Inpatient Attending Physicians Research Articles

Improving Hospital-to-Home for Medically Complex Children: Views From Spanish-Speaking Caregivers.

Children with medical complexity (CMC) experience increased risk of adverse events during and after hospitalization, and these risks are even greater for CMC whose caregiver has a preferred language other than English. Because many adverse events for CMC may be attributable to communication challenges, understanding caregiver and physician perspectives may help prevent adverse events. We conducted semistructured interviews with Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized CMC and their inpatient attending physicians. Each interview was conducted 24 to 72 hours after hospital discharge. Interviews continued until thematic sufficiency was reached. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated verbatim. Investigators independently coded and reconciled codes using constant comparison to develop themes via inductive thematic analysis. We conducted 28 interviews (14 caregivers, 14 physicians). Three themes were identified: (1) barriers exist in providing language-concordant care in planning for transitions from hospital-to-home; (2) both physicians and caregivers perceived logistical challenges in using interpreters at the point of care; and (3) many caregivers felt uncomfortable asking physicians questions related to their child's medical management because of their language barrier. Participants also offered strategies to improve the transition from hospital to home: (1) empower families to ask questions and take notes, (2) consider the use of medical educators, and (3) improve the ability of hospital-based physicians to follow up with patients after discharge. Physicians strive for language-concordant care at each stage of discharge planning. However, unresolved gaps such as the lack of interpreter availability during medical-device education, require attention to promote safe transitions from hospital to home.

The 21st Century Cures Act: Inpatient Clinician Perceptions of Changes to Information Sharing at an Academic Medical Center.

Introduction To comply with the Information Blocking Rule in the 21st Century Cures Act, many hospitals began to release inpatient electronic health information such as clinical notes and results to patients immediately, starting in April 2021. We sought to understand the perceptions of hospital-based clinicians regarding the impact of these changes in information sharing on clinicians and patients. Materials and methods We developed and distributed an electronic survey to 122 inpatient attending physicians, resident physicians, and physician assistants within the internal medicine and family medicine departments at an academic medical center. The survey asked clinicians to rate their comfort with information-sharing protocols and describe their perceptions of the impact of immediate information sharing on their documentation habits and patient interactions following the implementation of the Cures Act. Results The survey response rate was 37.7% (46/122). Of the respondents, 56.5% felt comfortable with the note-sharing process, 84.8% reported omitting specific information from their notes to prevent patients from reading it, and 39.1% of clinicians agreed that patients have found clinical notes "more confusing than helpful." Conclusions Immediate sharing of electronic health information has the potential to be a powerful tool for communicating with hospitalized patients. However, our results show many hospital-based clinicians report limited comfort with the note-sharing process and perceive it to be confusing to patients. Efforts are needed to educate clinicians regarding information sharing, understand patient and family perspectives, and develop best practices to enhance communication through electronic notes.

Reducing inpatient mortality in patients with cancer through multidisciplinary review and targeted interventions.

1524 Background: Excess inpatient mortality is a marker of poor quality in cancer care. We developed a multidisciplinary mortality review committee to review each inpatient death to determine key drivers of mortality and develop targeted interventions to reduce our inpatient mortality index. Methods: Through retrospective review, inpatient deaths were identified at Stanford Health Care for patients with an ICD10 cancer diagnosis regardless of inpatient service. Details of each hospitalization were reviewed by a quality consultant and subsequently reviewed by a physician quality team member to identify opportunities for improvement. Most cases were then discussed in a monthly multidisciplinary committee meeting. The committee analyzed key drivers of inpatient mortality, communicated suggestions to the patient’s outpatient and inpatient attending physicians, and/or identified opportunities for systemic change. The resulting targeted interventions were tracked using the observed versus expected mortality ratio for inpatient deaths over time. Results: From May 2017 through August 2021 we reviewed 528 inpatient oncology deaths. Patients’ median age was 65 years, and the median length of stay was 8 days. 73% of patients had metastatic cancer, and 28% received chemotherapy within 14 days of death. 25% of patients had a prior ED visit, and 35% had a prior hospitalization within 30 days of admission. Only 26% of patients had an advanced directive on record at time of death. Opportunities for improvement were identified for 60% of cases (Table). Interventions have aimed to increase advance care planning conversations and documentation, develop predictive models for cancer-related readmissions and mortality, expand outpatient services for urgent symptoms, and expedite transitions to hospice. Conclusions: Understanding key drivers for preventable inpatient mortality through a multidisciplinary review process identified targeted interventions that have successfully contributed to reduction of the inpatient cancer mortality index.[Table: see text]

Inpatient Goals-of-Care Conversations Reduce Intensive Care Unit Transfers in High-Risk Patients.

Despite an aging population and an increase in the prevalence of chronic severe illness, many patients will not have end-of-life care discussions with their outpatient physicians. This very likely contributes to considerable hospital utilization toward the end of life, without any clear benefit. At our medical center, we noticed a very high rate of floor-to-intensive care unit (ICU) transfers for patients with life-limiting illness and poor prognosis. We initiated a quality assessment and improvement project aimed at increasing goals-of-care conversations for high-risk patients early in their hospital stays. Patients were identified using a risk assessment score combined with presence of life-limiting illness and alerting the inpatient attending physician to the patient's severity of illness. Inpatient attending physicians were encouraged to expeditiously initiate and document goals-of-care discussions with their patients and families or to consult palliative care. Patient data were extracted retrospectively from high-risk patients prior to and during the intervention period. Analysis showed a significant increase in overall goals-of-care discussions and a significant reduction in floor-to-ICU transfers during initial admission. There was no change in mortality at 1 year, but there was a trend toward more in-home deaths for those patients who died within the year. Early inpatient goals-of-care conversations may reduce ICU utilization at index hospitalization and may reduce overall health-care utilization near the end of life.

Re: Effect of Increased Inpatient Attending Physician Supervision on Medical Errors, Patient Safety, and Resident Education: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Re: Effect of Increased Inpatient Attending Physician Supervision on Medical Errors, Patient Safety, and Resident Education: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Pediatric Chief Residents’ Experiences as Inpatient Attending Physicians

BackgroundSome pediatric chief residents perform supervisory clinical duties during chief residency, but these activities are highly variable and descriptions are limited. Our goals were to characterize inpatient service performed by pediatric chief residents and to explore factors that influence their experiences as inpatient attending physicians. MethodsPediatric chief residents at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited programs in 2016 were invited to complete a 40-item electronic questionnaire about their inpatient service obligation as well as attitudes regarding this experience. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, analysis of variance tests, and logistic regression. Open-ended responses underwent content analysis. ResultsThere were 116 completed surveys from a national sample of 223 (response rate 52%); 66% served as inpatient attending physicians during chief residency. On average, chief residents spent 5.5 weeks (range 1–16) in this role with a daily census of 11.5 patients (range 5–20). Those entering primary care were significantly less likely to spend time as an inpatient attending compared with chiefs entering fellowship or hospital medicine (45.7 vs 67.3 vs 83.3%, P = .01). Overall, 92% regarded their inpatient clinical experience positively and indicated they would like the same (40%) or more time (52%) in this role. The average favorability rating was 8.2 of 10, and this was not associated with clinical workload or career choice. ConclusionsMost chief residents serve as inpatient attending physicians during chief residency. They rate their inpatient experience positively despite wide variability in clinical experiences, patient population, and clinical load. Further studies should examine the value of this experience and its impact on chief residents’ future practice.

Discharge summary training curriculum: a novel approach to training medical students how to write effective discharge summaries.

Resident physicians at teaching hospitals write many discharge summaries (DCSs), but receive little formal training or feedback. Poor DCS quality poses a potential patient safety risk. We developed a curriculum to train fourth-year medical students (MS4s) how to write DCSs and integrated this curriculum into a transition-to-residency course. An inpatient attending physician (IPA) and non-inpatient physician (coach) used structured tools to assess for the presence of key elements within the DCS, evaluate the overall quality of the DCS, and judge the student's progression towards entrustable professional activities and transitional year milestones. We identified overall areas of weakness and correlated scores between IPAs and coaches. Improvements in student knowledge and DCS writing confidence were determined using pre- and post-curriculum surveys. Of 102 eligible students, 78 completed the assignment, 61 wrote a new DCS and 17 reviewed previously written DCSs. Patient condition at discharge was missing in more than 20.0% of DCSs. Coaches were less likely than IPAs to assess students as entrustable (58.3% versus 95.8%; p = 0.0027). IPAs assigned higher overall quality ratings than coaches (8.0 versus 6.0 out of 10.0, p< 0.0001). Post-intervention, 82.2% of students reported they learned how to write high-quality DCSs and 93.3% of students reported they would change the way they write DCSs. Graduating medical students have limited skill and comfort in writing DCSs. Structured training on how to write DCSs before postgraduate residency training is a key step towards ultimately improving transitions of care. Training should teach learners to write high-quality DCSs that serve the needs of both inpatient and outpatient providers. Resident physicians at teaching hospitals are expected to independently author [discharge summaries] DCSs, yet few receive formal training.

Effect of Increased Inpatient Attending Physician Supervision on Medical Errors, Patient Safety, and Resident Education

While the relationship between resident work hours and patient safety has been extensively studied, little research has evaluated the role of attending physician supervision on patient safety. To determine the effect of increased attending physician supervision on an inpatient resident general medical service on patient safety and educational outcomes. This 9-month randomized clinical trial performed on an inpatient general medical service of a large academic medical center used a crossover design. Participants were clinical teaching attending physicians and residents in an internal medicine residency program. Twenty-two faculty provided either (1) increased direct supervision in which attending physicians joined work rounds on previously admitted patients or (2) standard supervision in which attending physicians were available but did not join work rounds. Each faculty member participated in both arms in random order. The primary safety outcome was rate of medical errors. Resident education was evaluated via a time-motion study to assess resident participation on rounds and via surveys to measure resident and attending physician educational ratings. Of the 22 attending physicians, 8 (36%) were women, with 15 (68%) having more than 5 years of experience. A total of 1259 patients (5772 patient-days) were included in the analysis. The medical error rate was not significantly different between standard vs increased supervision (107.6; 95% CI, 85.8-133.7 vs 91.1; 95% CI, 76.9-104.0 per 1000 patient-days; P = .21). Time-motion analysis of 161 work rounds found no difference in mean length of time spent discussing established patients in the 2 models (202; 95% CI, 192-212 vs 202; 95% CI, 189-215 minutes; P = .99). Interns spoke less when an attending physician joined rounds (64; 95% CI, 60-68 vs 55; 95% CI, 49-60 minutes; P = .008). In surveys, interns reported feeling less efficient (41 [55%] vs 68 [73%]; P = .02) and less autonomous (53 [72%] vs 86 [91%]; P = .001) with an attending physician present and residents felt less autonomous (11 [58%] vs 30 [97%]; P < .001). Conversely, attending physicians rated the quality of care higher when they participated on work rounds (20 [100%] vs 16 [80%]; P = .04). Increased direct attending physician supervision did not significantly reduce the medical error rate. In designing morning work rounds, residency programs should reconsider their balance of patient safety, learning needs, and resident autonomy. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03318198.

Factors associated with internal medicine physician job attitudes in the Veterans Health Administration

BackgroundUS healthcare organizations increasingly use physician satisfaction and attitudes as a key performance indicator. Further, many health care organizations also have an academically oriented mission. Physician involvement in research and teaching may lead to more positive workplace attitudes, with subsequent decreases in turnover and beneficial impact on patient care. This article aimed to understand the influence of time spent on academic activities and perceived quality of care in relation to job attitudes among internal medicine physicians in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with inpatient attending physicians from 36 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Participants were surveyed regarding demographics, practice settings, workplace staffing, perceived quality of care, and job attitudes. Job attitudes consisted of three measures: overall job satisfaction, intent to leave the organization, and burnout. Analysis used a two-level hierarchical model to account for the nesting of physicians within medical centers. The regression models included organizational-level characteristics: inpatient bed size, urban or rural location, hospital teaching affiliation, and performance-based compensation.ResultsA total of 373 physicians provided useable survey responses. The majority (72%) of respondents reported some level of teaching involvement. Almost half (46%) of the sample reported some level of research involvement. Degree of research involvement was a significant predictor of favorable ratings on physician job satisfaction and intent to leave. Teaching involvement did not have a significant impact on outcomes. Perceived quality of care was the strongest predictor of physician job satisfaction and intent to leave. Perceived levels of adequate physician staffing was a significant contributor to all three job attitude measures.ConclusionsExpanding opportunities for physician involvement with research may lead to more positive work experiences, which could potentially reduce turnover and improve system performance.

Attending Physician Remote Access of the Electronic Health Record and Implications for Resident Supervision: A Mixed Methods Study.

Advances in information technology have increased remote access to the electronic health record (EHR). Concurrently, standards defining appropriate resident supervision have evolved. How often and under what circumstances inpatient attending physicians remotely access the EHR for resident supervision is unknown. We described a model of attending remote EHR use for resident supervision, and quantified the frequency and magnitude of use. Using a mixed methods approach, general medicine inpatient attendings were surveyed and interviewed about their remote EHR use. Frequency of use and supervisory actions were quantitatively examined via survey. Transcripts from semistructured interviews were analyzed using grounded theory to identify codes and themes. A total of 83% (59 of 71) of attendings participated. Fifty-seven (97%) reported using the EHR remotely, with 54 (92%) reporting they discovered new clinical information not relayed by residents via remote EHR use. A majority (93%, 55 of 59) reported that this resulted in management changes, and 54% (32 of 59) reported making immediate changes by contacting cross-covering teams. Six major factors around remote EHR use emerged: resident, clinical, educational, personal, technical, and administrative. Attendings described resident and clinical factors as facilitating "backstage" supervision via remote EHR use. In our study to assess attending remote EHR use for resident supervision, attendings reported frequent remote use with resulting supervisory actions, describing a previously uncharacterized form of "backstage" oversight supervision. Future work should explore best practices in remote EHR use to provide effective supervision and ultimately improve patient safety.

Provider Perspectives of High-Quality Pediatric Hospital-to-Home Transitions for Children and Youth With Chronic Disease.

The objective of this study was to describe health care providers' and hospital administrators' perspectives on how to improve pediatric hospital-to-home transitions for children and youth with chronic disease (CYCD). Focus groups and key informant interviews of inpatient attending physicians, primary care physicians, pediatric residents, nurses, care coordinators, and social workers were conducted at a tertiary care children's hospital. Key informant interviews were performed with hospital administrators. Semistructured questions were used to elicit perceptions of transitional care quality and to identify key structures and processes needed to improve transitional care outcomes. Transcripts of discussions were coded to identify emergent themes. Participants (N = 22) reported that key structures needed to enhance transitional care were a multidisciplinary team, inpatient provider-patient continuity, hospital resource availability, an interoperative electronic health record, and availability of community resources. Key processes needed to achieve high-quality transitional care included setting individualized transition goals, involving parents in care planning, establishing parental competency with home care tasks, and consistently communicating with primary care physicians. Providers identified a lack of reliable roles and processes, insufficient assessment of patient and/or family psychosocial factors, and consistent 2-way communication with community providers as elements to target to improve transitional care outcomes for CYCD. Many key structures and processes of care perceived as important to achieving high-quality transitional care outcomes for CYCD have the opportunity for improvement at the institution studied. Engaging key stakeholders in designing quality improvement interventions to address these deficits in the current care model may improve transitional care outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Antibiotic Use by Pediatric Residents: Identifying Opportunities and Strategies for Antimicrobial Stewardship

To determine the antibiotic prescribing practices of pediatric residents and assess how they acquire knowledge leading to prescribing behaviors. We performed a cross-sectional electronic survey of all pediatric residents at the Children's National Medical Center and Nicklaus Children's Hospital, assessing antibiotic prescribing patterns for common pediatric infections, use of antibiograms, and factors influencing antibiotic choice. Eighty-five surveys (45%) were returned complete and included in the analysis. Increased deviations from clinical guideline recommendations were observed for antibiotic treatments of sinusitis and community-acquired pneumonia as compared with otitis media and group A streptococcal pharyngitis. Only 57% of residents reported having used antibiograms. General pediatric inpatient attending physicians were identified as the most influential source for house staff antibiotic knowledge. Results illustrate the need for better promotion and integration of clinical guidelines with antibiograms when developing antibiotic education programs for residents in training. In addition, pediatric hospitalists should play an active role in the implementation of these programs and can provide valuable insight into the development of educational programs in conjunction with graduate medical education divisions.

Association of Physician Specialty with Hospice Referral for Hospitalized Nursing Home Patients with Advanced Dementia.

Hospitalists hospice referral patterns have been unstudied. This study aims to examine hospice referral rates by attending type for hospitalized nursing home (NH) residents with advanced cognitive impairment (ACI) at the time of discharge between 2000 and 2010. Retrospective cohort study. Hospitalized NH residents age ≥66 drawn from the 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries with ACI, 4 or more activities of daily living (ADL) impairments on last minimum data set (MDS) assessment completed within 120days of admission (n=128,989). Hospice referral was defined as referral to hospice within 1day after hospital discharge. Attending physician type was determined by Part B physician billing for 100% of the billings during that admission. Continuity of care was defined as the hospital physician also billing for an outpatient visit within 120days of that hospital admission. Number of ADL impairments, cognitive measures, pre-admission illnesses and illness severity were derived from the MDS. Of the 105,329 hospitalized patients with ACI that survived to discharge (72.3% white, 30.6% male), the hospice referral rate at the time of hospital discharge increased from 2.8% in 2000 to 11.2% in 2010. Using a multivariate, hospital fixed effects model examining changes in the distribution of inpatient attending physicians, hospitalists compared to generalist physicians were more likely to refer these patients to hospice at discharge (AOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.09-1.26). Continuity of physician care from the outpatient setting to the hospital was associated with lower hospice referral (AOR 0.78, 95% CI 0.73-0.85). Hospice referrals for NH-dwelling persons with ACI admitted to the hospital increased between 2000 and 2011 and disproportionately so when the attending physician was a hospitalist.

Cost and turn-around time display decreases inpatient ordering of reference laboratory tests: a time series

ObjectiveReference tests, also known as send-out tests, are commonly ordered laboratory tests with variable costs and turn-around times. We aim to examine the effects of displaying reference laboratory costs and...

Medical students' experiences working with frequently rotating pediatric inpatient attending physicians.

To explore medical students' experiences working with frequently rotating pediatric inpatient attending physicians. We performed a qualitative study using focus groups and individual interviews of medical students who rotated on the general pediatric inpatient service at Children's Hospital Colorado. The majority of inpatient pediatric attending physicians worked 1-week blocks. We used a semistructured interview guide and analyzed data using the constant comparative method. In accordance with the grounded theory method, codes were developed using an iterative approach, and major themes were identified. Analysis indicated theoretical saturation was achieved. We created a theory that arose from analysis of the data. Twenty-seven medical students participated. Data analysis yielded 6 themes: learning climate, continuity, student resilience, opportunity to progress, growth into a physician, and evaluation. In the learning climate, the emotional environment was often stressful, although students valued exposure to different patient care and teaching styles. Senior resident continuity promoted student function; lack of continuity with attending physicians inhibited relationship development. Students were resilient in adjusting to changing faculty with different expectations. In the context of frequently rotating faculty, students had difficulty showing improvement to a single attending physician after feedback, which limited students' opportunities to progress. Students perceived summative evaluation as less meaningful in the absence of having a relationship with their attending physicians. Medical students valued exposure to different patient care and teaching styles. However, frequently changing attending physicians caused students stress and limited students' perceived ability to achieve and show professional growth.

Abstract 157: Use of a Novel Risk Score in the Emergency Department Discriminates Acute Coronary Syndrome Among Chest Pain Patients with Known Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with chest pain thought to be of ischemic origin are often admitted to the hospital, yet less than half are eventually diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We assessed whether the use of a novel risk score in the ED could discriminate which of these high-risk patients actually do or do not have ACS. Methods and Results: Chart review was performed on a prospectively defined cohort of 142 patients with known CAD presenting to the ED with chest pain thought to be of ischemic origin, all of whom were admitted to the hospital from December 2012 to April 2013. Known CAD was defined as history of myocardial infarction, PCI, CABG, angiographic coronary stenosis &gt;50%, or a positive stress test. Troponin I was measured using the Beckman Coulter assay. Variables were assessed with logistic regression for their association with ACS as determined by the inpatient attending physician at hospital discharge. The cohort included 59 women (42%) and 90 African American individuals (63%). One-hundred sixteen patients (82%) had a history of revascularization (104 PCI, 53 CABG, 41 both). ACS was eventually diagnosed in 43 (30%) of the patients. Non-ACS patients had a 2.8 day average length of stay and $9,908 average inpatient (post-ED) hospital charges (not including physician fees), which is $980,926 for the 99 (70%) non-ACS patients. A novel risk score, including (1) elevated troponin I (&gt;0.05 ng/mL) in the ED, (2) dynamic ECG changes in the ED, (3) body mass index (BMI), (4) home aspirin use, (5) age older than 65, (6) history of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and (7) associated illness at presentation to the ED (anemia, arrhythmia, hypertension, infection, COPD exacerbation, diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state), discriminated ACS and non-ACS with an area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.829. In the multi-variable regression, troponin I elevation was the most predictive of ACS (OR 7.22, p &lt;0.001), followed by home aspirin use (OR 6.07, p 0.036), age older than 65 (OR 4.06, p 0.012), dynamic ECG changes (OR 2.68, p 0.046), and BMI (OR 1.09, p 0.008). The presence of an associated illness was associated with decreased likelihood of ACS (OR 0.24, p 0.013), as was CKD (OR 0.17, p 0.008). Conclusions: A novel risk score including elevated troponin I in the ED, dynamic ECG changes in the ED, body mass index, home aspirin use, age older than 65, history of chronic kidney disease, and associated illness at presentation to the ED, is a valuable tool for discriminating between ACS and non-ACS among patients with known CAD presenting to the ED with chest pain. This preliminary analysis provides a foundation for larger and prospective studies for validation. Application of this risk score, along with other clinical factors, may reduce the number of potentially avoidable admissions and associated costs.

Impact of an automated email notification system for results of tests pending at discharge: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Physician awareness of the results of tests pending at discharge (TPADs) is poor. We developed an automated system that notifies responsible physicians of TPAD results via secure, network email. We sought to evaluate the impact of this system on self-reported awareness of TPAD results by responsible physicians, a necessary intermediary step to improve management of TPAD results. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial at a major hospital affiliated with an integrated healthcare delivery network in Boston, Massachusetts. Adult patients with TPADs who were discharged from inpatient general medicine and cardiology services were assigned to the intervention or usual care arm if their inpatient attending physician and primary care physician (PCP) were both randomized to the same study arm. Patients of physicians randomized to discordant study arms were excluded. We surveyed these physicians 72 h after all TPAD results were finalized. The primary outcome was awareness of TPAD results by attending physicians. Secondary outcomes included awareness of TPAD results by PCPs, awareness of actionable TPAD results, and provider satisfaction. We analyzed data on 441 patients. We sent 441 surveys to attending physicians and 353 surveys to PCPs and received 275 and 152 responses from 83 different attending physicians and 112 different PCPs, respectively (attending physician survey response rate of 63%). Intervention attending physicians and PCPs were significantly more aware of TPAD results (76% vs 38%, adjusted/clustered OR 6.30 (95% CI 3.02 to 13.16), p<0.001; 57% vs 33%, adjusted/clustered OR 3.08 (95% CI 1.43 to 6.66), p=0.004, respectively). Intervention attending physicians tended to be more aware of actionable TPAD results (59% vs 29%, adjusted/clustered OR 4.25 (0.65, 27.85), p=0.13). One hundred and eighteen (85%) and 43 (63%) intervention attending physician and PCP survey respondents, respectively, were satisfied with this intervention. Automated email notification represents a promising strategy for managing TPAD results, potentially mitigating an unresolved patient safety concern. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01153451).

Patient-Centered Interprofessional Collaborative Care: Factors Associated with Bedside Interprofessional Rounds

Medical care delivered in hospital-based medicine units requires interprofessional collaborative care (IPCC) to improve quality. However, models such as bedside interprofessional rounds, or encounters that include the team of physician and nurse providers discussing medical care at the patient's bedside, are not well studied. To examine the incidence of and time spent in bedside interprofessional rounds on internal medicine teaching services in one academic medical center. Observational descriptive study of internal medicine faculty serving as inpatient medicine attending physicians. Participants completed a daily electronic survey following team rounding sessions to assess rounding characteristics (November 2012-June 2013); variables such as resident level-of-training, attending physician years' of experience, house staff call day and clinic schedule were obtained from administrative data. Descriptive, Kruskal-Wallis, and multivariable logistic regression statistics were used to evaluate the study objectives. Primary outcomes were: (1) incidence of bedside interprofessional rounds, (2) time spent with patients during bedside interprofessional rounding encounters, and, (3) factors associated with increased occurrence of and time spent with patients during bedside interprofessional rounds. Covariates included resident level-of-training, attending physician years' of experience, census size, and call day. Of 549 rounding sessions, 412 surveys were collected (75 % response) from 25 attending physicians. Bedside interprofessional rounds occurred with 64 % of patients (median 8.0 min/encounter), differing by unit (intermediate care 81 %, general medicine 63 %, non-medicine 57 %, p < 0.001). Factors independently associated with increased occurrence of bedside interprofessional rounds were senior resident (OR 2.67, CI 1.75-4.06, PGY-3/PGY-4 vs. PGY-2), weekdays (OR 1.74, CI 1.13-2.69), team census size ≤ 11 (OR 2.36, CI 1.37-4.06), and attending physicians with ≤ 4 years' experience (OR 2.15, CI 1.31-3.55). Factors independently associated with increased time spent during encounters were attending physicians with ≤ 4 years (OR 2.38, CI 1.44-3.95), 5-15 years of experience (OR 1.82, CI 1.10-3.02), and weekdays (OR 1.71, CI 1.10-2.65). These findings highlight factors associated with increasing or decreasing occurrence and time spent in bedside interprofessional collaborative care delivery. Systematic changes to census size caps, resident scheduling, and attending physician education and staffing may be required to increase the occurrence of interprofessional collaborative care.

Abstract 87: Evolution of the 24-Hour In-House Stroke Team

Background and Issues: In 1998, Providence St. Peter Hospital (PSPH) created its first stroke team. An on-call Stroke RN/neurologist duo responded to pages from the emergency center and inpatient attending physicians and nurses 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By late 2010, the responsibilities of the stroke team members had significantly increased, but only two Stroke RNs and one neurologist participated on the team. It became clear that the 100% on-call model had become resource limited and processes were now inconsistent. The development of a sustainable new stroke model was critical. Purpose: The purpose of the project was to create a sustainable in-house stroke patient care process that would meet the community’s need for excellent stroke care while maintaining Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center certification. Methods: In early 2011, an interdisciplinary team convened to develop the new process. Members included RNs and physicians from neuroscience, emergency center, and primary care, radiologists, CT technicians, pharmacists, and phlebotomists. Stroke clinical guidelines, best practices and outcome data were reviewed. Operational, financial and clinical opportunities for improvement were identified. Results: As a result, two separate initiatives were implemented, (a) in-house acute stroke response and (b) emergency center acute stroke response, both which are active 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Seven neurologists now rotate call as the stroke neurologist. One of sixteen neuroscience RNs is onsite 24 hours a day as the Stroke RN. Acquisition of a telestroke robot enables the stroke neurologist to assess the patient immediately and make treatment decisions that are initiated before the neurologist arrives at the hospital. Procedures are outlined for all involved departments, ensuring timely diagnostics completion, appropriate medication administration or intervention, and consistently high standards of care. Conclusions: In conclusion, the revised stroke patient care management processes have proven to be sustainable and effective in ensuring timely intervention and positive outcomes for stroke patients. The program is reviewed and updated monthly.

Identifying and Overcoming the Barriers to Bedside Rounds

The use of bedside rounds in teaching hospitals has declined, despite recommendations from educational leaders to promote this effective teaching strategy. The authors sought to identify reasons for the decrease in bedside rounds, actual barriers to bedside rounds, methods to overcome trainee apprehensions, and proposed strategies to educate faculty. A qualitative inductive thematic analysis using transcripts from audio-recorded, semistructured telephone interviews with a purposive sampling of 34 inpatient attending physicians from 10 academic U.S. institutions who met specific inclusion criteria for "bedside rounds" was performed in 2010. Main outcomes were themes pertaining to barriers, methods to overcome trainee apprehensions, and strategies to educate faculty. Quotations highlighting themes are reported. Half of respondents (50%) were associate or full professors, averaging 14 years in academic medicine. Primary reasons for the perceived decline in bedside rounds were physician- and systems related, although actual barriers encountered related to systems, time, and physician-specific issues. To address resident apprehensions, six themes were identified: build partnerships, create safe learning environments, overcome with experience, make bedside rounds educationally worthwhile, respect trainee time, and highlight positive impact on patient care. Potential strategies for educating faculty were identified, most commonly faculty development initiatives, divisional/departmental culture change, and one-on-one shadowing opportunities. Bedside teachers encountered primarily systems- and time-related barriers and overcame resident apprehensions by creating a learner-oriented environment. Strategies used by experienced bedside teachers can be used for faculty development aimed at promoting bedside rounds.