Background. The mission of public academic health centers (puAHC) and their affiliated practice groups (APG) focuses on teaching, research, and the clinical care of at-risk populations. Resources to accomplish this mi...
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Background. The mission of public academic health centers (puAHC) and their affiliated practice groups (APG) focuses on teaching, research, and the clinical care of at-risk populations. Resources to accomplish this mission, however, are becoming scarce. For puAHC to survive and remain competitive, innovative strategies will need to be developed by the APG. We hypothesized that the integration of a surgical academic practice of the APG with a nonacademic integrated health care delivery system (NAIDS) in a managed care environment would benefit all involved. Methods. A surgical academic practice was integrated with a NAIDS in a 95% managed care market. Faculty alone provided care the first year and third-year residents were added the following year. To assess outcome, we collected benefit and cost data for the 1-year period before integration and compared them with the two, 1-year periods after integration. Results. In the second year of integration 1-revenues from the NAIDS referrals to the puAHC and APG increased 89% and 150%, respectively. The NAIDS' general surgical and endoscopy caseload increased by 25%. Additionally, there was a 92% reduction in operating room technician cost with no increase in operating time per case. Finally, the third-year resident experienced a caseload increase of 163%. Conclusions. In an environment where resources are diminishing and managed care consists of many large NAIDS that drive referrals and revenue, the integration of a surgical academic practice with a NAIDS benefits all shareholders. Academic practice groups that develop strategies that leverage their competitive advantage will have the best chance of surviving in today's turbulent health care market.
Emergency medicine is developing rapidly in southern Brazil, where elements of both the France-German and the Anglo-American models of emergency care are in place, creating a uniquely Brazilian approach to emergency c...
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Emergency medicine is developing rapidly in southern Brazil, where elements of both the France-German and the Anglo-American models of emergency care are in place, creating a uniquely Brazilian approach to emergency care. Although emergency medical services (EMS) in Brazil have been directly influenced by the French mobile EMS (SAMU) system, with physicians dispatched by ambulances to the scenes of medical emergencies, the first American-style emergency medicine residency training program in Brazil was recently established at the Hospital de Pronto Socorro (HPS) in Porto Alegre. Emergency trauma care appears to be particularly developed in southern Brazil, where advanced trauma life support is widely taught and SAMU delivers sophisticated trauma care en route to trauma centers designated by the state.
Educators have devoted little attention to formal evaluation of educational administrative personnel. The authors surveyed the educational administrators working in McMaster University's Department of Medicine res...
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Educators have devoted little attention to formal evaluation of educational administrative personnel. The authors surveyed the educational administrators working in McMaster University's Department of Medicine residency program and found they felt they were receiving little useful feedback The authors also surveyed the colleagues, residents, and administrative staff with whom the administrators worked and found they felt they had inadequate input into the administrators' evaluation In response to these results, a measurement instrument was developed based on existing job descriptions and feedback was obtained on administrators' performance from relevant individuals. After three yearly evaluations, administrators and evaluators acknowledged much broader input into evaluation but saw little evaluation-related improvement in performance. Of the administrators, 85% felt the process should continue as did 91% of the evaluators. An evaluation process may nor alter perceived performance when it is already good but there may be other benefits to rigorous evaluation.
Study objective: We obtain preliminary information on the neuropsychological performance of house officers at the beginning and end of a shift while they worked consecutive night shifts in the emergency department. Me...
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Study objective: We obtain preliminary information on the neuropsychological performance of house officers at the beginning and end of a shift while they worked consecutive night shifts in the emergency department. Methods: We prospectively studied interns working 12-hour consecutive night shifts in an urban Level I trauma center ED. All consecutive non-emergency medicine interns rotating for 1 month were eligible except those older than 40 years and those with sleep disorders or depression (identified by using the Profile of Mood Scale, Sleep Diagnostic Questionnaire). We tested research subjects at the beginning of a day shift and at the beginning and end of night shifts 1 and 3 of 4 consecutive night shifts at times of estimated baseline wakefulness (10 Pm) and maximum fatigue (3 AM). We used 3 standardized neuropsychological tests: (1) Delayed Recognition Span Test (visual memory capacity);(2) Continuous Performance Test (attentional function, vigilance);and (3) Santa Ana Form Board Test (psychomotor speed, coordination). We analyzed data with mixed-model analysis, with research subject as a random effect. Results: Thirteen interns were eligible, and 1 declined. Twelve interns (6 men and 6 women;age range 25 to 35 years) were enrolled. The Delayed Recognition Span Test (number correct before first error) revealed significant deterioration from the beginning of the shift to the end of the shift (mean difference -2.2;95% confidence interval -3.1 to -1.3). This represents an 18.5% decrease in visual memory capacity. There were no significant differences found for the other tests. Conclusion: Interns working nights demonstrated a significant reduction in visual memory capacity across the night shift. Research involving neuropsychological performance during night shifts in the ED is important. It might provide valuable insights into ways to improve our performance during night shifts.
作者:
BOOTH, FVMHASSETT, JMDepartment of Surgery
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences State University of New York at Buffalo 100 High Street Buffalo New York 14203-1154
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