Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Many patients require post-acute care at skilled nursing facilities (SNF) after hospital discharge. While returning from SNF to home is often the ultimate goal for these patients, a safe discharge from SNF often requires additional support from home health care agencies or from patients' families. However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all aspects of the healthcare industry, complicating transition home. To understand how post-acute SNF throughput was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a study of discharge processes of patients with COVID-19 at a skilled nursing facility.
METHOD(S): This was a retrospective study of all residents at our SNF with a positive COVID-19 PCR test between 3/1/20-6/1/20. We defined post-acute patients as those who were admitted to the nursing home 100 days or less before the positive test. Using the facility's electronic medical record, we reviewed all medical, nursing, social work and other notes to identify discharge planning processes. Specifically, we identified if discharge planning was initiated, whether the patient was successfully discharged, and whether there was evidence that the discharge was complicated by COVID-19 related challenges.
RESULT(S): Of 350 residents with a positive COVID-19 PCR, 121 were postacute patients who were admitted to our facility within 30 days of positive PCR or symptom onset. Median age was 79 (interquartile range [IQR], 69-86), 59 (49%) were female, 16 (13%) were Black, 8 (7%) were White, 8 (7%) were Hispanic and 84 (70%) did not report race. Over an average follow-up time of 185 days, 98 (81%) post-acute patients had discharge planning initiated, of which 81 were discharged to the community. Median length of stay for those discharged was 38 days (IQR 23-98). Discharge sites included home (66 [81%]), assisted living facilities (9 [7%]), and hotels (2 [2%]). Discharge planning was affected by COVID-19 for 49 (41%) patients. These included symptom development that precluded discharge; logistical issues related to establishing home oxygen; unwillingness for assisted living facilities, home care services, or families to receive COVID-19 positive patients; challenges establishing home care services due to staffing shortages; and family members sick with COVID-19 themselves.
CONCLUSION(S): The COVID-19 pandemic had a multi-layered effect on the ability of nursing home residents to be discharged safely home. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: A diagnosis of COVID-19 has a substantial impact on the ability to safely discharge patients from SNF due to concerns from assisted living facilities, home care services, and families about directly caring for someone with COVID-19. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Systems-Based Practice: Delayed discharge from SNF may impact their ability to accept new patients, which may have further upsteam effects on other aspects of the healthcare continuum such as hospital length of stay

LEARNINGOBJECTIVES 1: Interpersonal /Communication Skill: 1) Identify communication skills needed to recruit older adults LEARNING OBJECTIVES 2: 2) Assess feasibility of GOSCEs to enhance recruitment skills in RAs. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 18 (5 male, 13 female) Research Assistants (RAs) at an urban hospital who recruit older adults for clinical trials. DESCRIPTION: Increasing older adults' participation in clinical trials is urgently needed. We developed a remote, three station simulation (Group Objective Structured Clinical Exam - GOSCE) to teach RAs communication skills. This 2-hour course included a discussion of challenges in recruiting older adults; skills practice with Standardized Participants (SPs); and a debrief to review experiences, highlight best practices. After discussion, RAs rotated (3 per group) through the stations, each with SP and faculty observer who provided immediate feedback. Thus, learners had opportunities for active and observational learning.Scenarios were: 1) an older white woman with hearing impairment; 2) an older white woman and family member together; and 3) an older Black man mistrustful due to history of racism in medical research. SPs completed behaviorally anchored checklists (11 communication skills across all cases, and 5-7 case-specific questions). Learners completed a 36- item survey of self-assessed change in skill after the workshop; insights on recruitment practice; and educational value. EVALUATION: The communication checklist across all cases included: relationship development (5 items, mean of 58% well done (range: 50-75%), patient education (3 items, 44% (42-58%)), patient satisfaction (2 items, 54% (50-58%)), and information gathering (1 item, 92%). Seventeen RAs completed the survey, 100% felt the workshop provided valuable feedback and taught relevant material, 88% would participate again and 52%reported that the workshop improved their recruitment skills. All RAs reported encountering situations similar to hearing impairment and family member cases, and the majority rated the cases as high in educational value. Just 45% reported experiencing a case similar to the Black male case, and 100% rate it as high in educational value. Key points identified by RAs included the value of building a trusting relationship with potential subjects, recognizing possible barriers to communication early on and addressing these directly in a supportive and respectful style. DISCUSSION / REFLECTION / LESSONS LEARNED: Remote GOSCEs are a feasible mechanism for training RAs in subject recruitment focused on the unique needs of older adults. Responses to the RA survey suggest that GOSCEs are feasible for training RAs in simulated clinical scenarios with which participants are familiar and unfamiliar. SP assessment of RAs identified areas for further reinforcement to improve recruitment skills. This innovation is a feasible, high yield strategy for training research staff. It is highly adaptable to the specific recruitment needs and skills of a clinical trials and will add to the literature on educating RAs

BACKGROUND: Clinical reasoning (CR) is a core component of medical training, yet residents often receive little feedback on their CR documentation. Here we describe the process of developing a machine learning (ML) algorithm for feedback on CR documentation to increase the frequency and quality of feedback in this domain.
METHOD(S): To create this algorithm, note quality first had to be rated by gold standard human rating. We selected the IDEA Assessment Tool-a note rating instrument across four domains (I=Interpretive summary, D=Differential diagnosis, E=Explanation of reasoning, A=Alternative diagnoses explained) that uses a 3-point Likert scale without descriptive anchors. To develop descriptive anchors we conducted an iterative process reviewing notes from the EHR written by medicine residents and validated the Revised-IDEA Assessment Tool using Messick's framework- content validity, response process, relation to other variables, internal structure, and consequences. Using the Hofstee standard setting method, cutoffs for high quality clinical reasoning for the IDEA and DEA scores were set. We then created a dataset of expertrated notes to create the ML algorithm. First, a natural language processing software was applied to the set of notes that enabled recognition and automatic encoding of clinical information as a diagnosis or disease (D's), a sign or symptom (E or A), or semantic qualifier (e.g. most likely). Input variables to the ML algorithm included counts of D's, E/A's, semantic qualifiers, and proximity of semantic qualifiers to disease/ diagnosis. ML output focused on DEA quality and was binarized to low or high quality CR. Finally, 200 notes were randomly selected for human validation review comparing ML output to human rated DEA score.
RESULT(S): The IDEA and DEA scores ranged from 0-10 and 0-6, respectively. IDEA score of >= 6.5 and a DEA score of >= 3 was deemed high quality. 252 notes were rated to create the dataset and 20% were rated by 3 raters with high intraclass correlation 0.84 (95% CI 0.74-0.90). 120 of these notes comprised the testing set for ML model development. The logistic regression model was the best performing model with an AUC 0.87 and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.65. 48 (40%) of the notes were high quality. There was substantial interrater reliability between ML output and human rating on the 200 note validation set with a Cohen's Kappa 0.64.
CONCLUSION(S): We have developed a ML algorithm for feedback on CR documentation that we hypothesize will increase the frequency and quality of feedback in this domain. We have subsequently developed a dashboard that will display the output of the ML model. Next steps will be to provide internal medicine residents' feedback on their CR documentation using this dashboard and assess the impact this has on their documentation quality. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Describe the importance of high quality documentation of clinical reasoning. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Identify machine learning as a novel assessment tool for feedback on clinical reasoning documentation

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Our discussant's thoughtful consideration of the patient's case allows for review of three maxims of medicine: Occam's razor (the simplest diagnosis is the most likely to be correct), Hickam's dictum (multiple disease entities are more likely than one), and Crabtree's bludgeon (the tendency to make data fit to an explanation we hold dear). CASE PRESENTATION/METHODS:A 66-year-old woman with a history of hypertension presented to our hospital one day after arrival to the United States from Guinea with chronic daily vomiting, unintentional weight loss and progressive shoulder pain. Her labs are notable for renal failure, nephrotic range proteinuria and normocytic anemia while her shoulder X-ray shows osseous resorption in the lateral right clavicle. Multiple myeloma became the team's working diagnosis; however, a subsequent shoulder biopsy was consistent with follicular thyroid carcinoma. Imaging suggested the patient's renal failure was more likely a result of a chronic, unrelated process. CONCLUSIONS:It is tempting to bludgeon diagnostic possibilities into Occam's razor. Presumption that a patient's signs and symptoms are connected by one disease process often puts us at a cognitive advantage. However, atypical presentations, multiple disease processes, and unique populations often lend themselves more to Hickam's dictum than to Occam's razor. Diagnostic aids include performing a metacognitive checklist, engaging analytic thinking, and acknowledging the imperfections of these axioms.

The association between artificial sweetener (AS) consumption and the risk of organ-specific cancers has been debated for decades. We hypothesized that AS consumption is associated with reduced risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. We aimed to test this hypothesis by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between AS and GI cancers. We searched 4 databases for comparative studies of AS consumption (exposed) versus no consumption (nonexposed) and the odds or risk of GI luminal or non-luminal cancer (primary outcome). Estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. Studies were evaluated for quality, bias, and heterogeneity. We analyzed 8 (4 prospective, 4 case-control) studies comprising data on 1,043,496 individuals, among whom 3271 pancreatic, 395 gastric, 304 esophageal, 3008 colorectal, and 598 oropharyngeal cancers occurred. While there was no significant association between AS consumption and odds of GI cancer overall, AS consumption was associated with 19% reduced likelihood of luminal GI cancer (OR 0.81, 95% CI:0.68-0.97). There was no association between AS consumption and non-luminal GI cancer. Meta-regression demonstrated no difference in effect estimates based on study type. Based on this first meta-analysis of AS and GI cancer, we demonstrated that AS consumption is associated with a significantly lower likelihood of luminal, but not non-luminal, GI cancer.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEMOR QUESTION (ONE SENTENCE): To determine the feasibility and acceptability of using a virtual-only model for initiating and maintaining patients on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV prevention. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1: Participants will be able to identify 3 key considerations in developing a clinical workflow for virtual PrEP initiation. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 2: Participants will be able to discuss 3-5 challenges associated with virtual PrEP initiation, and identify strategies to address these challenges. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM/INTERVENTION, INCLUDING ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT (E.G. INPATIENT VS. OUTPATIENT, PRACTICE OR COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS): The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone (FHC) is a federally qualified health center network with 8 clinical sites in Brooklyn, NY, primarily serving a low-income, immigrant community. Since 2016, FHC has operated a focused outreach program to promote PrEP to high-risk individuals, using targeted strategies to engage those not currently in PrEP care. Our intervention sought to expand on our successful outreach model by using tele health to remove geographic barriers to participation. We developed clinical and patient navigation workflows to enable patients to initiate and continue PrEP through virtual visits. For necessary labs, patients were supported in identifying a lab collection site convenient to their home. Patient navigation staff played a key role in risk reduction education, benefits navigation, and facilitating compliance with labs and virtual care. MEASURES OF SUCCESS (DISCUSS QUALITATIVE AND/OR QUANTITATIVEMETRICSWHICHWILL BEUSEDTOEVALUATE PROGRAM/INTERVENTION): The key measure of success is PrEP uptake and continuation among the virtual visits cohort. Additional evaluation measures include the referral source of patients for virtual PrEP initiation, patient demographics, and HIV risk-these measures will enable us to assess whether we are reaching a more diverse or higher risk population through this program. FINDINGS TO DATE (IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO STATE FINDINGS WILL BE DISCUSSED): The pilot project launched in October 2020. In the three months since project launch, 8 patients were served through this program. Six of the patients (75%) had been initially engaged with the FHC through the HIV prevention program, while two were existing FHC patients-one of whom had previously been in standard PrEP care, but struggled to make the in-person visits. Six patients were cisgender men who have sex with men, while two were transgender women. Virtual PrEP provided an opportunity to link patients to other needed healthcare services, including vaccination and STI treatment. KEY LESSONS FOR DISSEMINATION (WHAT CAN OTHERS TAKE AWAY FOR IMPLEMENTATION TO THEIR PRACTICE OR COMMUNITY): The tele health PrEP pilot program enabled us to reach a diverse group of high-risk patients, a majority of whom had not previously been engaged in care within our health system, and we anticipate continued growth this program as we expand our outreach to additional geographic areas. Navigation staff were key in overcoming some of the barriers associated with the virtual model by building relationships with the patients and serving as a reliable source of support for patients encountering logistical barriers. PrEP initiation by tele health must account for additional logistical considerations-most notably, ensuring patient compliance with labs-but it is a feasible approach for engaging high-risk patients in HIV prevention services

BACKGROUND: On the road to becoming competent, compassionate and ethical physicians, trainees need to reflect on their experiences, understand the clinical and social contexts, and integrate cognitive and affective reactions in ways that build resilience and a coherent professional identity. Using a qualitative approach, this study seeks to identify medical residents' stressors and challenges, and to understand their experience of the internal and external factors of such situations. Such information can guide educators to develop curricula that better meet residents' needs.
METHOD(S): Primary Care residents at NYU School of Med have ongoing Psychosocial Rounds (PSR) throughout their 3 years, facilitated by a faculty member and Chief Resident, where residents present challenging cases or situations, framed by a specific question. Semi-structured notes taken by facilitators, including question, case description, process of discussion and teaching points were compiled into a deidentified database of 119 cases spanning 2010-2019. These notes were coded by three coders using iterative thematic analysis.
RESULT(S): Seventy four of the 119 cases have been coded to date. Four general themes emerged, with each comprised of 2 to 4 main codes. These themes were 1) Self (S): including management of medical uncertainty, emotional reactions, roles and responsibilities, self-care; 2) Teams (T): including relationship with peers, supervisors, other health professionals; 3) Understanding Patient and Families (PF): including social and cultural context, mental health issues, patient/ family and provider disagreements; and 4) Hospital, Healthcare and Societal issues (HHS). There was a high co- occurrence of themes within cases, 60% had 2 themes present, 24% had 3, and only 16% had one theme. Cases with 3 themes most often included S, T and PF.
CONCLUSION(S): This analysis of PSR cases identifies issues for which residents seek help and support in a safe, case-oriented problem-solving discussion group, and allows for in-depth reflection and exploration. The cooccurrences of themes indicate the complexity of issues faced, and the importance of integrating multiple domains when beginning to understand these issues. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Professionalism: Coping with challenges of becoming resilient physician with emotional and cognitive capacity to deal with complex situations LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Develop awareness and skills to negotiate interpersonal situations

BACKGROUND: To justify nonprofit hospital organizations' tax exemption, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires these organizations to report on efforts to identify and invest in local health needs via Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), Implementation Strategies (ISs), and Schedule H (990H) tax forms. However, there is no requirement that 990H spending aligns with topics raised on CHNAs or ISs, and recent reports have questioned whether 990H reporting categories adequately measure investments in social determinants of health. To assess the utility of ACA-mandated reporting for tracking spending on social health needs, this cross-sectional study aimed to describe how often a need identified in CHNAs is reflected in plans noted in ISs and in spending reported in 990Hs. Using housing as an example of a social health need, we focused on communities with the most homelessness to study organizations most likely to address housing.
METHOD(S): We identified nonprofit hospital organizations with facilities in the 5 metropolitan areas with highest per-capita homelessness using Department of Housing & Urban Development data and the Community Benefit Insight (CBI) database. We reviewed organizations' public reporting documents, obtained via internet search and from CBI, to determine whether they ever addressed housing on CHNAs, ISs, and 990Hs from 2015-2017. We excluded 3 organizations for which we could not obtain all 3 documents.
RESULT(S): Of 47 organizations sampled (representing 57 facilities in Washington, DC; Santa Cruz County; Boston; New York City; and San Francisco), housing was noted in 55% (n=26) of CHNAs, 36% (n=17) of ISs, and 26% (n=12) of 990Hs. Among the 26 organizations that recognized housing needs in CHNAs, 10 noted housing-related plans in ISs, and 7 reported spending on housing in 990Hs.
CONCLUSION(S): Although many nonprofit hospital organizations in areas with high homelessness recognize housing as a health need, public reporting documents provide limited evidence that an identified community need for housing was translated into related plans and spending. Further investigation should explore whether discrepancies among documented needs, strategies, and spending reflect inadequacy of the 990H for capturing housing-related spending versus hospitals' uncertainty in whether or how to invest in housing after identifying it as a health need. Regulatory reform to increase guidance for social investments and require greater concordance among CHNAs, ISs, and 990Hs could promote accountability and transparency in organizations' efforts to address housing and other health-related social needs. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Quantify use of public reporting documents by nonprofit hospitals in communities with high rates of homelessness to show how they identify and invest in housing as a community health need (Patient Care) LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Appraise policy opportunities to enhance Affordable Care Act-mandated reporting requirements to hold nonprofit hospital organizations accountable to improving community health (SystemsBased Practice)

BACKGROUND: A core responsibility of medical educators is to foster a strong sense of medical professional identity (PI). Few studies specifically examine the qualities that constitute the PI of physicians recognized for exemplary professionalism. We describe those qualities based on an assessment of PI to inform educational efforts and support learners' development of PI.
METHOD(S): We used Colby and Damon's criteria for selection of moral exemplars (1992) to invite nominations of exemplary faculty physicians at NYUGSOM from faculty and trainees. Participants completed the Professional Identity Essay (PIE), a 9-question reflective writing measure based on a wellknown model of adult development that explores meaning making on PI (Bebeau & Lewis, 2004; Kegan, 1982, 1994). Two raters with extensive training and experience in adult developmental theory rated PIE responses for stage or transition phase. PI stages include independent operator, teamoriented idealist, self-defining, and self-transforming. These stages reflect increasing complexity and internalization of PI. We also gathered information on specialty, years in practice, gender, and race/ethnicity.
RESULT(S): Two hundred and twelve faculty were nominated; 35 were invited to participate (based on number of nominations, diversity of ages, backgrounds and career stage), and 21 completed scorable PIEs. They were from 13 specialties; mean career length was 21.5 years (range 6-45), and 35% were female. All but 2 were Caucasian. PIE scores ranged from 3 to 4.5 (Table 1), demonstrating differing and increasingly complex and internalized ways faculty understand their PI, and that not all nominated exemplars share a singular view of professionalism.
CONCLUSION(S): Physicians nominated as exemplars of professionalism embody a range of professional identities and professionalism world-views. Our study provides rich descriptions of multiple pathways to strengthening a physician's professionalidentities, of critical importance to faculty and physician development in a milieu of challenges to recruitment and retention of physicians. This approach can also inform educators' efforts to support PI development in learners and support the development of learning communities that foster a growth mindset. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Recognize importance of strong role models for MPI. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Describe the varying levels of MPI in a cohort of exemplar physicians

BACKGROUND: Performance-based assessment & feedback during medical training is essential for a successful transition before moving onto residency and independent clinical practice. Learners at New York University's School of Medicine (NYUSOM) participate in a routine comprehensive clinical skills examination (CCSE) that takes place at the tail end of medical school. During this exam, learners interact with standardized patients (SPs) and are rated on specific skills using a standardized checklist, measuring important clinical skills domains. NYUSOM has utilized the same assessment tool since 2005. To date, there is limited evidence on the tool's validity and ability to differentiate among students. We sought to provide evidence for it's reliability, validity, and generalizability.
METHOD(S): 1157 learners participated in the CCSE from 2011-2019 and were included in the analysis. Communication domain items assessed included patient education (3 items), relationship development (4 items), information gathering (6 items) and organization/ time management (3 items). Items were scored using a 3-point behaviorally-anchored scale (not, partly, or well done). In order to determine the degree to which the data mapped onto our theoretically-informed communication domains, we conducted a four-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) allowing for factors to correlate (oblique rotation) and using means and variance adjusted weighted-least squares estimation (WLSMV) in order to account for the ordered categorical nature of the communication items. Model fit was assessed using root mean square of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.08, comparative fit index (CFI) > 0.95, and standardized root mean square error (SRMR) <0.08.
RESULT(S): The model fit the data using RMSEA (0.04), CFI (0.98), and SRMR (0.05). All factors were significantly correlated with one another (p < 0.05), with the largest correlation between patient education and organization/ time management (0.86), and information gathering (0.77). The smallest correlation was between organization/ time management and information gathering (0.66). All items (factor loadings) significantly loaded on the factors they measured. Only one item had an insignificant threshold loading between partly and well done, suggesting this part of the response scale may be hard for SPs to differentiate between students with varying ability on this item. Each factor had at least one item that had a factor loading less than 0.7.
CONCLUSION(S): The analysis suggests each item on the communication checklist significantly measures domains they were designed to measure, and that items can be summated to compute overall scores. Domains had one item with a lower loading than the rest, suggesting these items may be measuring something different. Follow up measurement modeling and profile analysis is the next logical step in determining if there is an important sub-domain that identifies a student group operating differentially. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Understand clinical communication LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Describe communication measures