EMYWAY Workplace-Based Entrustable Professional Activities Assessments in Otolaryngology Residency Training: A Nationwide Experience.

Objective: To present workplace-based entrustable professional activities (EPAs) assessment data from the first 2 years of the EMYWAY platform in otolaryngology residency training in Taiwan.

Study Design: Two-year cross-sectional study.

Setting: Otolaryngology training programs.

A deep learning-based ADRPPA algorithm for the prediction of diabetic retinopathy progression.

As an alternative to assessments performed by human experts, artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being used for screening fundus images and monitoring diabetic retinopathy (DR). Although AI models can provide quasi-clinician diagnoses, they rarely offer new insights to assist clinicians in predicting disease prognosis and treatment response. Using longitudinal retinal imaging data, we developed and validated a predictive model for DR progression: AI-driven Diabetic Retinopathy Progression Prediction Algorithm (ADRPPA).

Cost-Utility Analysis of Bilateral Cochlear Implants for Children With Severe-to-Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Taiwan.

Objectives: Cochlear implants are an option for children with sensorineural hearing loss who do not benefit from hearing aids. Although bilateral cochlear implantation (CI) has been shown to enhance hearing performance and quality of life, its cost-effectiveness remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bilateral CI compared with bimodal hearing for children with sensorineural hearing loss in Taiwan from both the perspectives of patients and Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration (TNHIA).

Developing and validating a knowledge-based AI assessment system for learning clinical core medical knowledge in otolaryngology.

Background: Clinical core medical knowledge (CCMK) learning is essential for medical trainees. Adaptive assessment systems can facilitate self-learning, but extracting experts' CCMK is challenging, especially using modern data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) approaches (e.g.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale for Parents and Children.

Objectives: To translate and validate the Chinese version of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) for children with hearing impairment (C-SSQ-C) and for their parents (C-SSQ-P).

Design: We translated the SSQ for children into Chinese and verified its readability and comprehensibility. A total of 105 participants with moderate-to-profound hearing loss (HL) and 54 with normal hearing were enrolled in the validation process.

Algorithm-Driven Tele-otoscope for Remote Care for Patients With Otitis Media.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a growing demand for telemedicine. Artificial intelligence and image processing systems with wireless transmission functionalities can facilitate remote care for otitis media (OM). Accordingly, this study developed and validated an algorithm-driven tele-otoscope system equipped with Wi-Fi transmission and a cloud-based automatic OM diagnostic algorithm.

Trend Analysis of Inpatient Medical Adverse Events in Taiwan (2014-2020): Findings From Taiwan Patient Safety Reporting System.

Objectives: Medical adverse event (MAE) reporting and management are essential for patient safety campaigns. An epidemiological assessment of MAE trends is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of patient safety improvement efforts. This study analyzed the trends of inpatient MAEs, focusing on MAE incidence and harm severity.

Health Utilities of Bilateral Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss with Assistive Devices.

Hearing loss is a common sensory disorder in newborns. Early intervention with assistive devices benefits children's auditory and speech performance. This study aimed to measure the health utilities of children with bilateral severe-to-profound hearing impairment with different assistive devices.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency care of acute myocardial infarction: findings from the Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treatment requires timely diagnosis and treatment for optimal health outcomes. The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused changes in health-care delivery and utilization; therefore, the present study explored the changes in emergency care quality indicators for patients with AMI before and during different periods of government response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. The Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicators database was used to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on acute care quality indicators for patients with AMI during four periods: before the COVID-19 outbreak (Period I-1 January to 31 December 2019) and during three periods in which the central government imposed different levels of epidemic prevention and response alerts (Period II-1 January 2020 to 30 April 2021; Period III-1 May to 31 July 2021; and Period IV-1 August to 31 December 2021).

Development of a mobile tele-education system to assist remote otolaryngology learning during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Developing clinical thinking competence (CTC) is crucial for physicians, but effective methods for cultivation and evaluation are a significant challenge. Classroom teaching and paper-and-pencil tests are insufficient, and clinical field learning is difficult to implement, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simulation learning is a useful alternative, but existing methods, e.

The Impacts of COVID-19 on Healthcare Quality in Tertiary Medical Centers-A Retrospective Study on Data from Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicators System.

To date, COVID-19 is by far the most impactful contagious disease of the 21st century and it has had a devastating effect on public health in countries around the globe. Elective medical services have declined markedly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have compared changes in healthcare quality before and during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Eastern Asian countries.

Clinical manifestations and genetic analysis of a family with neurofibromatosis type 2.

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease with slow, yet potentially life-threatening progression.

Objective: We describe the clinical manifestations and genetic profile of a family with NF2.

Methods: We enrolled a 16-member family with NF2.

The prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in covid-19 - A systematic review.

Objectives: Loss of smell or taste are early symptoms of COVID-19. Given the high asymptomatic rate of COVID-19, as well as unreliable temperature checking and contact history taking, it is important to understand the role of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction (OGD) in the diagnosis of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to determine how initial symptoms of OGD can be used to screen patients for COVID-19 laboratory testing.

National Quality Evaluation of Medication Use for Pediatric Otitis Media With Effusion.

Objectives: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is characterized by the presence of fluid in the middle ear without the presentation of signs or symptoms of acute ear infection. The point prevalence of OME reaches as high as 60% in children younger than 2 years of age. We used the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to investigate the use of medication in children with OME before receiving ventilation tube insertion (VTI).

EAR-UNet: A deep learning-based approach for segmentation of tympanic membranes from otoscopic images.

This paper presents a method for automatic segmentation of tympanic membranes (TMs) from video-otoscopic images based on deep fully convolutional neural network. Built upon the UNet architecture, the proposed EAR scheme is based on three main paradigms: EfficientNet for the encoder, Attention gate for the skip connection path, and Residual blocks for the decoder. The paper also introduces a new loss function term for the neural networks to perform segmentation tasks.

Impact of a kidney-specific disease-specific care certification program on the institutional performance indicators of hospitals caring for patients with chronic kidney disease: A national data analysis.

Aim: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise due to population aging and multimorbidity. Taiwan is particularly afflicted by this prevailing ailment. Although multidisciplinary pre-dialysis care has been implemented to halt CKD progression and reduce health-care utilization in Taiwan, more is needed to reduce the local burden of CKD.

Development of the Joint Commission of Taiwan's Smart Healthcare Standard.

It is well known that information technology (IT) can play a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare quality and patient safety. The use of computational science to enhance the capabilities of hospital information systems helps deliver enhanced healthcare quality. "Smart healthcare" has become a popular term, reflecting the level of IT involvement in healthcare services.

Transient-evoked otoacoustic emission signals predicting outcomes of acute sensorineural hearing loss in patients with Ménière's disease.

Fluctuating hearing loss is characteristic of Ménière's disease (MD) during acute episodes. However, no reliable audiometric hallmarks are available for counselling the hearing recovery possibility. To find parameters for predicting MD hearing outcomes.

Improvements in patient safety culture: a national Taiwanese survey, 2009-16.

Objective: To assess national trends in patient safety culture in Taiwan.

Design: A safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to 144 hospitals from 2009 to 2016 (n = 392 341).

Setting: Taiwan's medical centers, regional hospitals and community hospitals.

Can simulation-based team resource management training help students to pass entrustable professional activities 13?

Objective: Simulation technology has been integrated into team resource management (TRM) training in many hospitals. We designed a simulation-based TRM training scenario (SBTRM) aiming to help post graduate year (PGY) physicians to fulfil the requirements of the entrustable professional activities 13 (EPA 13). In this study, we investigate and report the SBTRM effectiveness.

Impact of disease-specific care certification on clinical outcome and healthcare performance of myocardial infarction in Taiwan.

Background: The relationship between certification for specific disease care and clinical outcome was not well known. Previous studies regarding the effect of certification for acute stroke centers were limited by their cross-sectional design. This study aimed to investigate the effect of disease-specific care (DSC) certification on healthcare performance and clinical outcome of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

The Hospital Patient Safety Culture Survey: Reform of Analysis and Visualization Methods.

Understanding the topography of hospital safety culture is vital for developing, implementing, and monitoring the effectiveness of tailored safety programs. Since 2009, the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ-C) has been introduced and administered to providers in many Taiwanese hospitals. The mean percentage of SAQ survey respondents who demonstrate attitudinal agreement within each of the SAQ domains, the percent agreement (PA) score, is used worldwide as the main parameter of safety culture surveys.