Medical Faculty and Medical Student Opinions on the Utility of Questions to Teach and Evaluate in the Clinical Environment.

Objectives: We sought to report medical student and faculty perceptions of the purpose and utility of questions on clinical rounds.

Methods: We developed and administered a survey to third and fourth-year medical students and teaching physicians. The survey elicited attitudes about using questions to teach on rounds in both benign and malignant learning environments.

Evaluation of Provider Assessment of Clinical History When Using the HEART Score.

Objective: The HEART Score is a clinically validated risk stratification tool for patients with chest pain. Using five parameters (History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin), this instrument categorizes patients as low, moderate, or high risk for major adverse cardiac events within six weeks after evaluation. Of these parameters, History is the most subjective, as providers independently assign their level of clinical suspicion.

Using Standardized Whiteboards to Improve Patient Engagement.

Whiteboards are ubiquitous fixtures in hospital rooms that may represent a ready-made patient engagement tool; yet, their use has only been minimally explored. This study examined the relationship between a standardized whiteboard communication process and patient activation by using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Participants ( = 172) that were optimally involved in whiteboard communication had significantly higher PAM scores compared to those who were suboptimally involved.