Using structured communication to improve patient handoffs and reduce medical errors.

Communication errors during transfer of care from one clinician to another are a major cause of medical errors. In 2006, The Joint Commission made handoff communications a national patient safety goal. In 2014, the Association of American Medical Colleges included giving and receiving a report to transfer a patient's care as one of the 13 core entrustable professional activities required for entry into residency programs.

Cardiac auscultation: Using physiologic maneuvers to further identify heart murmurs.

Auscultation of heart sounds and murmurs often is taught in a simulated environment with optimal listening conditions. Clinicians' auscultation skills can wither if they do not have contact with patients with valvular heart disease during clinical practice, or if they rely on handheld ultrasound devices or echocardiography. This article reviews heart murmurs and how to use physiologic maneuvers during the cardiac examination to assist in identifying murmurs.

Screening for Undetected Depression in Physician Assistant Students.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to measure and compare depressive symptoms among physician assistant students during didactic and clinical phases.

Methods: Students (n = 123) completed the PHQ-9, and responses were scored in 2 ways (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9). First, submissions were deemed positive and assigned a severity if question 1 or 2 scored 3 or above (PHQ-2 method).

Enhancing Physician Assistant Student Clinical Rotation Evaluations With the RIME Scoring Format: A Retrospective 3-Year Analysis.

Purpose: This article describes a 3-year retrospective analysis of student clinical rotation evaluations using the Reporter-Interpreter-Manager-Educator (RIME) scoring format. The intent of the analysis was to assess scoring trends to determine whether students with high scores on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) also achieved high RIME scores on clinical rotations.

Methods: The top and bottom quartiles of PANCE scores were identified for the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center's physician assistant (PA) classes of 2010-2012 (n = 106).

Diagnosis and treatment of restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs during rest, usually accompanied by uncomfortable sensations in the affected extremity or extremities. RLS can manifest at any age but prevalence increases with advancing age. This article describes the symptoms of RLS, associated comorbidities, and how to diagnose and manage RLS.

A design thinking approach to evaluating interprofessional education.

The complex challenge of evaluating the impact of interprofessional education (IPE) on patient and community health outcomes is well documented. Recently, at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in the United States, leaders in health professions education met to help generate a direction for future IPE evaluation research. Participants followed the stages of design thinking, a process for human-centred problem solving, to reach consensus on recommendations.

Development, implementation, and short-term effectiveness of an interprofessional education course in a school of health professions.

It is accepted that interprofessional education (IPE) has positive benefits for health profession students, including effective communication, increased teamwork skills, and better appreciation for the roles of other health professions. However, the question remains of how to effectively deliver IPE for health professions students in an educational environment. To address this problem, the University of Texas Southwestern School of Health Professions developed an IPE course, Interdisciplinary Development, Education, and Active Learning (IDEAL), incorporating seven disciplines represented within the school.

Physician assistants in emergency medicine: the impact of their role.

Background: Emergency medicine (EM) in North America has been undergoing significant transformation since the new century. Recent health care reform has put it center stage. Access demand for acute care is increasing at the same time the number of qualified emergency physicians entering service has reached a plateau.

The use of course portfolios to document the scholarship of teaching.

One strategy that novice and experienced PA faculty can use to address the needs of the scholarship of teaching--particularly the institution's need to address faculty evaluation, tenure, and promotion--is to use a course portfolio. A course portfolio can be used in many other ways that are beneficial to the instructor, fellow faculty, and the PA program.