Development of a novel Haemabiome tool for the high-throughput analysis of haemopathogen species co-infections in African livestock.

One of the principal limitations on livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is the constraining effect of infectious diseases, including tick-borne blood pathogens. Currently, diagnostic markers for these pathogens are species or genus specific, making it challenging to implement high-throughput screening methods. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a novel high-throughput diagnostic tool capable of detecting a range of important haemopathogens in livestock.

Evaluating the Impact of Surgical Residents on Hospital Quality and Operational Metrics.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to conduct a follow up analysis comparing operational and quality measures of the pre-residency period with those of a mature program comprised of a full cohort of 15 residents, with 3 residents in each post graduate year (PGY) 1-5.

Design: A retrospective review of 25,900 surgeries performed by the general, breast, plastics, thoracic, and vascular services at a single regional medical center was performed and surgeries were classified as pre-residency period and residency period. Independent variables included patient demographics, comorbidity burden, emergency department arrivals, and outcomes of interest included daily elective case volume, the percent of cases performed during 'off-hours' (defined as 7p-7a), operating room (OR) and procedure minutes, average length of stay (LOS), average total hospital charges, rates of 30-day return to OR (ROR), ED visits, and readmissions, and patient satisfaction.

Experiences of Simulated Phone Death Notification.

Background: Physicians perform many difficult skills, but notifying loved ones about the death of a family member is a particularly challenging skill that requires specific training. Descriptions of such training are lacking in the literature. We developed a formative standardised patient encounter on death notification over the telephone for fourth-year medical students and evaluated their qualitative perspectives, including emotional safety.

AAHPM Assessment Workgroup: Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Assessment Needs and Directions.

Context: Medical education is moving towards competency based medical education (CBME). This provides opportunities and challenges for the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM). The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) created the Assessment Workgroup to spearhead a shared vision and process to implement high-quality assessment of fellow performance.