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BackgroundVariation exists in family-centered rounds (FCR).ObjectiveWe sought to understand patient/family and clinician FCR beliefs/attitudes and practices to support implementation efforts.Designs, settings and participantsPatients/families and clinicians at 21 geographically diverse US community/academic pediatric teaching hospitals participated in a prospective cohort dissemination and implementation study.InterventionWe inquired about rounding beliefs/attitudes, practices, and demographics using a 26-question survey coproduced with family/nurse/attending-physician collaborators, informed by prior research and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.Main outcome and measuresOut of 2578 individuals, 1647 (64%) responded to the survey; of these, 1313 respondents participated in FCR and were included in analyses (616 patients/families, 243 nurses, 285 resident physicians, and 169 attending physicians). Beliefs/attitudes regarding the importance of FCR elements varied by role, with resident physicians rating the importance of several FCR elements lower than others. For example, on adjusted multivariable analysis, attending physicians (odds ratio [OR] 3.0, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.2-7.8) and nurses (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3-7.4) were much more likely than resident physicians to report family participation on rounds as very/extremely important. Clinician support for key FCR elements was higher than self-reported practice (e.g., 88% believed family participation was important on rounds; 68% reported it often/always occurred). In practice, key elements of FCR were reported to often/always occur only 23%-70% of the time.ResultSupport for nurse and family participation in FCR is high among clinicians but varies by role. Physicians, particularly resident physicians, endorse several FCR elements as less important than nurses and patients/families. The gap between attitudes and practice and between clinician types suggests that attitudinal, structural, and cultural barriers impede FCR.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the stress levels and experience of academic surgeons by training status (eg, housestaff or faculty). BACKGROUND: Covid-19 has uniquely challenged and changed the United States healthcare system. A better understanding of the surgeon experience is necessary to inform proactive workforce management and support. METHODS: A multi-institutional, cross-sectional telephone survey of surgeons was conducted across 5 academic medical centers from May 15 to June 5, 2020. The exposure of interest was training status. The primary outcome was maximum stress level, measured using the validated Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11 (range 0-10). RESULTS: A total of 335 surveys were completed (49.3% housestaff, 50.7% faculty; response rate 63.7%). The mean maximum stress level of faculty was 7.21 (SD 1.81) and of housestaff was 6.86 (SD 2.06) (P = 0.102). Mean stress levels at the time of the survey trended lower amongst housestaff (4.17, SD 1.89) than faculty (4.56, SD 2.15) (P = 0.076). More housestaff (63.6%) than faculty (40.0%) reported exposure to individuals with Covid-19 (P < 0.001). Subjects reported inadequate personal protective equipment in approximately a third of professional exposures, with no difference by training status (P = 0.557). CONCLUSIONS: During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the personal and professional experiences of housestaff and faculty differed, in part due to a difference in exposure as well as non-work-related stressors. Workforce safety, including adequate personal protective equipment, expanded benefits (eg, emergency childcare), and deliberate staffing models may help to alleviate the stress associated with disease resurgence or future disasters.

Fellows and junior faculty conducting aging research have encountered substantial new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. They report that they have been uncertain how and whether to modify existing research studies, have faced difficulties with job searches, and have struggled to balance competing pressures including greater clinical obligations and increased responsibilities at home. Many have also wondered if they should shift gears and make COVID-19 the focus of their research. We asked a group of accomplished scientists and mentors to grapple with these concerns and to share their thoughts with readers of this journal.

BackgroundNight float rotations, where residents admit patients to the hospital, are opportunities for practice-based learning. However, night float residents receive little feedback on their diagnostic and management reasoning, which limits learning.AimImprove night float residents' practice-based learning skills through feedback solicitation and chart review with guided reflection.Setting/participantsSecond- and third-year internal medicine residents on a 1-month night float rotation between January and August 2017.Program descriptionResidents performed chart review of a subset of patients they admitted during a night float rotation and completed reflection worksheets detailing patients' clinical courses. Residents solicited feedback regarding their initial management from day team attending physicians and senior residents.Program evaluationSixty-eight of 82 (83%) eligible residents participated in this intervention. We evaluated 248 reflection worksheets using content analysis. Major themes that emerged from chart review included residents' identification of future clinical practice changes, evolution of differential diagnoses, recognition of clinical reasoning gaps, and evaluation of resident-provider interactions.DiscussionStructured reflection and feedback during night float rotations is an opportunity to improve practice-based learning through lessons on disease progression, clinical reasoning, and communication.

BACKGROUND: Physicians, particularly trainees and those in surgical subspecialties, are at risk for burnout. Mistreatment (i.e., discrimination, verbal or physical abuse, and sexual harassment) may contribute to burnout and suicidal thoughts. METHODS: A cross-sectional national survey of general surgery residents administered with the 2018 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination assessed mistreatment, burnout (evaluated with the use of the modified Maslach Burnout Inventory), and suicidal thoughts during the past year. We used multivariable logistic-regression models to assess the association of mistreatment with burnout and suicidal thoughts. The survey asked residents to report their gender. RESULTS: Among 7409 residents (99.3% of the eligible residents) from all 262 surgical residency programs, 31.9% reported discrimination based on their self-identified gender, 16.6% reported racial discrimination, 30.3% reported verbal or physical abuse (or both), and 10.3% reported sexual harassment. Rates of all mistreatment measures were higher among women; 65.1% of the women reported gender discrimination and 19.9% reported sexual harassment. Patients and patients families were the most frequent sources of gender discrimination (as reported by 43.6% of residents) and racial discrimination (47.4%), whereas attending surgeons were the most frequent sources of sexual harassment (27.2%) and abuse (51.9%). Proportion of residents reporting mistreatment varied considerably among residency programs (e.g., ranging from 0 to 66.7% for verbal abuse). Weekly burnout symptoms were reported by 38.5% of residents, and 4.5% reported having had suicidal thoughts during the past year. Residents who reported exposure to discrimination, abuse, or harassment at least a few times per month were more likely than residents with no reported mistreatment exposures to have symptoms of burnout (odds ratio, 2.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.58 to 3.36) and suicidal thoughts (odds ratio, 3.07; 95% CI, 2.25 to 4.19). Although models that were not adjusted for mistreatment showed that women were more likely than men to report burnout symptoms (42.4% vs. 35.9%; odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.48), the difference was no longer evident after the models were adjusted for mistreatment (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Mistreatment occurs frequently among general surgery residents, especially women, and is associated with burnout and suicidal thoughts.

PurposeThe quadruple aim of primary care transformation includes promoting well-being among the primary care workforce. We longitudinally assessed burnout among clinicians and staff in 2 health delivery organizations engaged in primary care redesign guided by a shared transformation model.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive longitudinal study, using repeated cross-sectional measures from 6 waves of surveys of employed primary care clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) and staff conducted between 2012 to 2018 in the San Francisco Health Network and in UCSF Health. The 2018 wave had 613 respondents (response rate 88%). Outcome measures were scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory emotional exhaustion and cynicism subscales. We used regression models to test for time trends in mean scores.ResultsTrends in burnout differed by system and occupation. In one system, mean clinician scores steadily improved for emotional exhaustion (P = .04) and cynicism (P = .07). In the other system, clinician burnout scores initially worsened and then returned to baseline levels. In both systems, burnout trends among staff tended to move in the opposite direction from trends among clinicians.ConclusionsThe divergent trends of steady reduction in clinician burnout in one system and clinician burnout getting worse before getting better in the other system suggest that the effects of primary care transformation are influenced by the organizational context. Moreover, practice changes that reduce clinician burnout may not decrease-and may potentially even worsen-burnout among staff. Primary care transformation requires continuing efforts to promote meaningful work and sustainable workloads among all members of the primary care team.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments (ED) care for societys most vulnerable older adults who present with exacerbations of chronic disease at the end of life, yet the clinical paradigm focuses on treatment of acute pathologies. Palliative care interventions in the ED capture high-risk patients at a time of crisis and can dramatically improve patient-centred outcomes. This study aims to implement and evaluate Primary Palliative Care for Emergency Medicine (PRIM-ER) on ED disposition, healthcare utilisation and survival in older adults with serious illness. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is the protocol for a pragmatic, cluster-randomised stepped wedge trial to test the effectiveness of PRIM-ER in 35 EDs across the USA. The intervention includes four core components: (1) evidence-based, multidisciplinary primary palliative care education; (2) simulation-based workshops; (3) clinical decision support; and (4) audit and feedback. The study is divided into two phases: a pilot phase, to ensure feasibility in two sites, and an implementation and evaluation phase, where we implement the intervention and test the effectiveness in 33 EDs over 2 years. Using Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data, we will assess the primary outcomes in approximately 300 000 patients: ED disposition to an acute care setting, healthcare utilisation in the 6 months following the ED visit and survival following the index ED visit. Analysis will also determine the site, provider and patient-level characteristics that are associated with variation in impact of PRIM-ER. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained at New York University School of Medicine to evaluate the CMS data. Oversight will also be provided by the National Institutes of Health, an Independent Monitoring Committee and a Clinical Informatics Advisory Board. Trial results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03424109; Pre-results.

IntroductionNon-smoking policies are strictly enforced in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), which may still become contaminated by thirdhand smoke (THS), posing potential health risks to medically fragile infants. Study aims were to explore contamination routes by characterizing nicotine levels (THS proxy) found on the fingers of NICU medical staff and to assess finger-nicotine correlates.MethodsNICU medical staff were surveyed regarding smoking and electronic nicotine devices (ENDS) use/exposure, and household characteristics. Approximately 35% of staff were randomly selected for a finger-nicotine wipe. Three separate quantile regressions modeled percentiles associated with: presence of any finger nicotine, finger-nicotine levels above the median field blank level (i.e. 0.377 ng/wipe), and finger-nicotine levels two times the median blank.ResultsThe final sample size was 246 (n=260 approached; n=14 refusals). Over three-quarters (78.5%) reported some exposure to tobacco smoke or ENDS vapor/aerosols. After field-blank adjustments, the median nicotine level (ng/finger wipe) was 0.232 (IQR: 0.021-0.681) and 78.3% of medical staff had measurable finger-nicotine levels. Both being near smoking in friends'/family members' homes and finger-surface area were related to elevated finger-nicotine levels (p

Study designProspective cross-sectional survey.ObjectiveTo determine the perspectives of parents of patients undergoing posterior instrumented fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) regarding simultaneous surgery and trainee participation.Summary of background dataSimultaneous ("at the same time") surgery is under scrutiny by the public, government, payers, and the medical community. The objective of this study is to determine the perspectives of parents of patients undergoing posterior instrumented fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Our goal is to inform the national conversation on this subject with real patient and family voices.MethodsA survey was prospectively administered to 31 consecutive parents of patients undergoing posterior instrumented fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis at a large academic medical center. "Overlapping" was defined as simultaneity during "noncritical" parts of an operation. "Concurrent" was defined as simultaneity that includes "critical" part(s) of an operation. Participants were asked to provide levels of agreement with overlapping and concurrent surgery and anesthesia, as well as with trainee involvement.ResultsOn average, respondents "strongly agree" with the need to be informed about overlapping or concurrent surgery. They "disagree" with both overlapping and concurrent scheduling, and "disagree" with trainees operating without direct supervision, even for "noncritical" parts. Informing parents about the presence of a back-up surgeon or research demonstrating safety of simultaneous surgery did not make them agreeable to simultaneous scheduling.ConclusionParents have a strong desire to be informed of simultaneous spinal surgery and anesthesia as part of consent on behalf of their children. Their disagreement with simultaneous surgery, as well as with trainees operating without direct supervision, suggests discordance with current guidelines and practice and should inform the national conversation moving forward.Level of evidenceN/A.

BackgroundElectronic patient-portals offer the potential to enhance patient-physician communication and health outcomes but differential use may create or worsen disparities. While prior studies identified patient characteristics associated with patient-portal use, the role of physician factors is less known. We investigated differences in overall and patterns of portal use for patients with resident and attending primary care providers (PCPs).MethodsCross-sectional study of all established patients with a resident or attending PCP seen at an academic internal medicine practice (two sites) between May 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015. We defined patient-portal use as having accessed any "active" (secure messaging, medication refill request), or "passive" (viewing labs, after visit summaries, or appointments) patient-portal function more than once over the study period. We used generalized linear models clustered on PCP to examine the odds of patient-portal use by PCP type, adjusted for patient age, gender, preferred language, race/ethnicity, insurance, and visits. Among patient-portal users, we examined the association of PCP type with "active use" utilizing the same method.ResultsThe mean patient age (n = 17,699) was 54.2 (SD 17.5), with 47.2% White, 23.6% Asian, 8.8% Black, 8.4% Latino, and 12% other/unknown. The majority (61.8%) had private insurance, and attending PCPs (76.9%). Although 72.3% enrolled in the patient-portal, only 53.4% were portal users; 40.0% were active users. There were 47 attending and 62 resident physicians. Patients with resident PCPs had lower odds of using the portal compared to those with attending PCPs (OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.50-0.59). Similarly, among portal users, residents' patients had lower odds of being active users of the portal (OR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.68-0.87).ConclusionGiven the lower patient-portal use among residents' patients, residency programs should develop curricula to bolster trainee competence in using the patient-portal for communication and to enhance the patient-physician relationship. Future research should explore additional physician factors that impact portal use.

BackgroundQuality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is associated with survival, but recommended guidelines are often not met, and less than half the children with an in-hospital arrest will survive to discharge. A single-center before-and-after study demonstrated that outcomes may be improved with a novel training program in which all pediatric intensive care unit staff are encouraged to participate in frequent CPR refresher training and regular, structured resuscitation debriefings focused on patient-centric physiology.Methods/designThis ongoing trial will assess whether a program of structured debriefings and point-of-care bedside practice that emphasizes physiologic resuscitation targets improves the rate of survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome in children receiving CPR in the intensive care unit. This study is designed as a hybrid stepped-wedge trial in which two of ten participating hospitals are randomly assigned to enroll in the intervention group and two are assigned to enroll in the control group for the duration of the trial. The remaining six hospitals enroll initially in the control group but will transition to enrolling in the intervention group at randomly assigned staggered times during the enrollment period.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first implementation of a hybrid stepped-wedge design. It was chosen over a traditional stepped-wedge design because the resulting improvement in statistical power reduces the required enrollment by 9 months (14%). However, this design comes with additional challenges, including logistics of implementing an intervention prior to the start of enrollment. Nevertheless, if results from the single-center pilot are confirmed in this trial, it will have a profound effect on CPR training and quality improvement initiatives.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02837497 . Registered on July 19, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians and healthcare staff report high levels of burnout. Two common burnout assessments are the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a single-item, self-defined burnout measure. Relatively little is known about how the measures compare. OBJECTIVE: To identify the sensitivity, specificity, and concurrent validity of the self-defined burnout measure compared to the more established MBI measure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey (November 2016-January 2017). PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred forty-four primary care clinicians and 606 staff from three San Francisco Aarea healthcare systems. MAIN MEASURES: The MBI measure, calculated from a high score on either the emotional exhaustion or cynicism subscale, and a single-item measure of self-defined burnout. Concurrent validity was assessed using a validated, 7-item team culture scale as reported by Willard-Grace et al. (J Am Board Fam Med 27(2):229-38, 2014) and a standard question about workplace atmosphere as reported by Rassolian et al. (JAMA Intern Med 177(7):1036-8, 2017) and Linzer et al. (Ann Intern Med 151(1):28-36, 2009). KEY RESULTS: Similar to other nationally representative burnout estimates, 52% of clinicians (95% CI: 47-57%) and 46% of staff (95% CI: 42-50%) reported high MBI emotional exhaustion or high MBI cynicism. In contrast, 29% of clinicians (95% CI: 25-33%) and 31% of staff (95% CI: 28-35%) reported definitely burning out or more severe symptoms on the self-defined burnout measure. The self-defined measures sensitivity to correctly identify MBI-assessed burnout was 50.4% for clinicians and 58.6% for staff; specificity was 94.7% for clinicians and 92.3% for staff. Area under the receiver operator curve was 0.82 for clinicians and 0.81 for staff. Team culture and atmosphere were significantly associated with both self-defined burnout and the MBI, confirming concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: Point estimates of burnout notably differ between the self-defined and MBI measures. Compared to the MBI, the self-defined burnout measure misses half of high-burnout clinicians and more than 40% of high-burnout staff. The self-defined burnout measure has a low response burden, is free to administer, and yields similar associations across two burnout predictors from prior studies. However, the self-defined burnout and MBI measures are not interchangeable.

BackgroundClinicians and healthcare staff report high levels of burnout. Two common burnout assessments are the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a single-item, self-defined burnout measure. Relatively little is known about how the measures compare.ObjectiveTo identify the sensitivity, specificity, and concurrent validity of the self-defined burnout measure compared to the more established MBI measure.DesignCross-sectional survey (November 2016-January 2017).ParticipantsFour hundred forty-four primary care clinicians and 606 staff from three San Francisco Aarea healthcare systems.Main measuresThe MBI measure, calculated from a high score on either the emotional exhaustion or cynicism subscale, and a single-item measure of self-defined burnout. Concurrent validity was assessed using a validated, 7-item team culture scale as reported by Willard-Grace et al. (J Am Board Fam Med 27(2):229-38, 2014) and a standard question about workplace atmosphere as reported by Rassolian et al. (JAMA Intern Med 177(7):1036-8, 2017) and Linzer et al. (Ann Intern Med 151(1):28-36, 2009).Key resultsSimilar to other nationally representative burnout estimates, 52% of clinicians (95% CI: 47-57%) and 46% of staff (95% CI: 42-50%) reported high MBI emotional exhaustion or high MBI cynicism. In contrast, 29% of clinicians (95% CI: 25-33%) and 31% of staff (95% CI: 28-35%) reported "definitely burning out" or more severe symptoms on the self-defined burnout measure. The self-defined measure's sensitivity to correctly identify MBI-assessed burnout was 50.4% for clinicians and 58.6% for staff; specificity was 94.7% for clinicians and 92.3% for staff. Area under the receiver operator curve was 0.82 for clinicians and 0.81 for staff. Team culture and atmosphere were significantly associated with both self-defined burnout and the MBI, confirming concurrent validity.ConclusionsPoint estimates of burnout notably differ between the self-defined and MBI measures. Compared to the MBI, the self-defined burnout measure misses half of high-burnout clinicians and more than 40% of high-burnout staff. The self-defined burnout measure has a low response burden, is free to administer, and yields similar associations across two burnout predictors from prior studies. However, the self-defined burnout and MBI measures are not interchangeable.

BackgroundKangaroo mother care (KMC) for stable neonates ≤2000 g (g) is associated with decreased mortality, sepsis, hypothermia, and length of stay compared to conventional care. The World Health Organization states that KMC "should be initiated… as soon as newborns are clinically stable" [12]. However, the majority of deaths occur in unstable neonates. We aimed to determine the proportion of admitted neonates meeting proposed instability criteria, assess the feasibility of providing KMC to unstable neonates, and evaluate the acceptability of this intervention to parents and providers at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study. We recorded data including birthweight, chronological age, and treatments administered from medical charts, and calculated the percentage of clinically unstable neonates, defined as the need for ≥2 medical therapies in the first 48 hours of admission. We enrolled a sample of neonates meeting pre-defined instability criteria. Mothers were counselled to provide KMC as close to continuously as possible. We calculated the median duration of KMC per episode and per day. To explore acceptability, we conducted semi-structured interviews with parents and newborn unit care providers, and analysed data using the thematic content approach.FindingsWe included 254 neonates in the audit, 10 neonates in the feasibility sub-study, and 20 participants in the acceptability sub-study. Instability criteria were easily implementable, identifying 89% of neonates as unstable in the audit. The median duration of individual KMC episodes ranged from 115 to 134 minutes. The median daily duration ranged from 4.5 to 9.7 hours. Seventy-five percent of interviewees felt KMC could be used in neonates concurrently receiving other medical therapies. Barriers included lack of resources (beds/space, monitoring devices), privacy issues, inadequate education, and difficulties motivating mothers to devote time to KMC. Recommendations included staff/peer counselling, resources, family support, and community outreach.ConclusionsThere remains a need for an evidence-based approach to consistently define stability criteria for KMC to improve care. We found that KMC for unstable neonates weighing ≤2000g was feasible and acceptable at Jinja Hospital in Uganda. Randomised controlled trials are needed to demonstrate the effect of KMC on survival among unstable neonates in low-resource settings.

While more women are in leadership positions in academic medicine now than ever before in U.S. history, evidence from recent surveys of women and graduating medical students demonstrates that sexual harassment continues in academic health centers. Academic medicine's ability to change its culture is hampered by victims' fear of reporting episodes of harassment, which is largely due to fear of retaliation. In this Perspective, the authors describe efforts in scientific societies to address the issue of sexual harassment and to begin to establish safe environments at national meetings. The authors contend that each institution must work to make it safe for individuals to come forward, to provide training for victims and for bystanders, and to abolish "locker room" talk that is demeaning to women.

PurposePhysicians routinely transition responsibility for patient care to other physicians. When transitions of responsibility occur before the clinical outcome is known, physicians may lose opportunities to learn from the consequences of their decision making. Sometimes curiosity about patients does not end with the transition and physicians continue to follow them. This study explores physicians' motivations to follow up after transitioning responsibilities.MethodUsing a constructivist grounded theory approach, the authors conducted 18 semistructured interviews in 2016 with internal medicine hospitalist and resident physicians at a single tertiary care academic medical center. Constant comparative methods guided the qualitative analysis, using motivation theories as sensitizing constructs.ResultsThe authors identified themes that characterized participants' motivations to follow up. Curiosity about patients' outcomes determined whether or not follow-up occurred. Insufficient curiosity about predictable clinical problems resulted in the choice to forgo follow-up. Sufficient curiosity due to clinical uncertainty, personal attachment to patients, and/or concern for patient vulnerability motivated follow-up to fulfill goals of knowledge building and professionalism. The authors interpret these findings through the lenses of expectancy-value (EVT) and self-determination (SDT) theories of motivation.ConclusionsParticipants' curiosity about what happened to their patients motivated them to follow up. EVT may explain how participants made choices in time-pressured work settings. SDT may help interpret how follow-up fulfills needs of relatedness. These findings add to a growing body of literature endorsing learning environments that consider task-value trade-offs and support basic psychological needs of autonomy, competency, and relatedness to motivate learning.

BackgroundThe term "holdover admissions" refers to patients admitted by an overnight physician and whose care is then transferred to a new primary team the next morning. Descriptions of the holdover process in internal medicine are sparse.ObjectiveTo identify important factors affecting the quality of holdover handoffs at an internal medicine (IM) residency program and to compare them to previously identified factors for other handoffs.DesignWe undertook a qualitative study using structured focus groups and interviews. We analyzed data using qualitative content analysis.ParticipantsIM residents, IM program directors, and hospitalists at a large academic medical center.Main measuresA nine-question open-ended interview guide.Key resultsWe identified 13 factors describing holdover handoffs. Five factors-physical space, standardization, task accountability, closed-loop verification, and resilience-were similar to those described in prior handoff literature in other specialties. Eight factors were new concepts that may uniquely affect the quality of the holdover handoff in IM. These included electronic health record access, redundancy, unwritten thoughts, different clinician needs, diagnostic uncertainty, anchoring, teaching, and feedback. These factors were organized into five overarching themes: physical environment, information transfer, responsibility, clinical reasoning, and education.ConclusionsThe holdover handoff in IM is complex and has unique considerations for achieving high quality. Further exploration of safe, efficient, and educational holdover handoff practices is necessary.

BackgroundLittle is published about the factors that facilitate and hinder the intervention implementation process.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine factors that facilitated and hindered the implementation of a culturally appropriate colorectal cancer screening intervention targeting Vietnamese Americans in a Federally Qualified Health Center located in the Puget Sound area of Washington.MethodsThree focus group discussions (2 during the implementation phase and 1 during the maintenance phase) with the medical assistants (N = 13) who were the intervention implementation agents were conducted at the Federally Qualified Health Center. Three research team members independently analyzed the data using content analysis and then compared for agreement. We reread and recoded the transcripts until consensus was reached. The themes were clustered by similar codes and categorized into 4 groups, each including facilitators and hindrances of implementation: identification of implementation agents, implementation environment, intervention recipients, and the colorectal cancer screening intervention.ResultsFacilitators included medical assistants' high motivation with a positive attitude toward the intervention, team approach, and simplicity of the intervention, whereas hindrances included lack of time, forgetfulness, staff turnover, and language barriers.ConclusionThe findings emphasized the importance of supporting implementation agents to ensure effective intervention program implementation.Implications for practiceOncology nurses need to particularly take into consideration the evidence-based findings when planning any intervention programs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how residents relationships with their sources of social support (ie, family, friends, and colleagues) affect levels of burnout and loneliness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 198 physician-trainees in the universitys postgraduate medical education program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Residents personal and work-related burnout scores (measured using items from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory); loneliness (measured using a 3-item loneliness scale); and social support (assessed with the Lubben Social Network Scale, version 6). RESULTS: Of the 234 respondents who completed the Internet-based survey (a 22% response rate), 198 provided complete information on all study variables and thus constituted the analytic sample. Seemingly unrelated regression analyses indicated that loneliness was significantly (P < .01) and positively associated with both personal and work-related burnout scores. Greater friend-based and colleague-based social support were both indirectly associated with lower personal and work-related burnout scores through their negative associations with loneliness. CONCLUSION: Social relationships might help residents mitigate the deleterious effects of burnout. By promoting interventions that stabilize and nurture social relationships, hospitals and universities can potentially help promote resident resilience and well-being and, in turn, improve patient care.

ObjectivesIncrease parent/caregiver ability to correctly identify the attending in charge and define terminology of treatment team members (TTMs). We hypothesized that correct TTM identification would increase with use of an electronic communication tool. Secondary aims included assessing subjects' satisfaction with and trust of TTM and interest in computer activities during hospitalization.MethodsTwo similar groups of parents/legal guardians/primary caregivers of children admitted to the Pediatric Hospital Medicine teaching service with an unplanned first admission were surveyed before (Phase 1) and after (Phase 2) implementation of a novel electronic medical record (EMR)-based tool with names, photos, and definitions of TTMs. Physicians were also surveyed only during Phase 1. Surveys assessed TTM identification, satisfaction, trust, and computer use.ResultsMore subjects in Phase 2 correctly identified attending physicians by name (71% vs. 28%, P < .001) and correctly defined terms intern, resident, and attending (P ≤ .03) compared with Phase 1. Almost all subjects (>79%) and TTMs (>87%) reported that subjects' ability to identify TTMs moderately or strongly impacted satisfaction and trust. The majority of subjects expressed interest in using computers to understand TTMs in each phase.ConclusionsSubjects' ability to correctly identify attending physicians and define TTMs was significantly greater for those who used our tool. In our study, subjects reported that TTM identification impacted aspects of the TTM relationship, yet few could correctly identify TTMs before tool use. This pilot study showed early success in engaging subjects with the EMR in the hospital and suggests that families would engage in computer-based activities in this setting.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the associations of quality management systems with teamwork and safety climate, and to describe and compare differences in perceptions of teamwork climate and safety climate among clinical leaders and frontline clinicians.MethodWe used a multi-method, cross-sectional approach to collect survey data of quality management systems and perceived teamwork and safety climate. Our data analyses included descriptive and multilevel regression methods.Setting and participantsData on implementation of quality management system from seven European countries were evaluated including patient safety culture surveys from 3622 clinical leaders and 4903 frontline clinicians.Main outcome measuresPerceived teamwork and safety climate.ResultsTeamwork climate was reported as positive by 67% of clinical leaders and 43% of frontline clinicians. Safety climate was perceived as positive by 54% of clinical leaders and 32% of frontline clinicians. We found positive associations between implementation of quality management systems and teamwork and safety climate.ConclusionsOur findings, which should be placed in a broader clinical quality improvement context, point to the importance of quality management systems as a supportive structural feature for promoting teamwork and safety climate. To gain a deeper understanding of this association, further qualitative and quantitative studies using longitudinally collected data are recommended. The study also confirms that more clinical leaders than frontline clinicians have a positive perception of teamwork and safety climate. Such differences should be accounted for in daily clinical practice and when tailoring initiatives to improve teamwork and safety climate.

PurposeKnowing when patients are too ill to benefit from intensive care is essential for clinicians to recommend aggressive or palliative care as appropriate. To explore prognostic ability among critical care fellows, the authors compared fellows' and attendings' assessments of futile critical care and evaluated factors associated with assessments.MethodThirty-six attendings and 14 fellows in intensive care units at the University of California, Los Angeles, were surveyed daily for three months (December 2011-March 2012) to identify patients perceived as receiving futile treatment. Frequency of futile treatment assessments and reasons listed by attendings versus fellows were compared. Predictors of futile treatment assessments by provider type were assessed using multivariate probit models.ResultsAttendings made 6,897 assessments on 1,125 patients; fellows made 4,407 assessments on 773 patients. Fellows assessed 161 (20.8%) patients as receiving futile treatment, compared with attendings (123 [10.9%] patients, P

BackgroundAs the diversity of the European population evolves, measuring providers' skillfulness in cross-cultural care and understanding what contextual factors may influence this is increasingly necessary. Given limited information about differences in cultural competency by provider role, we compared cross-cultural skillfulness between physicians and nurses working at a Swiss university hospital.MethodsA survey on cross-cultural care was mailed in November 2010 to front-line providers in Lausanne, Switzerland. This questionnaire included some questions from the previously validated Cross-Cultural Care Survey. We compared physicians' and nurses' mean composite scores and proportion of "3-good/4-very good" responses, for nine perceived skillfulness items (4-point Likert-scale) using the validated tool. We used linear regression to examine how provider role (physician vs. nurse) was associated with composite skillfulness scores, adjusting for demographics (gender, non-French dominant language), workplace (time at institution, work-unit "sensitized" to cultural-care), reported cultural-competence training, and cross-cultural care problem-awareness.ResultsOf 885 questionnaires, 368 (41.2%) returned the survey: 124 (33.6%) physicians and 244 (66.4%) nurses, reflecting institutional distribution of providers. Physicians had better mean composite scores for perceived skillfulness than nurses (2.7 vs. 2.5, p < 0.005), and significantly higher proportion of "good/very good" responses for 4/9 items. After adjusting for explanatory variables, physicians remained more likely to have higher skillfulness (β = 0.13, p = 0.05). Among all, higher skillfulness was associated with perception/awareness of problems in the following areas: inadequate cross-cultural training (β = 0.14, p = 0.01) and lack of practical experience caring for diverse populations (β = 0.11, p = 0.04). In stratified analyses among physicians alone, having French as a dominant language (β = -0.34, p < 0.005) was negatively correlated with skillfulness.ConclusionsOverall, there is much room for cultural competency improvement among providers. These results support the need for cross-cultural skills training with an inter-professional focus on nurses, education that attunes provider awareness to the local issues in cross-cultural care, and increased diversity efforts in the work force, particularly among physicians.

PurposeTo quantify the prevalence of social and behavioral sciences (SBS) topics during patient care and to rate team response to these topics once introduced.MethodThis cross-sectional study used five independent raters to observe 80 inpatient ward teams on internal medicine and pediatric services during attending rounds at two academic hospitals over a five-month period. Patient-level primary outcomes-prevalence of SBS topic discussions and rate of positive responses to discussions-were captured using an observational tool and summarized at the team level using hierarchical models. Teams were scored on patient- and learner-centered behaviors.ResultsObservations were made of 80 attendings, 83 residents, 75 interns, 78 medical students, and 113 allied health providers. Teams saw a median of 8.0 patients per round (collectively, 622 patients), and 97.1% had at least one SBS topic arise (mean = 5.3 topics per patient). Common topics were pain (62%), nutrition (53%), social support (52%), and resources (39%). After adjusting for team characteristics, the number of discussion topics raised varied significantly among the four services and was associated with greater patient-centeredness. When topics were raised, 38% of teams' responses were positive. Services varied with respect to learner- and patient-centeredness, with most services above average for learner-centered, and below average for patient-centered behaviors.ConclusionsOf 30 SBS topics tracked, some were addressed commonly and others rarely. Multivariable analyses suggest that medium-sized teams can address SBS concerns by increasing time per patient and consistently adopting patient-centered behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Patient suicides can affect clinicians both personally and professionally, with frequent reports of psychological and behavioral changes occurring in response to this type of patient death. Although hospice clinicians have regular exposure to dying patients, the impact of patient suicide on this group has been understudied. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the personal and professional impact of patient suicides among hospice clinical staff, the coping strategies used by this group, and their recommendations for staff support after a patient suicide. DESIGN: Utilizing an online survey, 186 hospice staff qualitatively described the impact of patient suicides on them as people and professionals, their resulting coping strategies, and any recommendations for supporting others. Three study investigators coded all of the staff responses at a paragraph level and summarized the most common emergent themes using grounded theory procedures. SETTING/SUBJECTS: One hundred eighty-six clinical staff members who worked in an academic nonprofit hospice setting. MEASUREMENTS: An open-ended, qualitative survey was used to gather data about demographics, clinical experience, exposure to known or suspected suicides, recommendations for support in the event of a patient suicide, the personal and professional impacts of suicide, and coping strategies. RESULTS: The themes expressed by the hospice staff in reaction to patient suicides included: psychological responses such as feelings of guilt and self-doubt, changes in professional attitudes, and changes in clinical practice such as greater sensitivity to signs of suicide. When coping with a patient suicide, hospice staff described the use of team-based support strategies, debriefings, and personal spiritual practices. Recommendations for future support included facilitated debriefings, individual counseling, spiritual practices, leaves of absence, self-care activities, and educational interventions. CONCLUSION: Data from this small study may help clinicians and administrators more fully understand the impact of patient suicides on hospice staff and may serve as a foundation for the development of effective strategies to support staff after a patient suicide.

ImportanceExcisional skin cancer surgery is a common procedure, with no formal consensus for mitigating the risk of wrong-site cutaneous surgery.ObjectiveTo systematically consider the usefulness and feasibility of proposed methods for correct biopsy site identification in dermatology.Evidence reviewSurvey study with a formal consensus process. Item development was via a literature review and expert interviews, followed by 2 stages of a Delphi process to develop consensus recommendations.FindingsIn total, 2323 articles were reviewed in the literature search, with data extraction from 14. Twenty-five experts underwent 30-minute structured interviews, which were transcribed and coded. The resulting survey was composed of 42 proposed interventions by multiple stakeholders (biopsying physicians, operating physicians, nurses, ancillary staff, patients, caregivers, and family members) at 3 time points (day of biopsy, delay and consultation period, and day of definitive surgery). Two rounds of a Delphi process with 59 experts (25 academic and 34 private practice) scored the survey. Strong consensus was obtained on 14 behaviors, and moderate consensus was obtained on 21 other behaviors. In addition, a 2-state simultaneous algorithm was developed to model surgeon behavior on the day of definitive surgery based on surgeon and patient perceptions.Conclusions and relevanceWhen definitive surgery is performed after the initial biopsy and by a different surgeon, procedures can be implemented at several time points to increase the likelihood of correct site identification. The specific circumstances of a case suggest which methods may be most appropriate and feasible, and some may be implemented. The risk of wrong-site cutaneous surgery can be reduced but not eliminated.

ObjectiveClinical management is hypothesized to be critical for hospital management and hospital performance. The aims of this study were to develop and validate professional involvement scales for measuring the level of clinical management by physicians and nurses in European hospitals.DesignTesting of validity and reliability of scales derived from a questionnaire of 21 items was developed on the basis of a previous study and expert opinion and administered in a cross-sectional seven-country research project 'Deepening our Understanding of Quality improvement in Europe' (DUQuE).Setting and participantsA sample of 3386 leading physicians and nurses working in 188 hospitals located in Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.Main outcome measuresValidity and reliability of professional involvement scales and subscales.ResultsPsychometric analysis yielded four subscales for leading physicians: (i) Administration and budgeting, (ii) Managing medical practice, (iii) Strategic management and (iv) Managing nursing practice. Only the first three factors applied well to the nurses. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency ranged from 0.74 to 0.86 for the physicians, and from 0.61 to 0.81 for the nurses. Except for the 0.74 correlation between 'Administration and budgeting' and 'Managing medical practice' among physicians, all inter-scale correlations were

To describe the characteristics of hospitalists serving Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare claims from 2009 and 2011 merged with the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System file for physician characteristics. Our construction of the Medicare Data on Physician Practice and Specialty (MD-PPAS) enabled identification of hospitalists based on the attending physician for Medicare admissions (medical and surgical) in 2009 and 2011. In 2011, hospitalists constituted 13.3% of physicians who designated their specialty as primary care and 4.4% of all physicians serving Medicare beneficiaries. Compared to other physicians, hospitalists were more likely to be female, under forty, and in large practices. More than a quarter of Medicare admissions had a hospitalist as the attending physician, though the rate was substantially higher for medical than surgical admissions (31.8% versus 11.3%). Between 2009 and 2011, the percentage of medical admissions with a hospitalist as the attending physician increased by roughly a quarter (from 25.7% to 31.8%). This analysis provides a more current and complete estimate of the use of hospitalists by the Medicare population than is available from prior studies. The ability to identify hospitalists from claims data will facilitate research on the impact of hospitalist use on quality and cost.

Bilingual staff is used to provide interpreter services in community health centers. Little is known about the language proficiency of dual-role staff interpreters. Golden Valley Health Centers implemented a formal language assessment program to improve the number of qualified dual-role staff interpreters and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

High expectations for new technologies coexist with wide variability in the actual adoption and impact of information technology (IT) projects in clinical settings, and the frequent failure to incorporate otherwise "successful" projects into routine practice. This paper draws on actor-network theory to present an in-depth, sociotechnical analysis of one such project--a computer kiosk designed to diagnose and expedite treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) in adult women. Research at a hospital urgent care clinic demonstrated the kiosk program's effectiveness at diagnosing UTI and reducing patient wait times, and the kiosk was subsequently adopted by the clinic for routine patient care. However, a study promoting the adoption of the device at emergency departments (ED) was characterized by persistent staff resistance and lower-than-expected patient eligibility for kiosk-assisted care. The device was ultimately abandoned at all but one of the new sites. Observations and interviews with ED staff and the design/research team were conducted at four California EDs between April and July 2011 and point to conflicting understandings of evidence for the device's usefulness and reasons for its (non)adoption. The kiosk program's designers had attempted to "rationalize" medical work by embedding a formal representation of triage practices in the kiosk's software. However, the kiosk's "network" failed to stabilize as it encountered different patient populations, institutional politics, and the complex, pragmatic aspects of ED work at each site. The results of this evaluation challenge the persistent myth that a priori qualities and meanings inhere in technology regardless of context. The design and deployment of new IT projects in complex medical settings would benefit from empirically informed understandings of, and responses to, the contingent properties of human-technology relations.

ObjectiveDetermine levels of agreement among intensive care unit patients and their family members, nurses, and physicians (proxies) regarding patients' symptoms and compare levels of mean intensity (i.e., the magnitude of a symptom sensation) and distress (i.e., the degree of emotionality that a symptom engenders) of symptoms among patients and proxy reporters.DesignProspective study of proxy reporters of symptoms in seriously ill patients.SettingsTwo intensive care units in a tertiary medical center in the Western United States.PatientsTwo hundred and forty-five intensive care unit patients, 243 family members, 103 nurses, and 92 physicians.InterventionsNone.Measurements and main resultsOn the basis of the magnitude of intraclass correlation coefficients, where coefficients from .35 to .78 are considered to be appropriately robust, correlation coefficients between patients' and family members' ratings met this criterion (≥.35) for intensity in six of ten symptoms. No intensity ratings between patients and nurses had intraclass correlation coefficients >.32. Three symptoms had intensity correlation coefficients of ≥.36 between patients' and physicians' ratings. Correlation coefficients between patients and family members were >.40 for five symptom-distress ratings. No symptoms had distress correlation coefficients of ≥.28 between patients' and nurses' ratings. Two symptoms had symptom-distress correlation coefficients between patients' and physicians' ratings at >.39. Family members, nurses, and physicians reported higher symptom-intensity scores than patients did for 80%, 60%, and 60% of the symptoms, respectively. Family members, nurses, and physicians reported higher symptom-distress scores than patients did for 90%, 70%, and 80% of the symptoms, respectively.ConclusionsPatient-family intraclass correlation coefficients were sufficiently close for us to consider using family members to help assess intensive care unit patients' symptoms. Relatively low intraclass correlation coefficients between intensive care unit clinicians' and patients' symptom ratings indicate that some proxy raters overestimate whereas others underestimate patients' symptoms. Proxy overestimation of patients' symptom scores warrants further study because this may influence decisions about treating patients' symptoms.

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to describe how members of HIV patients' care teams perceived the usefulness and ease of use of newly implemented, innovative health information exchange systems (HIEs) in diverse HIV treatment settings. Five settings with existing electronic medical records (EMRs) received special funding to test enhancements to their systems. Participating clinics and community-based organizations added HIEs permitting bi-directional exchange of information across multiple provider sites serving the same HIV patient population.MethodsWe conducted in-depth qualitative interviews and quantitative web-based surveys with case managers, medical providers, and non-clinical staff members to assess the systems' perceived usefulness and ease of use shortly after the HIEs were implemented. Our approach to data analysis was iterative. We first conducted a thematic analysis of the qualitative data and discovered that there were key differences in perceptions and actual use of HIEs across occupational groups. We used these results to guide our analysis of the quantitative survey data, stratifying by occupational group.ResultsWe found differences in reports of how useful and how well-used HIEs were, by occupation. Medical providers were more likely to use HIEs if they provided easier access to clinical information than was present in existing EMRs. Case managers working inside medical clinics found HIEs to be less helpful because they already had access to the clinical data. In contrast, case managers working in community settings appreciated the new access to patient information that the HIEs provided. Non-clinical staff uniformly found the HIEs useful for a broad range of tasks including clinic administration, grant writing and generating reports for funders.ConclusionOur study offers insights into the use and potential benefits of HIE in the context of HIV care across occupational groups.

BackgroundThe optimal structure of an internal medicine ward team at a teaching hospital is unknown. We hypothesized that increasing the ratio of attendings to housestaff would result in an enhanced perceived educational experience for residents.MethodsHarbor-UCLA Medical Center (HUMC) is a tertiary care, public hospital in Los Angeles County. Standard ward teams at HUMC, with a housestaff∶attending ratio of 5:1, were split by adding one attending and then dividing the teams into two experimental teams containing ratios of 3:1 and 2:1. Web-based Likert satisfaction surveys were completed by housestaff and attending physicians on the experimental and control teams at the end of their rotations, and objective healthcare outcomes (e.g., length of stay, hospital readmission, mortality) were compared.ResultsNine hundred and ninety patients were admitted to the standard control teams and 184 were admitted to the experimental teams (81 to the one-intern team and 103 to the two-intern team). Patients admitted to the experimental and control teams had similar age and disease severity. Residents and attending physicians consistently indicated that the quality of the educational experience, time spent teaching, time devoted to patient care, and quality of life were superior on the experimental teams. Objective healthcare outcomes did not differ between experimental and control teams.ConclusionsAltering internal medicine ward team structure to reduce the ratio of housestaff to attending physicians improved the perceived educational experience without altering objective healthcare outcomes.

BackgroundBioethicists and professional associations give specific recommendations for discussing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).ObjectiveTo determine whether attending hospitalist physicians' discussions meet these recommendations.DesignCross-sectional observational study on the medical services at two hospitals within a university system between August 2008 and March 2009.ParticipantsAttending hospitalist physicians and patients who were able to communicate verbally about their medical care.Main measuresWe identified code status discussions in audio-recorded admission encounters via physician survey and review of encounter transcripts. A quantitative content analysis was performed to determine whether discussions included elements recommended by bioethicists and professional associations. Two coders independently coded all discussions; Cohen's kappa was 0.64-1 for all reported elements.Key resultsAudio-recordings of 80 patients' admission encounters with 27 physicians were obtained. Eleven physicians discussed code status in 19 encounters. Discussions were more frequent in seriously ill patients (OR 4, 95% CI 1.2-14.6), yet 66% of seriously ill patients had no discussion. The median length of the code status discussions was 1 min (range 0.2-8.2). Prognosis was discussed with code status in only one of the encounters. Discussions of patients' preferences focused on the use of life-sustaining interventions as opposed to larger life goals. Descriptions of CPR as an intervention used medical jargon, and the indication for CPR was framed in general, as opposed to patient-specific scenarios. No physician quantitatively estimated the outcome of or provided a recommendation about the use of CPR.ConclusionsCode status was not discussed with many seriously ill patients. Discussions were brief, and did not include elements that bioethicists and professional associations recommend to promote patient autonomy. Local and national guidelines, research, and clinical practice changes are needed to clarify and systematize with whom and how CPR is discussed at hospital admission.

BackgroundResident duty hour limitations aim, in part, to reduce medical errors. Residents' perceptions of the impact of duty hours on errors are unknown.ObjectiveTo determine residents' self-reported contributing factors, frequency, and impact of hours worked on suboptimal care practices and medical errors.DesignCross-sectional survey.Subjects164 Internal Medicine Residents at the University of California, San Francisco.Measurements and resultsResidents were asked to report the frequency and contributing factors of suboptimal care practices and medical errors, and how duty hours impacted these practices and aspects of resident work-life. One hundred twenty-five residents (76%) responded. The most common suboptimal care practices were working while impaired by fatigue and forgetting to transmit information during sign-out. In multivariable models, residents who felt overwhelmed with work (p = 0.02) and who reported spending >50% of their time in nonphysician tasks (p = 0.002) were more likely to report suboptimal care practices. Residents reported work-stress (a composite of fatigue, excessive workload, distractions, stress, and inadequate time) as the most frequent contributing factor to medical errors. In multivariable models, only engaging in suboptimal practices was associated with self-report of higher risk for medical errors (p < 0.001); working more than 80 hours per week was not associated with suboptimal care or errors.ConclusionOur findings suggest that administrative load and work stressors are more closely associated with resident reports of medical errors than the number of hours work. Efforts to reduce resident duty hours may also need to address the nature of residents' work to reduce errors.

Student exposure to illness-related theatrical performances holds intriguing educational possibilities. This project explored uses of theatrical performance within the context of medical education.Two 1-person shows, dramatically addressing AIDS and ovarian cancer, were presented to audiences totalling approximately 150 medical students, faculty, community doctors, staff and patients.Evaluations for both performances indicated increased understanding of the illness experience and greater empathy for patients. They also showed that respondents obtained additional insights into patient care issues, and developed new ways of thinking about their situations.Presenting illness-related dramatic performances as an adjunct method of enhancing empathy and insight toward patients in a self-selected group of students, doctors, staff and patients was successful. Although this approach might not be effective with all learners, those who participated felt they gained important insights into the nature of the patient experience.

Although AIDS is spreading rapidly in minority communities, little is known about attitudes, knowledge, and behavior related to AIDS and HIV in the Asian community. The purpose of this study was to examine these variables in a sample of gay Asian males, as well as to investigate the relationship between knowledge, sources of information, culturally influenced attitudes and high-risk behaviors in this population. Results from a sample of 60 young Asian men who self-identified as "having sex with other men" indicated they were generally knowledgeable about methods of transmission and prevention, and appeared linked to a large information network that included informal sources such as peers and formal sources. However, significant percentages held culturally biased views of AIDS, such as believing race of partner or one's own gender role in the sexual encounter determined level of risk; and one third of the sample did not use condoms regularly. Having been tested for HIV was associated with holding less traditional cultural beliefs and a higher sexual activity level. Open communication about safer sexual practices was associated with monogamous as opposed to multiple relationships and with decreased tendency to engage in alcohol-related unprotected sex. Variance in overall risk was predicted by demographic variables such as education, age, and level of sexual activity, rather than by the attitudinal factors measured. Limitations of this exploratory study include a time-limited subject recruitment period and consequent small sample size, a homogeneous sample weighted toward young, well-educated, and middle-class respondents, and the exclusion of non-English speaking individuals. Nevertheless, study findings suggest that educational outreach targeting Asians who have sex with other men needs to address inaccurate cultural beliefs about HIV/AIDS, emphasize consistent condom use, and encourage models of open communication with partners about safer sexual practices.

The willingness of physicians to provide care to HIV-positive patients has been linked to a number of attitudinal factors, but little is known concerning the impact of premedical, medical, and residency training on these factors. The purpose of this study is to elicit responses to the same series of questions concerning HIV and its treatment from respondents at different stages of training, to detect trends in attitudes and to measure the impact of those attitudes on willingness to provide care for HIV/AIDS patients. Study data come from a cross-sectional survey (n = 249) of respondents across the training continuum, from premedical students to faculty physicians, using a self-administered questionnaire at a single medical school. The response rate was 59.6%. The study showed significant decreases in personal fear and misgivings concerning HIV, coupled with a substantial decrease in the perceived need for testing of non-high-risk individuals, as respondents gained additional education and training. Overall, the intent to treat HIV did not change significantly by training level, but multivariate analyses showed that while the initially strong influence of attitudes toward AIDS and its attendant risks diminishes, comfort relative to being around homosexuals per se continues to exert an impact on the intent to treat. Appropriate use of protective measures when providing care becomes far more common once individuals enter their clinical training years. The impact of medical education through its entire continuum therefore shows a positive impact on attitudes toward HIV, despite the absence of a significant trend in respondents' stated intent to treat. However, negative attitudes toward homosexuals continue to exert a negative influence on intent to treat that endures into the clinical training years.