Provider Awareness Alone Does Not Improve Transition Readiness Skills in Adolescent Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ABSTRACT Objective: Adolescent patients with chronic health conditions must gradually assume responsibility for their health. Self-management skills are needed for a successful transfer from adolescent to adult health care, but the development of these skills could be resource intensive. Pediatric providers are already instrumental in teaching patients about their health and may improve these skills. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether informal education of pediatric providers regarding transition improves inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient self-management skills. Methods: Consecutive patients with IBD older than 10 years who presented to the outpatient setting were administered a survey regarding self-management behaviors in 2008 and 2011. During this time, several conferences on transition were presented to the providers. Results: In 2008, 294 patients completed the survey (82%) compared with 121 patients (89%) in 2011. The patient groups were comparable with respect to sex (boys 50% vs 42%), mean age (16.7 vs 16.2 years), and type of IBD (Crohn 68% vs 66%). The 13- to 15-year-olds reported calling in refills (11%, 8%, respectively), scheduling clinic appointment (0, 1%), preparing questions (13%, 5%), and taking the main role in talking during clinic visits (15%, 24%). The 16- to 18-year-olds reported calling in refills (13%, 27%), scheduling clinic appointments (9%, 6%), preparing questions (9%, 16%), and taking the main role in talking in clinic visits (36%, 45%). Responsibility for behaviors gradually increases with age, but did not differ significantly between 2008 and 2011. Conclusions: Increasing awareness around transition readiness for pediatric providers had an insignificant effect on the self-management skills of patients with IBD. A more formal or structured approach is likely required to improve transition skills in adolescent patients

Telehealth Utilization in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Current State of Medical Provider Training

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of telehealth services and thus the need for telehealth education and training to support rapid implementation at scale. A national survey evaluating the current state of the telehealth landscape was deployed to organizational representatives, and included questions related to education and training. Materials and Methods: In the summer of 2020, 71 survey participants (31.8%) completed an online survey seeking to determine the utilization of telehealth services across institutional types and locations. This included data collected to specifically compare the rates and types of formal telehealth education provided before and during the pandemic. Results: Thirty percent of organizations reported no telehealth training before COVID-19, with those in suburban/rural settings significantly less likely to provide any training (55% vs. 82%) compared with urban. Pandemic-related training changes applied to 78% of organizations, with more change happening to those without any training before COVID-19 (95%). Generally, organizations offering training before the pandemic reported deploying COVID-19-related telehealth services, while a higher percentage of those without any training beforehand reported that they either did not plan on providing these services or were in the early planning stages. Discussion: Telehealth education is moving from elective to essential based on the need to prepare and certify the workforce to support high-quality telehealth services. Conclusions: As telehealth continues to evolve to meet the future health care service needs of patients and providers, education and training will advance to meet the needs of everyday clinical encounters and broader public health initiatives

Ensuring the future of otitis media research: Interest in and feasibility of a mentoring network program within the otitis media research community

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of the implementation of a mentoring network program based on expressed interest and the diverse composition of the otitis media research community in order to address attrition of the scientific workforce. METHODS: An online survey was sent to basic, translational, and clinical researchers with a known interest in otitis media. RESULTS: Of 509 eligible participants, 119 (23.4%) responded to the survey. Survey respondents had a diverse background by completed education, current job description, and membership in an underrepresented group in science. Most faculty respondents (76.4%) were willing to participate in the proposed program as mentors and faculty lecturers, or had early-career researchers or trainees in their research group who were willing to participate as mentees in the mentoring network. Scientific and non-scientific topics for inclusion in the training program were ranked, with immunology and inflammation, microbiology, science leadership and collaboration, mentoring, and grantsmanship as main foci of interest among respondents. CONCLUSION: Our survey results showed enthusiastic participation among responding otitis media researchers, indicating the feasibility of implementing a mentoring network program that will address workforce attrition, particularly among underrepresented groups in science

Impact of Organism Reporting from Endotracheal Aspirate Cultures on Antimicrobial Prescribing Practices in Mechanically Ventilated Pediatric Patients

Endotracheal aspirate cultures (EACs) help diagnose lower respiratory tract infections in mechanically ventilated patients but are limited by contamination with normal microbiota and variation in laboratory reporting. Increased use of EACs is associated with increased antimicrobial prescribing, but the impact of microbiology reporting on prescribing practices is unclear. This study was a retrospective analysis of EACs from mechanically ventilated patients at Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) admitted between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019. Chart review was performed to collect all culture and Gram stain components, as well as antibiotic use directed to organisms in culture. Reporting concordance was determined for each organism using American Society for Microbiology guidelines. Days of therapy were calculated for overreported and guideline-concordant organisms. A multivariable model was used to assess the relationship between organism reporting and total days of therapy. Overall, 448 patients with 827 EACs were included in this study. Among patients with tracheostomy, 25 (8%) organisms reported from EACs were overreported and contributed 48 days of excess therapy, while 227 (29%) organisms from the EACs of endotracheally intubated patients were overreported, contributing 472 excess days of therapy. After adjustment, organism overreporting was associated with a >2-fold-higher rate of antimicrobial therapy than guideline-concordant reporting (incident rate ratio [IRR], 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23, 6.53; P < 0.05). Overreported organisms from respiratory cultures contribute to excess antimicrobial therapy exposure in mechanically ventilated patients. Microbiology laboratories have an opportunity to mitigate antimicrobial overuse through standardized reporting practices

Family Health History Reporting is Sensitive to Small Changes in Wording

Purpose Family health history is often collected through single-item queries that ask patients whether or not their family members are affected by certain conditions. The specific wording of these queries may affect what individuals report. Methods: Parents of Boston Children’s Hospital patients were invited to participate in a web-based survey about the return of individual genomic research results about their children. Participants reported whether 11 types of medical conditions affected them or their family. Randomization determined whether or not participants were specifically instructed to consider their extended family. Results: 2,901 participants reported family health history. Those asked to consider their extended family were more likely to report a positive family history for 8 of 11 medical conditions. The largest differences were observed for cancer (65.1% vs 45.7%, p<0.001), cardiovascular conditions (72.5% vs 56.0%, p<0.001), and endocrine/hormonal conditions (50.9% vs 36.7%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Small alterations to the way family health history queries are worded can substantially change patient responses. Clinicians and researchers need to be sensitive about patients’ tendencies to omit extended family from health history reporting unless specifically asked to consider them