A graduate medical education (GME) quality improvement curriculum leads to improved knowledge and participation in high quality improvement projects by trainees.

Background: There is increased awareness about the need for quality improvement (QI) education for trainees within clinical training programs. However, formal integration of a QI curriculum into graduate medical education (GME) remains a work-in-progress. We describe the creation and implementation of a novel, virtual QI curriculum complemented by virtual-based workshops.

Left Ventricular Non-compaction Cardiomyopathy: The Key to Its Diagnosis and Implications for Management.

Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) cardiomyopathy is a condition with increasing prevalence as cardiac imaging technology improves, although there is currently no diagnostic gold standard. Characterized by the presence of a bilayered myocardium with prominent trabeculations, LVNC cardiomyopathy has a wide range of presentations, from asymptomatic to severe heart failure, thromboembolism, and sudden cardiac death. We present the case of a 62-year-old male who was admitted for a heart failure exacerbation with a worsening ejection fraction and signs of increased trabeculations of the left ventricle on an echocardiogram.

Burnout: exploring the differences between U.S. and international medical graduates.

Background: International medical graduates (IMGs) have less burnout than U. S. medical school graduates (USMGs) during residency training.

Ventriculostomy supply cart decreases time-to-external ventricular drain placement in the emergency department.

Background: Minimizing time-to-external ventricular drain (EVD) placement in the emergency department (ED) is critical. We sought to understand factors affecting time-to-EVD placement through a quality improvement initiative.

Methods: The use of process mapping, root cause analyses, and interviews with staff revealed decentralized supply storage as a major contributor to delays in EVD placement.

A Versatile and Highly Selective Colorimetric Sensor for the Detection of Amines.

The utility of Meldrum's activated furan (MAF) for the colorimetric detection of sub ppm levels of amines in solution, on solid supports, and as vapors is reported. MAF is synthesized in one step from inexpensive and commercially available starting materials and exhibits high selectivity for primary and secondary amines in the presence of competing nucleophiles. The reaction between activated furans and amines results in a distinct color change, discernable by the naked eye.

Tunable Visible and Near Infrared Photoswitches.

A class of tunable visible and near-infrared donor-acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) photoswitches were efficiently synthesized in two to four steps from commercially available starting materials with minimal purification. Using either Meldrum's or barbituric acid "acceptors" in combination with aniline-based "donors", an absorption range spanning from 450 to 750 nm is obtained. Additionally, photoisomerization results in complete decoloration for all adducts, yielding fully transparent, colorless solutions and films.

Interventions to improve hospice and palliative care referral: a systematic review.

Background: Hospice and palliative care are underutilized among patients at the end of their lives despite evidence that they improve patient satisfaction and reduce costs.

Objective: To synthesize evidence regarding interventions to increase hospice referral/enrollment.

Design And Measurements: We conducted a systematic review of the literature and selected studies that evaluated interventions aimed at increasing hospice use.

Incompletely condensed fluoroalkyl silsesquioxanes and derivatives: precursors for low surface energy materials.

A novel synthetic method was developed for the controlled functionalization of fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (F-POSS), which are useful as low surface energy materials for superhydrophobic and superoleophobic materials. Utilizing triflic acid, open-cage compounds were created and then reacted with a variety of dichlorosilanes to produce functional F-POSS structures possessing alkyl-, aryl-, and acrylate-based moieties. The crystal structure for an endo,endo-disilanol F-POSS compound was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Evaluation of a novel assessment form for observing medical residents: a randomised, controlled trial.

Context: Teaching faculty cannot reliably distinguish between satisfactory and unsatisfactory resident performances and give non-specific feedback.

Objectives: This study aimed to test whether a novel rating form can improve faculty accuracy in detecting unsatisfactory performances, generate more rater observations and improve feedback quality.

Methods: Participants included two groups of 40 internal medicine residency faculty staff.