement interventions when they noticed a change in a patient condition. An informal survey of ten assistant nurse managers in the ambulatory and urgent care clinics asked about their calling process for MAR and what interventions are used yielded inconsistent practices across the board. An unofficial survey of clinic nurses suggested a lack of knowledge and self-confidence in nurses for recognizing and implementing appropriate intervention when there is a change in a patient condition. Method: Extensive literature search using CINAHL and PubMed databases for peer-reviewed articles relevant to the topic. Results: An educational intervention that enhances nurses’ knowledge and self-confidence in recognizing and activating appropriate intervention empowers nurses to utilize critical thinking and clinical judgment to provide high quality and safe care to their patients, thus decreasing failure to resuscitate. Conclusions and Implications to practice: There is a need to provide educational intervention to improve the knowledge and self-confidence of nurses in ambulatory and urgent care clinics in detecting early deterioration, intervening, and evaluating changes in patient condition using a consistent assessment tool.

POS0989 DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS ON A STANDARDIZED IMAGE ACQUISITION PROTOCOL FOR DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF THE SACROILIAC JOINTS BY MRI – AN ASAS-SPARTAN COLLABORATION.

BackgroundIn 2009, ASAS published a ‘Definition of active sacroiliitis on MRI for classification of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA)’. This definition relied on two MRI sequences to make this determination – semicoronal T1 and STIR. Since then, this approach has frequently been used for diagnosis, even though that was never the intent of the definition. In 2015, the European Society of Skeletal Radiology (ESSR) published its recommendations for an SIJ MRI image acquisition protocol (IAP) for diagnostic purposes that required 4 MRI sequences but there is still no IAP that has been widely accepted as a minimum standard worldwide. In 2020, an informal survey of 24 academic sites (12 Europe, 12 North America) confirmed that 24/24 sites performed a minimum of 3 MRI sequences for diagnosis (19 performed 4-8 sequences) because the 2-sequence protocol was considered inadequate.ObjectivesTo develop the minimum requirements for a standardized IAP for MRI of the sacroiliac joints for diagnostic ascertainment of sacroiliitis.MethodsAll radiologist members of the ASAS and SPARTAN Classification in axSpA (CLASSIC) project, along with one European and one North American rheumatologist with extensive MRI experience in SpA clinical practice and research, were invited to participate in a consensus exercise. A draft IAP was circulated to all participants along with background information and justification for the draft proposal. Feedback on all issues was received by email, tabulated and recirculated. Participants were broadly in favour of the proposal and two months later a teleconference meeting took place and remaining points of contention were resolved. Examples of the proposed IAP performed on new, 10 and 22 years’ old MRI scanners were made available for review in DICOM format. Next the revised draft of the IAP was presented at the ASAS annual meeting to the entire membership on 14 January 2022, and voted on.ResultsA 4-sequence IAP, 3-semicoronal and 1-semiaxial, is recommended for diagnostic ascertainment of sacroiliitis and its differential diagnoses (Table 1). It must meet the following requirements: Semicoronal sequences should be parallel to the dorsal cortex of the S2 vertebral body, and include: 1) a sequence sensitive for the detection of active inflammation being T2-weighted with suppression of fat signal; 2) a sequence sensitive for the detection of structural damage in bone and bone marrow with T1-weighting; 3) a sequence that is designed to optimally depict the bone-cartilage interface of the articular surface and be sensitive for detection of bone erosion; plus 4) a semiaxial sequence sensitive for inflammation detection. The IAP was approved at the ASAS annual meeting by a vote of the entire membership with 91% in favour.Table 1.A standardized SIJ MRI Acquisition Protocol for diagnostic ascertainment of sacroiliitisOrientationSequenceTarget Lesion(s)Semicoronal Parallel to the dorsal cortex of the S2 vertebral bodyT1-weighted Spin EchoStructural: Fat lesions, erosion, sclerosis, backfill, ankylosis.T2-weighted with suppressed fat signal (STIR, T2FS or equivalent)Inflammatory: Bone marrow edema (BME)T1-weighted with suppressed fat signal (2D or 3D T1FS)Structural: Erosion of the articular surfaceSemiaxial Perpendicular to semicoronalT2-weighted with suppressed fat signal (STIR, T2FS or equivalent)Inflammatory: Bone marrow edema (BME)ConclusionA standardized IAP for MRI of the sacroiliac joints for diagnostic ascertainment of sacroiliitis is recommended and should be comprised of a minimum of 4 sequences, in 2-planes, that will optimally visualize inflammation, structural damage, and the bone-cartilage interface.Disclosure of InterestsRobert Lambert Paid instructor for: Novartis, Consultant of: Calyx, CARE Arthritis, Image Analysis Group, Xenofon Baraliakos Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, MSD, UCB, Novartis, Lilly, Galapagos, Hexal, Paid instructor for: Abbvie, Pfizer, MSD, UCB, Novartis, Lilly, Galapagos, Hexal, Consultant of: Abbvie, Pfizer, MSD, UCB, Novartis, Lilly, Galapagos, Hexal, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, MSD, Novartis, Lilly, Stephanie Bernard Consultant of: Elsevier Amirsys, John Carrino Consultant of: Pfizer, Regeneron, Globus, Carestream, Image Analysis Group, Image Biopsy Lab, Torsten Diekhoff Speakers bureau: Novartis, MSD, Canon MS, Consultant of: Eli Lilly, Iris Eshed: None declared, Kay-Geert Hermann Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Pfizer, MSD, Novartis. Co-founder: BerlinFlame GmbH, Nele Herregods: None declared, Jacob L Jaremko: None declared, Lennart Jans: None declared, Anne Grethe Jurik: None declared, John O’Neill: None declared, Monique Reijnierse: None declared, Michael Tuite Consultant of: GE HealthCare, Walter P Maksymowych Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Consultant of: Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB

Situated VR: Toward a Congruent Hybrid Reality Without Experiential Artifacts.

The vision of extended reality (XR) systems is living in a world where real and virtual elements seamlessly and contextually augment experiences of ourselves and the worlds we inhabit. While this integration promises exciting opportunities for the future of XR, it comes with the risk of experiential distortions and feelings of dissociation, especially related to virtual reality (VR). When transitioning from a virtual world to the real world, users report of experiential structures that linger on, as sort of after images, causing disruptions in their daily life. In this work, we define these atypical experiences as experiential artifacts (EAs) and present preliminary results from an informal survey conducted online with 76 VR users to highlight different types of artifacts and their durations. To avoid disruptions caused by these artifacts and simultaneously increase the user's sense of presence, we propose the idea of situated VR, which blends the real and virtual in novel ways that can reduce incongruencies between the two worlds. We discuss the implications of EAs, and through examples from our own work in building hybrid experiences, we demonstrate the potential and relevance of situated VR in the design of a future, more immersive, artifact-free hybrid reality.

Laboratory Research Projects in Undergraduate Environmental and Analytical Chemistry

Inquiry- and context-based learning (IBL and CBL, respectively) can lead to improved student outcomes, including increased motivation and interest, the development of critical thinking skills, and improved assessment results. This study outlines the application of IBL research projects in third-year university Environmental Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry subjects that also incorporate elements of CBL. Informal student surveys were administered to determine student perceptions of the projects. Students reported that the projects improved their critical thinking, communication, and experimental design skills. They also appreciated being able to investigate a single topic in depth and that the projects reflected the work of real scientists. Students also commented that subject administration, the clarity of marking schemes, and access to resources needed improvement. Improved guidance was also a common theme.

An audit, literature review and quality improvement project regarding post-operative aftercare of facial lacerations in children

Aims & objectivesTo evaluate the communication of post-procedural instructions following repair of paediatric facial lacerations and design a post-procedural informative package to streamline and improve patients’ post-operative care. Methods1. Quantitative analysis of clinical records of 50 patients who underwent facial laceration repair, to evaluate clinical documentation 2. Informal survey of OMFS staff regarding perceived shortcomings of communicating post-procedural instructions to these patients’ parents 3. Literature review on post-procedure instructions after facial laceration repair. Results34% of clinical records had no mention of post-operative instructions given to patient’s parents. 38% had a non-specific mention: “post-operative instructions given”. Specific instructions were recorded as given in between 16-43% of clinical notes. DiscussionThese shortcomings were exacerbated by an increase in cases during lockdown and the timing of presentation- majority ‘out of hours’. We designed and implemented a pack to address this - an evidence-based patient information leaflet with an analgesic (Calpol), in collaboration with the hospital pharmacy and Patient Experience team. We noted, importantly, that routine use of Chloramphenicol is not endorsed by NICE. ConclusionThis audit highlighted the importance of heterogeneity of post-procedural instructions and documentation. Our simple intervention eases DCT burden, streamlines care and improves patient outcomes.

Barriers to Full Participation in the Open Science Life Cycle among Early Career Researchers

Open science (OS) is currently dominated by a small subset of practices that occur late in the scientific process. Early career researchers (ECRs) will play a key role in transitioning the scientific community to more widespread use of OS from pre-registration to publication, but they also face unique challenges in adopting these practices. Here, we discuss these challenges across the OS life cycle. Our essay relies on the published literature, an informal survey of 32 ECRs from 14 countries, and discussions among members of the Global Working Group on Open Science (Global Young Academy and National Young Academies). We break the OS life cycle into four stages—study design and tracking (pre-registration, open processes), data collection (citizen science, open hardware, open software, open data), publication (open access publishing, open peer review, open data), and outreach (open educational resources, citizen science)—and map potential barriers at each stage. The most frequently discussed barriers across the OS life cycle were a lack of awareness and training, prohibitively high time commitments, and restrictions and/or a lack of incentives by supervisors. We found that OS practices are highly fragmented and that awareness is particularly low for OS practices that occur during the study design and tracking stage, possibly creating ‘path-dependencies’ that reduce the likelihood of OS practices at later stages. We note that, because ECRs face unique barriers to adopting OS, there is a need for specifically targeted policies such as mandatory training at the graduate level and promotion incentives.

Outside-in or inside–out? The conflicted discourse of Stanislavsky in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: part one

ABSTRACT This is the first of a pair of articles examining the discourse in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand regarding Stanislavsky. Moving from a brief description of my own encounter with Stanislavsky in student and fringe theatre of 1990s Melbourne, I provide a series of descriptive snapshots gathered through an informal survey of how Stanislavsky is invoked in teaching and practice in the region. I conclude that although theatre and training have evolved over the last forty years, the symbolic capital associated with Stanislavskian realism remains relatively unchanged. Ian Maxwell’s contention that Australasian practitioners are “bowerbirds” who scavenge detritus to adorn idiosyncratic theatrical assemblages holds true. One clear irony emerges, namely that although Stanislavsky considered his focus to be the practice of acting, his methods are most often taught as an aid in analysing written playscripts – perpetuating a distinction between historical “outside in” psychological approaches, versus allegedly more innovative “inside out” methods. Stanislavskian concepts are, in essence both remembered and forgotten when navigating acting in the region today. These tensions within Stanislavskian discourse complicate his reputation even as his link with realist dramaturgy ensures his relevance. The rhetorical, ideological and political implications of these associations are further developed in the second article to follow.

The Effect of Price Changes and Teaspoon Labelling on Intention to Purchase Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a known contributor. SSB taxation and food labelling have been proposed as policies to reduce consumption by changing purchasing behaviours. The study aimed to analyse caregivers' preferences on commonly purchased SSBs in Australia and to determine the effect of price increases and teaspoon labelling on their purchasing intentions. We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to obtain data about choices between SSB and non-SSB alternatives. 563 caregivers, who had young children aged 3-7years, completed the experiment online. 286 were randomly allocated to receive choice sets with plain labelling while 277 were assigned to teaspoon labelling. Each participant completed nine choice scenarios where they chose between six SSB and non-SSB beverage options or a no-beverage option, with beverage prices varying between scenarios. While hypothetical, price and teaspoon labelling for sugar content for each beverage was obtained from an informal market survey. Responses from the DCE were modelled using random parameters logit within a random utility theory framework. Household income and children's consumption volumes of soft drink were used to explore preference heterogeneity. Using mixed logit as the final model, we found that higher reduction in intended purchases was observed for soft drink and fruit drink in teaspoon labelling than it was in plain labelling. Participants exposed to teaspoon labelling intended to purchase less of flavoured milk and fruit juice compared to those exposed to plain labelling. Compared to baseline prices, a hypothetical 20% increase in SSB prices and the presentation of 'teaspoons of sugar' labelling were predicted to reduce intentional SSB purchases and increase intentional non-SSB purchases. Within each labelling group, there were no significant differences of intentional purchases between the highest and the lowest income quintile, high and low consumers of soft drinks. However, compared to plain labelling, teaspoon labelling was predicted to strongly influence intentional purchases of SSBs and non-SSBs. This study suggests that a policy to increase SSB price and include teaspoon labelling would lead to a reduced consumption of SSBs and increased consumption of non-SSBs.

A Novel Locality for the Observation of Thousands of Passerine Birds during Spring Migration in Los Angeles County, California

Avian migration is a spectacular phenomenon, representing the annual movements of billions of birds globally. Because the greatest diversity and numbers of birds migrate at night, opportunities to observe active migration are rare. At a number of localities in North America, however, observers can quantify movements of many typically nocturnal migrants during daylight where they continue after dawn. Such locations have provided much information about species-specific phenology, status, and orientation during migration. Localities where morning flights of land birds can be observed are unevenly distributed, however, and are little reported along the Pacific coast. Here we describe a novel location for the observation of spectacular morning flights of nocturnal migrants during spring migration at Bear Divide, in the western San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California. In two years of informal surveys at the site, we have recorded at least one morning with an estimated ~13,500 individual birds passing. Our preliminary analyses suggest that the peak of a species’ migration at Bear Divide is correlated with the latitude of a species’ breeding, being later in the spring as that latitude increases. Our data from Bear Divide provide an independent perspective on migration as quantified by local radar. Further work at this locality may help inform our knowledge of migration phenology and population trends.

Educating critically about language and intercultural communication: What and who is at stake?

This paper reflects on the literature on Critical Language and Intercultural Communication Education in light of learnings gained from designing and delivering a course titled ‘Intercultural Communication’ over four years to large cohorts of first-year tertiary students in Australia. It is based on a qualitative research project which involves the analysis of two sets of data: a) ethnographic notes from teaching staff meetings, tutors’ interviews, and tutorial observation, and b) student formal and informal feedback surveys as well as focus group discussions. The paper explores what and who is at stake when teaching and learning about language and intercultural communication from a critical perspective. It unveils from a praxis perspective (theory informed by practice and vice versa) the deeply political and ethical level of engagement that is required of teachers, the kind of metalinguistic and metacultural knowledge, as well as the kind of disposition towards critical thinking and reflexivity, that are called for when teaching and learning in this domain in an Australian tertiary environment.

Do community-dwelling Dutch older adults receive the care that they need?

Background Aged care homes have been substituted by homecare to reduce the increasing Dutch healthcare costs. Ageing in place has led to a growing demand on formal and informal caregivers. The aim of this study was to examine: 1) the trends in formal and informal care, 2) whether care needs of community-living older adults are met, and 3) the association between care needs and quality of life (QoL). Methods Baseline data were used from 'The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey - Minimum DataSet', which combines 54 studies conducted in 2008-2014. 12,735 participants met the inclusion criteria (age ≥65 years, living independently, needing assistance with washing, dressing, medication or household chores). Proportions of participants receiving formal or informal care were reported and associations with QoL were examined using ordinal (self-rated QoL) and linear (EQ-5D) regression. Results Formal care decreased from 75% to 63% and informal care increased from 16% to 28% between 2009 and 2013 (P < .001). Approximately one in four participants received no formal or informal care. Receiving no formal care was associated with a better QoL (self-rated QoL OR=1.39, CI=[1.251-1.544]; EQ-5D regression coefficient=0.038 CI=[0.023-0.053]). Conclusion The shift from formal to informal care together with the unmet care needs of community-living older adults in the Netherlands underlines the need for more support and a higher demand on informal caregivers.

Training junior doctors to lead rapid responses.

Transitions during medical training are a significant source of stress, and junior doctors (residents) primarily learn new skills through on-the-job training. As residents transition from postgraduate year (PGY) 1 to 2, they take on new responsibilities, including the management of clinically unstable patients in rapid response (RR) scenarios. In 2018, the internal medicine training programme at Brigham and Women's Hospital implemented a 'Transitions Retreat' to prepare PGY-1s for Year 2. In an informal survey, residents endorsed feeling underprepared to lead RRs. We designed a simulation-based curriculum to teach these skills. Participants completed a questionnaire pre-simulation and post-simulation exploring their perceived preparedness. Volunteer residents assessed performance on the simulation using skills checklists and led structured debriefing sessions. We audiotaped, transcribed and thematically analysed these sessions. Forty-eight of 58 (82%) PGY-1s participated. Pre-intervention, 12.5% felt 'well-prepared' or 'very well-prepared' to lead RRs, compared with 33% post-intervention. Through qualitative analysis, we identified four key themes in our post-simulation debriefing conversations: (1) the chaos of RRs, (2) emotional reactions during RRs, (3) challenges and goals of task management and (4) value of interdisciplinary collaboration. Though the majority of residents indicated that the curriculum enabled their preparedness to lead RRs and allowed them to process complex emotions in a safe space, we do not know how well this experience translates to the clinical setting. Therefore, we aim to collect follow-up data 6 months into the PGY-2 to explore residents' reflections on real-life experiences as well as whether the simulation impacted their preparedness to lead real-life RRs.

Results of an Informal Needs Assessment Survey

A previous Informatics Education column argued that, while instruction is a competency defined by the Medical Library Association and is a job requirement for many public services librarians, little opportunity exists for learning how to teach in formal training venues, such as library school, relegating librarians to learn how to teach on their own. After examining some of the literature surrounding pedagogy for medical informatics librarians, a link to a brief, informal survey on pedagogical training needs was provided. This column follows up with results from that needs assessment.

Business Environment Effect on Formalization Willingness and Registration Decision of SMEs in Ivory Coast

This paper analyses the effects of the business environment on the formalisation provision and the decision to register small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ivory Coast, based on informal sector survey data collected in the cities of Abidjan, San-Pedro and Daloa. The study is based on descriptive analyses and estimation of a Probit model with selection. The analysis reveals that procedural complexity, information asymmetry and geographical location are the factors that significantly determine both the formalisation disposition and the decision to register businesses. It appears that, in addition to the business environment, subcontracting and the size of SMEs explain the decision to register them, while the possession of a business plan, access to infrastructures and markets are the determinants of formalisation. Thus, it appears that, in an integrated approach, the strengthening of tax incentives for SMEs operating in low-profit localities, the formalisation of subcontracting relationships, the dematerialization of procedures and the popularisation of reforms are proving to be a guarantee of the formalisation of informal activities.

A Perspective on the Journal of Wildlife Management

A Perspective on the Journal of Wildlife Management

B-PO05-114 SAFETY OUTCOMES OF SAME-DAY DISCHARGE FOLLOWING ABLATION FOR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION OR LEFT ATRIAL FLUTTER

Overnight monitoring after ablation of atrial fibrillation is the standard protocol. This approach stems from the concern for complications within 24 hours after the procedure. Advances in intra-cardiac echocardiogram, increased resolution of 3D electro-anatomical mapping, force-sensing catheters, and improved vascular access management have allowed for a significant decrease in cardiac perforation or groin hematomas. In addition to increased safety, the concerns related to hospital stays during COVID era signaled the need for same day discharge (SDD) consideration. Compare the safety outcomes and patient satisfaction on discharges the same day of procedure versus current standard of care. This study enrolled patients who underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation or left atrial flutter from June 2020 to January 2021 at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. SDD group was composed of patients who were free from complications for a minimum of 8 hours post procedure and discharged home the same day. The complications monitored during the 8-hours included hypotension with suspected tamponade, stroke, groin hematomas, or any abnormal rhythms noted on predischarge ECG. Standard of care was defined as those patients who remained in the hospital for 24-hours post procedure. Studied outcomes compared the procedure-related complications occurring within versus after the 8-hours post-procedure in the two groups. Additionally, an informal patient satisfaction survey was conducted between the two groups by collecting data from the next day phone follow-up and 1-month clinic visit. A total of 100 patients met inclusion criteria. Fifty-six (56%) patients were in the SDD group, whereas 44 (44%) received standard of care. Same-day discharge and standard of care patients had no significant difference in late procedure-related complications (less than 1% in both groups). Additionally, the SDD group displayed equivalent patient satisfaction as compared to the standard of care patients on follow-up phone call. Compared to the standard of care, same-day discharge provides equivalent patient safety and satisfaction. This has great implications for healthcare economics, especially in COVID-19 era.

Medical student wellness in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide survey

BackgroundAs United States (US) medical students suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general population, the wellness of medical students is particularly salient. One definition describes wellness as having eight dimensions: Intellectual, emotional, physical, social, occupational, financial, environmental, and spiritual. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic poses unique challenges for medical students, we aimed to compare medical student wellness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn informal survey was created to assess eight wellness dimensions and was distributed via Survey Monkey to US allopathic and osteopathic medical students via email and social media. The survey was administered from March 29, 2020 to June 23, 2020. Univariable and multivariable linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the change in students’ overall wellness using an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (least well) to 10 (most well). Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the change in students’ responses to the eight dimensions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsOn multivariable analysis, students reported a decline in their overall wellness during COVID-19 (Mdiff = -1.08; p < .001). Asian respondents reported little change in overall wellness (M = -0.65) when compared to White respondents (M = -1.16) and Black respondents (M = -1.57). Students felt less supported and comfortable with their social (OR = 0.47) and daily (OR = 0.45) environments and expressed decreased satisfaction with their exercise (OR = 0.85), sense of purpose (OR = 0.33), and financial status (OR = 0.75). Students also expressed lower confidence (OR = 0.15) and satisfaction (OR = 0.11) with their medical education and increased anxiety (OR = 3.37) and depression (OR = 2.05).ConclusionsMedical students reported declines in overall wellness and individual wellness dimensions. These findings can be used to implement changes to improve medical student wellness.