Interdisciplinary Communication Research Articles

Translating perceived affective quality attributes of soundscape from English into Korean

The primary goal of ISO 12913 series is to foster a wide-ranging international consensus and establish a universal framework for interdisciplinary and professional communication about soundscapes. However, a critical challenge arises in non-English speaking countries regarding translating Perceived Affective Qualities (PAQs) from English. This translation issue is pivotal in accurately evaluating soundscapes according to the guidelines set by ISO/TS 12913–2, as it directly affects the reliability and consistency of soundscape assessments across different linguistic and cultural contexts. To address this, the Soundscape Attributes Translation Project (SATP) was initiated, focusing on the translation and validation of soundscape PAQs across various languages, with this study specifically aiming to be translated into Korean. This study aims to translate the soundscape PAQs suggested in ISO/TS 12913–2 Method A into Korean and examine the differences in soundscape evaluation between Korean and English. The study is divided into three phases. In Phase I, we gathered a wide range of possible Korean translations for the soundscape attributes and narrowed this down to twenty-four attributes. Phase II involved a quantitative evaluation of these 24 attributes to derive the most appropriate Korean attributes for the translation of soundscape PAQ. Finally, in Phase III, a listening test was conducted to discern the differences in soundscape evaluations between Korea and the UK. This comprehensive approach led to the identification of eight Korean soundscape attributes. With these attributes, twenty-seven different soundscapes were evaluated, revealing notable differences, particularly in the interpretation of the attribute ’monotonous’ between English and Korean evaluations. The findings are expected to contribute significantly to the standardization of soundscape evaluation in Korea and lay a foundation for future soundscape research and assessment in the Korean context.

3D-Printed custom-made hemipelvic endoprosthetic reconstruction following periacetabular tumor resection: utilizing a novel classification system

BackgroundCustomized 3D-printed pelvic implants with a porous structure have revolutionized periacetabular pelvic defect reconstruction after tumor resection, offering improved osteointegration, long-term stability, and anatomical fit. However, the lack of an established classification system hampers implementation and progress.MethodsWe formulated a novel classification system based on pelvic defect morphology and 3D-printed hemipelvis endoprostheses. It integrates surgical approach, osteotomy guide plate and prosthesis design, postoperative rehabilitation plans, and perioperative processes.ResultsRetrospectively analyzing 60 patients (31 males, 29 females), we classified them into Type A (15 patients: Aa = 6, Ab = 9), Type B (27 patients: Ba = 15, Bb = 12), Type C (17 patients). All underwent customized osteotomy guide plate-assisted tumor resection and 3D-printed hemipelvic endoprosthesis reconstruction. Follow-up duration was median 36.5 ± 15.0 months (range, 6 to 74 months). The mean operating time was 430.0 ± 106.7 min, intraoperative blood loss 2018.3 ± 1305.6 ml, transfusion volume 2510.0 ± 1778.1 ml. Complications occurred in 13 patients (21.7%), including poor wound healing (10.0%), deep prosthesis infection (6.7%), hip dislocation (3.3%), screw fracture (1.7%), and interface loosening (1.7%). VAS score improved from 5.5 ± 1.4 to 1.7 ± 1.3, MSTS-93 score from 14.8 ± 2.5 to 23.0 ± 5.6. Implant osseointegration success rate was 98.5% (128/130), with one Type Ba patient experiencing distal prosthesis loosening.ConclusionThe West China classification may supplement the Enneking and Dunham classification, enhancing interdisciplinary communication and surgical outcomes. However, further validation and wider adoption are required to confirm clinical effectiveness.

Timing of stroke survivors' hospital readmissions to guide APRNs in primary care

Background: Caring for patients after a neurovascular incident is common for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Most neurological readmission studies focus on a small subset of neurovascular incident groups, but advanced practice nurses in primary care attend to a diverse neurovascular population and lack time to adequately search hospital records. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine readmission risk factors after a neurovascular incident to guide APRNs in the primary care setting. Methodology: The study is a retrospective observational study that used a crude single predictor model to determine potential risks for readmission. Results: A total of 876 neurovascular participants were studied. Of these, only 317 experienced at least one hospital readmission, with 703 readmissions within 1 year, indicating some were readmitted more than once. Risks for readmission varied across neurovascular events. The main reasons for readmission were because of neurological, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal complications. Conclusions: Stroke readmission rates are high and require intervention by APRNs. To prevent readmission includes timely follow-up within 30 days and should also include longitudinal follow-up beyond 90 days to prevent hospital readmission. Implications: Future studies are needed to create guidelines for APRNs that implement rehabilitation strategies to decrease hospital readmission for the neurovascular population that focus on interdisciplinary communication.

Nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A secondary data analysis examining interdisciplinary and peer communication

BackgroundCommunication with interdisciplinary team members was impacted during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bedside nurses managed communication challenges with interdisciplinary team members while working under extremely stressful conditions created by a new and unknown infectious disease. This study examined data collected from a pre-existing qualitative study to answer the question: What communication challenges occurred among nurses and interdisciplinary team members during the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic? MethodsA qualitative secondary analysis of an existing dataset was undertaken. The original data were collected using semi-structured interviews conducted with a purposive sample of bedside nurses (n = 17). ResultsUsing thematic analysis, five themes related to communication among nurses and the interdisciplinary team emerged: 1) acknowledging PPE as a communication barrier, 2) questioning how to perform nursing tasks along with increasing workload, 3) developing innovative ways to deliver safe care, 4) experiencing frustrations about lack of communication with interdisciplinary team members, and 5) experiencing both support and criticism that affect working relationships. ConclusionsChallenges associated with communication during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic became opportunities to build policies and procedures to support collaboration within the healthcare team. Support is necessary to prepare team members to collaborate efficiently during crisis situations. Developing a strategic plan to improve communication, lessen nurse burden, provide mental health support for nurses, while maintaining safe care are priorities in managing future emergency situations.

Imitation Learning: Progress, Taxonomies and Challenges.

Imitation learning (IL) aims to extract knowledge from human experts' demonstrations or artificially created agents to replicate their behaviors. It promotes interdisciplinary communication and real-world automation applications. However, the process of replicating behaviors still exhibits various problems, such as the performance is highly dependent on the demonstration quality, and most trained agents are limited to perform well in task-specific environments. In this survey, we provide an insightful review on IL. We first introduce the background knowledge from development history and preliminaries, followed by presenting different taxonomies within IL and key milestones of the field. We then detail challenges in learning strategies and present research opportunities with learning policy from suboptimal demonstration, voice instructions, and other associated optimization schemes.

FEATURES OF ORGANIZING STEAM EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS USING IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Formulation of the problem. The rapid development of technologies in the modern world opens up new horizons for education. Integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) holds particular significance as a transformative approach, fostering interdisciplinary learning and preparing students for the challenges of a knowledge-based and digitized society. The transition from a traditional approach to STEAM education becomes even more captivating with the incorporation of immersive technologies. This direction, merging technical and creative aspects, requires an innovative approach to the organization of educational projects, considering the new opportunities and challenges presented by virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). Materials and methods. To achieve the goal of our research, we used the following methods: systematic and comparative analysis of pedagogical, psychological, philosophical, and sociological works, methodic literature, and analysis of the pedagogical experience of using immersive technologies to organize STEAM projects at school; synthesis and generalization to formulate the main provisions of the study; interviews and questionnaires of teachers regarding their understanding and attitude to immersive technologies as a means of implementing STEAM projects at school; interpretation of research results. We analyzed 18 scientific sources, including 14 Scopus-indexed articles, two reports (the educational report from Horizon 2020 and the "State of the Industry Report" from the XR Association), and two scientific studies by Ukrainian researchers. Eighty-seven teachers participated in interviews and surveys conducted through Google Forms. Results. Creating and organizing a STEAM educational project using immersive technologies involves the following teacher actions: forming a project name by the student's learning goals, educational content, and the project result as its product; creating a reference project; determining the subject, topic, age of students, project preparation time, learning time, essential immersive technologies; forming the purpose of the first lesson and project tasks to immerse and motivate students about the project; identifying problematic issues that should reflect the actual context or problem. We have characterized teachers' attitudes towards immersive technologies when organizing and conducting such projects. Based on the study's results, we have identified the features of organizing STEAM projects using immersive technologies: expanding the field of creativity with AR and VR, immersion in scientific concepts and conducting experiments through the use of virtual laboratories, visualizing abstract ideas through the use of augmented reality, interacting with technology through mixed reality projects, and teamwork in immersive environments. Conclusions. Immersive technologies in STEAM education have advantages (e.g., gaining practical experience, forming interdisciplinary connections through interdisciplinary learning, cooperation, communication, adaptive environment, and request for creativity) in teaching.

Primary Care and Surgical Collaborations in Addressing Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract Purpose of Review This review explores the collaboration between primary care physicians (PCPs) and surgical specialists in breast cancer management. It outlines their evolving roles focusing on early detection, treatment decisions, and patient-centered care. It also addresses challenges, emphasizes interdisciplinary communication, and discusses opportunities for improved breast cancer care. Recent Findings Recent research highlights the expanded role of PCPs in comprehensive breast cancer care, from diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and prevention. Surgeons play a crucial role in decision-making and personalized treatment planning. Collaborative approaches, including multidisciplinary teams, show improved diagnoses and outcomes. Advances in breast cancer research, such as targeted treatments and immunotherapy, offer promising avenues for enhanced care. Summary This article advocates for a transformative landscape in breast cancer care, with PCPs and surgeons leading collaborative efforts. Future research lies in the exploration of targeted treatments and the commitment to a holistic, patient-centered approach.

Awareness about Orthodontists’ Role in Treating Osa and Mouth Breathing among Otolaryngologists

ABSTRACT Background: Orthodontic correction of dentofacial abnormalities is a crucial component of oral health because it enhances overall oral health-related quality of life, optimal function, periodontal health, and aesthetics. This study sought to determine whether otolaryngologists recommend patients to orthodontists, whether they are adequately knowledgeable about the fundamentals of orthodontics, and whether they check for orthodontic problems in their patients. Results: We conducted a survey study of otolaryngologists in Gujarat, India. Questionnaires were completed by 47 out of 60 otolaryngologists (response rate 78%). In the assessment of the mouth breathers, a very low frequency of “always” examining the extra-oral features (18%) was found. Reasons otolaryngologists referred patients to orthodontists varied from mouth breathing 48% (23/47) to face or teeth asymmetry 87% (41/47). In the multivariable analyses for the effect of gender, work sector, or years of experience in the decision for orthodontic referral, we could not identify any significant predictors. A low frequency of awareness of orthodontists’ role in obstructive sleep apnoea, 48% (23/47) was found. Conclusion: In conclusion, the survey of otolaryngologists in Gujarat, India, revealed areas for improvement in awareness and practices related to orthodontic issues, particularly in cases of mouth breathing. The study highlighted a low frequency of examination of extraoral features and variability in referral patterns, emphasizing potential gaps in knowledge. Additionally, a low awareness of orthodontists’ role in treating obstructive sleep apnea was identified. Targeted educational interventions are recommended to enhance interdisciplinary communication and collaboration between otolaryngologists and orthodontists, ultimately fostering a more comprehensive approach to patient care for individuals with dentofacial deformities in Gujarat and potentially influencing practices on a broader scale.

Nurse and Physician Perceptions and Decision Making During Interdisciplinary Communication

Errors in decision making and communication play a key role in poor patient outcomes. Safe patient care requires effective decision making during interdisciplinary communication through communication channels. Research on factors that influence nurse and physician decision making during interdisciplinary communication is limited. Understanding influences on nurse and physician decision making during communication channel selection is needed to support effective communication and improved patient outcomes. The purpose of the study was to explore nurse and physician perceptions of and decision-making processes for selecting interruptive or noninterruptive interdisciplinary communication channels in medical-surgical and intermediate acute care settings. Twenty-six participants (10 RNs, 10 resident physicians, and six attending physicians) participated in semistructured interviews in two acute care metropolitan hospitals for this qualitative descriptive study. The Practice Primed Decision Model guided interview question development and early data analysis. Findings include a core category, Development of Trust in the Communication Process, supported by three main themes: (1) Understanding of Patient Status Drives Communication Decision Making; (2) Previous Interdisciplinary Communication Experience Guides Channel Selection; and (3) Perceived Usefulness Influences Communication Channel Selection. Findings from this study provide support for future design and research of communication channels within the EHR and clinical decision support systems.

Ophthalmological Outcomes in Patients with Susac Syndrome.

To report ophthalmological outcomes and treatment regimen in patients with Susac syndrome. This is a retrospective analysis of patients with Susac syndrome treated between November 2015 and March 2023. Multimodal imaging findings, ophthalmic examination data, information on neurological and sensorineural involvement, and therapeutic regimen were reviewed. Visual acuity was recorded as the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). Ophthalmological manifestations and disease severity were assessed using the previously described clinical activity score (CAS). Ten patients with Susac syndrome m : f = 5 : 5 were identified. The mean follow-up time was 31.2 ± 23.3 months (range 1 to 78 months). The mean age was 41.4 ± 13.8 years (range 21 to 59 years). At baseline, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.03 ± 0.08 logMAR. At the last follow-up, CDVA improved to 0.00 ± 0.03 logMAR (p = 0.029). Three of 20 eyes showed an improvement of 5 letters, while no loss of visual acuity was recorded during the follow-up time. Baseline CAS was 10.65 ± 12.69, and CAS at the last follow-up was 5.15 ± 5.49 (p = 0.068). Except for one patient, all were initially treated with intravenous (i. v.) steroids and subsequent oral tapering. Depending on the treatment response, cyclophosphamide (n = 4), i. v. immunoglobulins (IVIGs) (n = 4), anti-CD20 antibodies (n = 3), or plasmapheresis (n = 1) were applied. All patients under treatment for more than 1 month (n = 9) showed improvement in CAS and CDVA. Susac syndrome is a rare autoimmune vascular endotheliopathy. Treatment of Susac syndrome appears to result in improving CAS and CDVA. The majority of patients, in addition to the systemic steroids, required systemic immunosuppressive agents. Interdisciplinary communication is crucial to reduce the time to diagnosis and initiation of therapy in patients with Susac syndrome.

Towards an interdisciplinary formalization of soundscapes.

Soundscapes have been studied by researchers from various disciplines, each with different perspectives, approaches, and terminologies. Consequently, the research field determines the actual concept of a specific soundscape with the associated components and also affects the definition itself. This complicates interdisciplinary communication and comparison of results, especially when research areas are involved which are not directly focused on soundscapes. For this reason, we present a formalization that aims to be independent of the concepts from the various disciplines, with the goal of being able to capture the heterogeneous data structure in one layered model. Our model consists of time-dependent sound sources and geodata that influence the acoustic composition of a soundscape represented by our sensor function. Using a case study, we present the application of our formalization by classifying land use types. For this we analyze soundscapes in the form of recordings from different devices at 23 different locations using three-dimensional convolutional neural networks and frequency correlation matrices. In our results, we present that soundscapes can be grouped into classes, but the given land use categories do not have to correspond to them.

Rounds Redesign: Our Experience In Splitting Interdisciplinary Rounds

Our hospital developed and implemented a major redesign of interdisciplinary rounds in order to achieve more efficient interdisciplinary communication in this challenging post-COVID era. The goal was to involve all key participants in a structured initiative to improve discharge planning, review important patient safety indicators, and enhance patient-physician communication. The comprehensive redesign, based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement model, restructured the rounds into two distinct components: interdisciplinary disposition and clinical rounds. This new, dichotomous structure resulted in improved median discharge time, better identified estimated date of discharge and streamlined communication among care team providers. Combined with second rounds by physicians on patients getting discharged, there was an improvement in patient experience domains.

Psychological safety and perceived organizational support in emergency medicine residencies.

The clinical learning environment (CLE) is a key focus of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. It impacts knowledge acquisition and professional development. A previous single-center study evaluated the psychological safety and perceived organizational support of the CLE across different specialties. Building on this work, we explored and evaluated psychological safety and perceived organizational support across multiple heterogeneous emergency medicine (EM) residencies to identify trends and factors affecting perceptions of the CLE. Using the Psychological Safety Scale (PSS) and Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS), residents from seven U.S. EM residencies were surveyed using REDCap software from September through November 2021, with 300 potential respondents. As an adjunct to these surveys, three open-ended questions were included regarding features of their learning environments. A total of 137 out of 300 residents completed the survey. The overall response rate was 45.7%. There was a variable response rate across programs (26.0%-96.7%). Pooled results demonstrate an overall positive perception of CLEs, based on positive mean responses (i.e., "Members of my department are able to bring up problems and tough issue" had a mean of 4.2 on a 5-point Likert scale). Open responses identified teaching, collegiality, and support from program leadership as supportive features of the CLE. Confrontational interdisciplinary communication, a sense of being devalued, and off-service rotations were identified as threats or areas for improvement to the CLE. PSS and SPOS scores were generally positive in this multi-institution study, consistent with the prior single-institution study indicating that EM is often considered psychologically safe and supportive. EM training programs can consider using the PSS/SPOS to audit their own programs to identify areas for improvement and foster supportive features already in place.

A Science and Community-Driven Approach to Illustrating Urban Adaptation to Coastal Flooding to Inform Management Plans

Academic research plays a pivotal role in illustrating and testing potential future adaptation strategies to sea level rise in low-lying coastal communities and enhances local municipalities’ adaptation plans. In Waikīkī, Hawai‘i, the built environment is increasingly impacted by flooding from multiple drivers: sea level rise-induced direct marine inundation, storm-drain backflow, and groundwater inundation (GWI), compounded by high-wave runup, extreme tides, heavy rainfall, and a shallow groundwater table. Given Waikīkī’s economic and cultural importance, in-place accommodation of flooding is desired, yet implementation plans have not been developed. By combining current scientific research, urban design visualizations, and community feedback, the interdisciplinary research team advanced intentional communication between the many parties seeking increased flood resilience through the end of the 21st century. Site-specific architectural renderings were a key tool to prompt structured community input on the coordination, prioritization, policy, and feasibility of adaptation measures for buildings, utilities, transportation, and open space. Public outreach reports document that the majority of participants thought all adaptation strategies presented were applicable, especially relocating critical equipment in buildings and streets. Proposed methods to develop sea level rise-adjusted minimum building elevation requirements may inform local municipalities’ future codes to minimize coastal property damage. The multi-year iterative process fostered growing participation in hosted and invited events, further improving the publicly distributed research products.

Equity-Centered Postdischarge Support for Medicaid-Insured People: Protocol for a Type 1 Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Disparities in posthospitalization outcomes for people with chronic medical conditions and insured by Medicaid are well documented, yet interventions that mitigate them are lacking. Prevailing transitional care interventions narrowly target people aged 65 years and older, with specific disease processes, or limitedly focus on individual-level behavioral change such as self-care or symptom management, thus failing to adequately provide a holistic approach to ensure an optimal posthospital care continuum. This study evaluates the implementation of THRIVE-an evidence-based, equity-focused clinical pathway that supports Medicaid-insured individuals with multiple chronic conditions transitioning from hospital to home by focusing on the social determinants of health and systemic and structural barriers in health care delivery. THRIVE services include coordinating care, standardizing interdisciplinary communication, and addressing unmet clinical and social needs following hospital discharge. The study's objectives are to (1) examine referral patterns, 30-day readmission, and emergency department use for participants who receive THRIVE support services compared to those receiving usual care and (2) evaluate the implementation of the THRIVE clinical pathway, including fidelity, feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability. We will perform a sequential randomized rollout of THRIVE to case managers at the study hospital in 3 steps (4 in the first group, 4 in the second, and 5 in the third), and data collection will occur over 18 months. Inclusion criteria for THRIVE participation include (1) being Medicaid insured, dually enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, or Medicaid eligible; (2) residing in Philadelphia; (3) having experienced a hospitalization at the study hospital for more than 24 hours with a planned discharge to home; (4) agreeing to home care at partner home care settings; and (5) being aged 18 years or older. Qualitative data will include interviews with clinicians involved in THRIVE, and quantitative data on health service use (ie, 30-day readmission, emergency department use, and primary and specialty care) will be derived from the electronic health record. This project was funded in January 2023 and approved by the institutional review board on March 10, 2023. Data collection will occur from March 2023 to July 2024. Results are expected to be published in 2025. The THRIVE clinical pathway aims to reduce disparities and improve postdischarge care transitions for Medicaid-insured patients through a system-level intervention that is acceptable for THRIVE participants, clinicians, and their teams in hospitals and home care settings. By using our equity-focused case management services and leveraging the power of the electronic medical record, THRIVE creates efficiencies by identifying high-need patients, improving communication across acute and community-based sectors, and driving evidence-based care coordination. This study will add important findings about how the infusion of equity-focused principles in the design and evaluation of evidence-based interventions contributes to both implementation and effectiveness outcomes. DERR1-10.2196/54211. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05714605; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05714605.

Can AnatomicalTerms.info with its synonyms and succinct open definitions be a solution to address variations in usage of anatomical terminology?

Anatomy, the study of human structure, is foundational to medicine. Its language has a long history, with contributions from authors hailing from diverse cultures and countries, adhering to various scientific traditions, speaking different languages, and practicing medicine across a wide gamut of specialties. The resultant disparity in terms provides challenges both for students in learning and for interdisciplinary communication. We report here on a user-friendly look-up web site, "AnatomicalTerms.info" that links a Terminologica Anatomica term to alternative terms in usage: synonyms, polysemes, eponyms, homonyms, and terms in other languages. Accompanying open-source definitions are generated with the help of "Definition Machine" software, that supports creating the most concise and accessible definitions for anatomical terms, eschewing superfluous description, thus reducing cognitive load of learners of anatomy looking up terms. AnatomicalTerms.info is a readily accessible online source for both the authoritative and alternatively used terms that can accurately cross-reference and/or disambiguate anatomical structures across disciplinary and cultural divides. As such, it can serve as a useful educational and clinical resource that is also flexibly open to additions and expansion as anatomical and clinical needs dictate.

Decoding the writing styles of disciplines: A large-scale quantitative analysis

Disciplinary writing style stems from the practice of science, reflecting the scientific culture. This study aims to explore the differences and evolution of scientific writing styles from the perspective of disciplines. A large-scale quantitative analysis was conducted over 14 million abstracts from the Microsoft Academic Graph (MAG) database across eight soft and hard disciplines. Represented by a comprehensive set of 14 symbolic, lexical, syntactic, structural, and readability features, the evolution of disciplinary writing styles was analyzed over 30 years. Interpretable machine learning methods were performed to test the discernibility of writing styles across disciplines and disclose their linguistic differences. Our findings reveal the linguistic features of soft disciplines (Art, Philosophy, and Sociology) and Mathematics generally keep stabilized, and a general trend of increasing linguistic complexity was observed for Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Psychology. The good performance of the pairwise writing style classifiers indicates a well discriminability of the writing styles between disciplines. A correlation between the performance of classifiers and the distance between disciplines was identified. The feature contribution analysis using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and Kendall's Tau rank correlation revealed the detailed commonalities and disparities in disciplines’ linguistic features. This study provides profound insights into the understanding of scientific writing and norms, which further helps develop useful tools for academic text analysis, foster interdisciplinary communication, and assist educators to construct discipline-specific writing guidance.

The importance of interdisciplinary communication in the neck lump clinic to improve efficiency and diagnosis in an unusual lymphoma presentation

The importance of close and collaborative working between surgeons and radiologists in a one stop neck lump clinic is essential to ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment pathway for patients. Here we present an unusual presentation of lymphoma which demonstrates how a cancer diagnosis can be made without delay even with conflicting clinical and radiological findings, when colleagues are able to direct liaise in a one stop clinic.

Improvements in Interdisciplinary Communication Following the Implementation of a Standardized Handoff Curriculum: SAFETIPS (Statistics, Assessment, Focused Plan, Pertinent Exam findings, to Dos, If/Thens, Pointers/Pitfalls, and Severity of Illness).

Background Handoffs between medical providers serve a crucial patient safety function. While most published literature on the topic studies the handover process amongphysicians, robust literature is available on interdisciplinary medical communication. Little is known about the downstream effects of effective physician handover on subsequent physicianand nursing interactions. Objective Our objective was to implement a handoff curriculum, SAFETIPS (Statistics, Assessment, Focused plan, pertinent Exam findings, To dos, If/thens, Pointers/pitfalls, and Severity of illness), for pediatric residentsand to investigate its impact on nurses' perceptions of resident preparedness, efficiency, and competency. Methods Nurses were asked to score residents in five domains and describe the frequency of nurse-to-resident and resident-to-nurse interruptions. The survey was distributed before and after the SAFETIPS introduction. Results Statistical analysis revealed significant post-intervention mean score increases of one full point in four categories, namely organization and efficiency, communication, content, and clinical judgment. The percentage of nurses using the term "reasonable/relevant" to describe interactions with residents significantly increased from 45% to 76% (p = 0.004). The percentage of nurses reporting that residents gave "unsure response[s]," made decisions that differed from nurses' decisions, and made decisions without family/parental interests significantly decreased by 31 (p = 0.004), 22 (p = 0.034), and 30(p = 0.002) percentage points, respectively. Conclusion The introduction of a structured handoff curriculum significantly improves communication among residents.This is then associated with improved interactions between residents and nurses.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in Germany: insights and clinical outcomes from the K-APAT cohort study.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers several key advantages, including enhanced patient quality of life, reduced healthcare costs, and a potential reduction of nosocomial infections. It is acknowledged for its safety and effectiveness. This study provides the first systematic clinical data for Germany, where OPAT has not yet been widely adopted. The aim is to establish a foundational reference point for further research and integration of OPAT into the German healthcare system. This prospective observational study descriptively analyses data obtained from a cohort of patients receiving OPAT. Both in- and outpatients from all medical specialties could be recruited. Patients administered the anti-infective medications themselves at home using elastomeric pumps. 77 patients received OPAT, with a median duration of 15days and saving 1782 inpatient days. The most frequently treated entities were orthopaedic infections (n = 20, 26%), S. aureus bloodstream infection (n = 16, 21%) and infectious endocarditis (n = 11, 14%). The most frequently applied drugs were flucloxacillin (n = 18, 23%), penicillin G (n = 13, 17%) and ceftriaxone (n = 10; 13%). Only 5% of patients (n = 4) reported to have missed more than one outpatient dose (max. 3 per patient). Only one catheter-related adverse event required medical intervention, and there were no catheter-related infections. The study demonstrates that OPAT can be safely conducted in Germany. In preparation for its broader implementation, crucial next steps include creating medical guidelines, fostering interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral communication, as well as creating financial and structural regulations that facilitate and encourage the adoption of OPAT. NCT04002453.