Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: The transition from medical school to residency is characterized by an abrupt transition of learning needs and goals. Coaching is a promising intervention to support individual learning and growth trajectories of learners. It is uncommon for medical school faculty to have undergone training as coaches. We explored our faculty's perceptions and skills after instituting a new coaching program.
METHOD(S): Faculty advisors (N=12) and GME (N=16) participated in a coaching development program and in community of practice meetings where challenging coaching scenarios were shared. GME faculty also participated in a Group Objective Structured Clinical Exam (GOSCE) to practice and receive feedback on their skills. Peer-faculty observers and resident raters used behaviorally grounded checklists to assess faculty performance. We conducted 2 focus groups: 1) UME advisors engaged in longitudinal coaching (n=9) and 2) GME faculty participating in the coaching development program (n=8) to better understand how faculty make sense of and put into practice these new coaching roles and skills.
RESULT(S): Simple thematic coding showed that both groups emphasized the blurring of the many roles they serve when interacting with trainees and struggled with recognizing both which hat to wear (role to adopt) and which skills to call upon in specific situations. UME advisors who have dedicated advising/coaching roles reported assuming multiple roles at different times with their same students. Many of the GME coaches serve as Associate Program Directors, and described adopting a coaching frame of reference (mentality) and requiring external reinforcement for coaching skills. Some reported realizing after the fact that coaching would have been a valuable approach. Faculty newer to their role felt more successful in engaging in coaching mindset and coaching. Faculty were curious about how trainees would feel about this approach and anticipated that some would appreciate this more than others. 12 faculty participated in a three station Coaching GOSCE. Both resident raters and faculty peer raters suggested faculty coaches were able to establish trust and engage in authentic listening. Coaches negotiated the tension between empathetic listening with supporting goal-setting. Residents provided slightly lower ratings than peer observers on coaches' ability to ask questions and assume a coachee- focused agenda.
CONCLUSION(S): Medical educators may benefit from obtaining coaching skills, but deliberate training in how these skills complement, and differ, from existing skills requires both didactic and experiential learning. Cultivating a community of practice and offering opportunities for deliberate practice, observation and feedback is essential for medical educators to achieve mastery as coaches. LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1: Identify and perform appropriate learning activities to guide personal and professional development (PBL) LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2: Understand and apply core longitudinal coaching skills (Professionalism)

Psychosocial stressors are prevalent and linked to worse health outcomes, but are less frequently addressed than physically apparent medical conditions at primary care visits. Through a community-academic partnership between an art museum and a federally qualified health center, we developed an innovative museum-based intervention and evaluated its feasibility and acceptability among diverse, underserved patients and its perceived effects on psychosocial stressors. Guided by experiential learning and constructivist approaches, the intervention consisted of a single, three-hour session that incorporated group discussions and interactive components, including art-viewing, sketching, and object-handling. We used post-intervention focus groups to elicit feedback qualitatively. From July 2017 to January 2018, 25 patients participated. Focus groups revealed that the intervention exhibited therapeutic qualities, fostered self-reflection, catalyzed social connectivity, and functioned as a gateway to community resources. These findings can guide future research and development of community-based interventions to target the growing burden of psychosocial stressors among the underserved.

Purpose/UNASSIGNED:People with HIV (PWH) are living longer lives and likely experiencing accentuated aging. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been proposed as a way to identify and help meet each individual patient's needs. Patients and Methods/UNASSIGNED:We performed a retrospective review of the results of CGA in an HIV clinic in New York City. CGA included assessment of basic and instrumental activities of daily living, screens for depression, anxiety, frailty, cognition, and quality of life, along with general discussion of concerns and goals. We compared the group of PWH referred for CGA to those of comparable age who were not referred to determine the factors that were associated with referral. We carried out a descriptive analysis of those undergoing CGA, along with regression to determine factors associated with poorer PHQ-2 depression scores and higher VACS score. Results/UNASSIGNED:A total of 105 patients underwent full CGA during the study period. Mean age of referred patients was 66.5 years, ranging from 50 to 84 years (SD 7.99). More than 92% were virally suppressed. Compared with their non-referred counterparts over 50, referred patients were older and had more functional comorbidities like cerebrovascular disease, neuropathy, and urinary incontinence. More than half complained of fatigue, and 2/3 noted poor memory. Almost 60% were frail or prefrail. Ninety patients were asked about their goals, and the most commonly cited were related to health or finances; fifteen patients were unable to articulate any goals. Having fewer goals and noting weight loss or fatigue were predictive of higher scores on the PHQ-2 depression screen. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:Although most older PWH undergoing CGA can manage their ADL, many have concerns and deficits beyond their comorbidities. CGA offers an important window into the psychosocial concerns and needs of older PWH.

A low serum bicarbonate (SB) level is predictive of adverse outcomes in kidney injury, infection, and aging. Because the liver plays an important role in acid-base homeostasis and lactic acid metabolism, we speculated that such a relationship would exist for patients with cirrhosis. To assess the prognostic value of admission SB on adverse hospital outcomes, clinical characteristics were extracted and analyzed from a large electronic health record system. Patients were categorized based on admission SB (mEq/L) into 7 groups based on the reference range (22-25) into mildly (18-21), moderately (14-17), and severely (<14) decreased groups and mildly (26-29), moderately (30-33), and severely (>30) increased groups, and the relationship of SB category with the frequency of complications (acute kidney injury/hepatorenal syndrome, portosystemic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, ascites, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis) and hospital metrics (length of stay [LOS], admission to an intensive care unit [ICU], and mortality) was assessed. A total of 2,693 patients were analyzed. Mean SB was 22.9 ± 4.5 mEq/L. SB was within the normal range (22-25 mEq/L) in 1,072 (39.8%) patients, and 955 patients (36%) had a low SB. As the SB category decreased, the incidence of complications progressively increased (p < 0.001). Increased MELD-Na score and low serum albumin also correlated with frequency of complications (p < 0.001). As the SB category decreased, LOS, ICU admission, and mortality progressively increased (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, the association of decreased SB with higher odds of complications, LOS, ICU admission, and mortality persisted. Conclusion. Low admission SB in patients with cirrhosis is associated with cirrhotic complications, longer LOS, increased ICU admissions, and increased hospital mortality.

Introduction/UNASSIGNED:An epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India is fueling a growing demand for primary care and hospitalization services. Difficulties in coordinating inpatient and outpatient care create significant barriers to providing high-quality medical care. In this paper, we describe patient experiences, perceptions, and expectations of doctor-patient relationships in a secondary-level private hospital in Karnataka, India. Methods/UNASSIGNED:We conducted a cross-sectional, mixed-method needs assessment with surveys and in-depth interviews at Dr. TMA Pai Hospital (TMAPH), a secondary-level, private sector hospital in Karnataka, India. Inclusion criteria included all adults over 18 years old hospitalized at TMAPH in the past year. Patients were consecutively recruited from August 2019-October 2019 and asked to rate aspects of their relationship with their primary care provider (PCP). Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze predictors of the doctor-patient relationship. Patients were interviewed regarding their perceptions of care coordination and doctor-patient relationships. General Thematic Analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data and develop themes. Quantitative and qualitative findings were then merged to interpret the various dimensions of doctor-patient relationships. Results/UNASSIGNED:= 0.04). The following themes were developed from patient interviews: (1) patients trusted and respected their PCP believing they were receiving high quality care; and (2) despite perceived fragmentation in care, patients spoke favorably of their relationships with their doctors. Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:Among a sample of recently hospitalized patients, those with a PCP reported more positive doctor-patient relationships, though rates of dissatisfaction with doctors were still high. Further research and strategies are required to optimize continuity of care and doctor-patient relationships across the entire continuum of outpatient and inpatient care.

Background Prior studies of SLE clusters based on autoantibodies have utilized cross-sectional data from single centers. We applied clustering techniques to longitudinal and comprehensive autoantibody data from a large multinational, multiethnic inception cohort of well characterized SLE patients to identify clusters associated with disease outcomes. Methods We used demographic, clinical, and serological data at enrolment and follow-up visits years 3 and 5 from 805 patients who fulfilled the 1997 Updated ACR SLE criteria and were enrolled within 15 months of diagnosis. For each visit, ANA, dsDNA, Sm, U1-RNP, SSA/Ro60, SSB/La, Ro52/ TRIM21, histones, ribosomal P, Jo-1, centromere B, PCNA, anti-DFS70, lupus anticoagulant (LAC), IgG and IgM for anticardiolipin, anti-b2GP1, and aPS/PT, and IgG anti-b2GP1 D1 were performed at a single lab (except LAC). K-means clustering algorithm on principal component analysis (10 dimensions) transformed longitudinal ANA/autoantibody profiles was used. We compared cluster demographic/clinical outcomes, including longitudinal disease activity (total and adjusted mean SLEDAI- 2K), SLICC/ACR damage index and organ-specific domains, SLE therapies, and survival, using one-way ANOVA test and a Benjamini-Hochberg correction with false discovery rate alpha=0.05. Results were visualized using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding. Results Four unique patient clusters were identified (table 1). Cluster 1, characterized by high frequency of anti-Sm and anti-RNP over time, was the youngest group at disease onset with a high proportion of subjects of Asian and African ancestry. At year 5, they had the highest disease activity, were more likely to have active hematologic and mucocutaneous involvement, and to be on/exposed to immunosuppressants/ biologics. Cluster 2, the largest cluster, had low frequency of anti-dsDNA, were oldest at disease onset, and at year 5, had the lowest disease activity, and were least likely to have nephritis and be on/exposed to immunosuppressants/biologics. Cluster 3 had the highest frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies over time, were more likely to be of European ancestry, have an elevated BMI, be former smokers, and by year 5, to have nephritis, neuropsychiatric involvement, including strokes and seizures (SLICC/ACR damage index). Cluster 4 was characterized by anti-SSA/Ro60, SSB/La, Ro52/TRIM21, histone antibodies, and low complements at year 5. Overall, survival of the 805 subjects was 94% at 5 years, and none of the clusters predicted survival. Conclusions Four SLE patient clusters associated with disease activity, organ involvement, and treatment were identified in this analysis of longitudinal ANA/autoantibody profiles in relation to SLE outcomes, suggesting these subsets might be identifiable based on extended autoantibody profiles early in disease and carry prognostic information

Background: Heart failure (HF) is an important contributor to the increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality incidence in ESKD. Therapies targeting HF's unique pathophysiology in ESKD are lacking. Hydralazine-isosorbide dinitrate (H-ISDN) targets reduced nitric oxide bioavailability and could improve CV mortality in ESKD Methods: Adult patients with HF on maintenance dialysis between January 2011 and December 31, 2016 were identified using the United States Renal Data System. There were 6306 patients with at least one prescription for H-ISDN and 75,851 non-users. The primary outcome was death from any cause. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular death and sudden death. Treatment effects were estimated using stabilized inverse probability weights in Cox proportional hazards regression. Because H-ISDN has been shown to improve outcomes in Black HF patients, we investigated effect modification by race Results: Age was similar in H-ISDN users (66 +/- 13 years) and non-users (69 +/- 13 years) with 50% and 51% men, respectively. H-ISDN (51%) users were more likely to be of Black race than non-users (27%). Dialysis vintage was longer in H-ISDN (25 months) users compared with non-users (15 months). All characteristics were well balanced in weighted models. Risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, and sudden death were significantly reduced in H-ISDN users compared to non-users (Table). We did not identify significant effect modification by race (Figure)
Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of the impact of H-ISDN on mortality in ESKD. Our results suggest that combination H-ISDN improves survival in dialysis patients with HF