Background: The transition out of the hospital is a vulnerable time for patients and families and is ripe for physician training.  We implemented a discharge curriculum focusing on the competence of a ‘Safe and Effective Discharge (SAFE-D) From the Hospital’.  The primary objective for the SAFE-D innovation was to assess the usefulness of direct observation […]

Background: The discharge process is complex and high-risk. Clear and accurate communication between the physician or Advanced Practice Provider (providers), nurse, and patient are essential to ensure a safe and effective transition of care. Upon literature review, there have not been studies looking at interprofessional communication during the discharge process. Also, our institution (a large […]

Background: The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) developed a recent accreditation standard requiring medical schools “must prepare medical students to function collaboratively on health care teams that include health professionals from other disciplines as they provide coordinated services to patients”.  Our academic tertiary medical center does not offer training for non-physician medical learners, therefore […]

Background: One in five Americans (64 million) speak a language other than English, and one in twelve Americans (26 million) speak English less than “very well”, classifying them as having limited English proficiency (LEP). LEP patients have difficulty navigating the healthcare system due to language barriers in understanding their treatment plans, communicating with providers and […]

Background: Hospitalized patients are consented for procedures on a daily basis, and obtaining informed consent is a core competency in professionalism and medical ethics for hospitalists.  This provides an opportunity for academic hospitalists to evaluate this skill.  AAMC released Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency (CEPAER) as a reference for graduating medical students, and […]

Background: The Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population is at higher risk of receiving poorer care and worse health outcomes compared to their English-speaking counterparts. Interpreters should be utilized to help improve these encounters, but physicians are rarely trained on how to work with interpreters effectively. This is reflected in a prior study showing that residents […]

Background: HCAHPS is a nationally standardized, publically reported survey of patients’ perspective of healthcare. However, the effect of HCAHPS reporting on hospitals with baseline low versus baseline high patient satisfaction with physicians has not been studied.  Therefore, our objective was to compare the long-term changes in the patient satisfaction with physicians in hospitals with baseline […]

Background: When people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) access the US healthcare system, a disparity is created, leading to worse outcomes and lower quality of care.1-5 In-person interpreters are essential in circumventing these disparities, yet pitfalls to collaboration between providers and interpreters persist.6-9 This study’s goal was to assess barriers and identify opportunities for intervention […]

Background: Teamwork is essential to providing safe, effective, patient-centered care. Prior research documented discrepancies in perceptions of teamwork and collaboration among nurses and physicians. However, prior studies have been limited to single sites and academic medical centers. Methods: We conducted surveys of healthcare professionals in 4 hospitals participating in the REdesigning SystEms to Improve Teamwork […]

Background: Observational studies suggest unanticipated ICU admissions or cardiac arrests are preceded by hours of unstable clinical signs and symptoms. Medical Emergency Teams (METs) are intended to treat these patients earlier, by identifying them through use of standardized clinical criteria. However, the prevalence of clinically unstable patients on general wards meeting these criteria is not […]