Faculty Bibliography

CONTEXT: Poorly written radiology reports are common among residents and are a significant challenge for radiology education. While training may improve report quality, a professionally developed reliable and valid scale to measure report quality does not exist. OBJECTIVES: To develop a measurement tool for report quality, the quality of report scale, with rigorous validation through empirical data. METHODS: A research team of an experienced psychometrician and six senior radiologists conducted qualitative and quantitative studies. Five items were identified for the quality of report scale, each measuring a distinct aspect of report quality. Two dedicated training sessions were designed and implemented to help residents generate high-quality reports. In a blinded fashion, the quality of report scale was applied to 804 randomly selected reports issued before (n = 403) and after (n = 401) training. Full-scale psychometrical assessments were implemented onto the quality of report scale's item- and scale-scores from the reports. The quality of report scale scores were correlated with report professionalism and attendings' preference and were compared pre-/post-training. RESULTS: The quality of report scale showed sound psychometrical properties, with high validity and reliability. Reports with higher quality of report scale score were more professional and preferable by attendings. Training improved the quality of report scale score, empirically validating the quality of report scale further. CONCLUSION: While succinct and practitioner friendly, the quality of report scale is a reliable and valid measure of radiology report quality and has the potential to be easily adapted to other fields such as pathology, where similar training would be beneficial.

Nurses and physicians share responsibility for improving quality and safety in healthcare systems, arguing for shared learning about these concepts. This module contains materials to conduct the first of two modules on quality improvement principles with medical and nursing students. The module uses the Team-Based Learning method, and assumes that users are familiar with Team-Based Learning terminology and procedures. Included in this resource are a suggested timeline, student preparation assignment, readiness assurance tests, application activities, and powerpoint slides. While we have used this resource mainly with nursing and medical students, we feel that it may also be useful for a variety of other professional students, including Physician Assistants, Pharm-Ds, Nurse Practitioners, and potentially others. This module represents an initial attempt to combine Team-Based Learning, Interprofessional Education, and Quality Improvement concepts. Team-Based Learning may provide an ideal method for quality improvement content in an interprofessional context, because it requires students of various backgrounds to work together to solve real-world, application-based problems. By working together on such activities, our hope is that nursing and medical students will learn how to build relationships across professional boundaries and see opportunities for improvement in the healthcare system

BACKGROUND: Several studies have assessed the association between genetic polymorphisms of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH1) and risk of mood disorders and alcohol dependence, with controversial results. Our aim was to assess the association of TPH1 A218C polymorphism (rs1800532) with mood disorders, including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and alcohol dependence by using meta-analysis. METHODS: Data were collected from the related literatures published until November 25, 2010 from MEDLINE, EMBASE and ISI Web of Science databases, and meta-analysis stratified by ethnicity was performed in either fixed or random effect model as appropriate by using Stata Statistical Package (version 10.0). RESULTS: Twenty-seven individual studies were included in the current study, among which, there were 9 studies for bipolar disorder, with 1951 cases and 2161 controls, 14 studies for major depressive disorder, with 2340 cases and 3204 controls, and 4 studies for alcohol dependence, with 601 cases and 711 controls. We found that in Caucasian population, the TPH1 218AA genotype was significantly associated with increased bipolar disorder risk (recessive comparison: OR, 1.42; Bonferroni-adjusted P=0.006; homozygote comparison: OR, 1.63; Bonferroni-adjusted P=0.072), and elevated alcohol dependence risk (recessive comparison: OR, 1.83; Bonferroni-adjusted P=0.012), while the association was not significant in Asian population. Moreover, the A218C polymorphism did not appear to have any effect on major depressive disorder risk either in Caucasians or in Asians. CONCLUSION: The TPH1 A218C polymorphism is a potential biomarker for bipolar disorder and alcohol dependence risk in Caucasian population.