Background:The Capstone Scholarship and Discovery Course (“Capstone course”) is a required four-year course which aims to support students in the design, execution, writing, and presentation of a longitudinal scholarly project. Currently, the Capstone course meets criteria for “underperforming” designation (<75% approval) designationin two areas: Overall, how would you rate this course? | 2.52/4 | 52.77% Feedback on reports supported progress/learning | 2.95/4 | 74.07% The overall medical school curriculum is transitioning to a new curriculum (“Vista”) in which Capstone will fit into the context of student-selected Pathways. As the Capstone student representative responsible for communicating student feedback to Capstone leadership, I became interested in taking advantage of this opportunity to improve the course. I believe that every medical student should feel supported in their Capstone research and finish medical school with a foundational understanding of how to conduct longitudinal scholarly work. Objectives: 1) Identify student and faculty concerns about the Capstone course 2) Propose potential changes to the Capstone course to address the most significant concerns 3) Measure student approval towards these proposed changes 4) Summarize and present the most highly student-approved proposed changes to Capstone Course Leadership Team. Methods: I reviewed all Capstone oasis evaluations from the 2020 – 2021 Academic Year, which included 109 faculty evaluations of students, 133 student evaluations of Capstone faculty (~80% response rate), and 136 student evaluations of the Capstone course (~81% response rate). I also created a pre-survey to assess the most unclear aspects of the Capstone course as well as top barriers to meeting deadlines. I received 44 survey responses from third-year students (~22% response rate) and 47 responses from fourth-year students (~30% response rate). From the oasis evaluations and survey responses, I identified the most significant concerns. I generated twenty-two proposed changes to address these concerns, and created a slideshow that summarizes these proposed changes to the Capstone course. This was distributed to current third- and fourth-year medical students, along with a post-survey where students could vote on the proposed changes and indicate whether these changes addressed the unclear aspects of the Capstone course and top barriers to meeting deadlines. (Terminology note: learning community assigned affiliate = “affiliate”, faculty advisor specific to project = “advisor”). Results: I received 29 post-survey responses from third-year students (~15% response rate) and 37 responses from fourth-year students (~23% response rate). Between the pre- and post-surveys, the average % of students finding certain aspects of Capstone “unclear” decreased by 26.1%, and the average % of students rating certain barriers as significant for meeting Capstone deadlines decreased by 15.5%. Notably, the post-survey found that some students believe the proposed changes would not address their lack of interest in doing a longitudinal project (53.1%), and that certain projects students are interested in would still not meet Capstone requirements (31.3%). An abbreviated summary of the most popular proposed changes (>50% of students agree, and/or >10% of students indicated it as one of their top three changes, highlighted in bold) is below. Proposed Solution | % top 3 | % disagree | % neutral | % agree 1a) Create research project database | 30.4 | 3.1 | 12.3 | 84.6 1b) Create roster of past highly-rated advisors (based on oasis evals) | 7.1 | 4.6 | 24.6 | 70.8 1d) MS1 Capstone curriculum focused on developing research skills | 23.2 | 9.2 | 18.5 | 72.3 1e) Affiliate must give feedback on project feasibility as a Capstone project within a month of project proposal. | 5.4 | 6.2 | 32.3 | 61.5 2a) Add additional, optional Capstone poster presentation session before ERAS deadline so presentation can be on ERAS app | 10.7 | 6.2 | 24.6 | 69.2 2b) Optional workshops (or asynchronous videos) on common issues | 5.4 | 15.4 | 32.3 | 52.3 3a) In place of report submissions, create a live document that can be accessed by affiliate and mentor | 16.1 | 10.8 | 26.2 | 63.1 3b) Flexible format (such as Senior Scholars format: background, objectives, methods, results, conclusion) with no length requirement | 21.4 | 1.5 | 12.3 | 86.2 3c) Rework deadlines to avoid exam dates, Step 1 period, holidays, and flexible range of deadlines provided during clinical rotations | 33.9 | 0 | 3.1 | 96.9 3d) Timeline of deadlines given to affiliates and mentors, with exam dates and Step 1 period marked on timeline | 5.4 | 1.6 | 15.6 | 82.8 3e) No punishment for those who get their work done early | 23.2 | 0 | 4.7 | 95.3 3f) Meeting with affiliate can substitute for an update with affiliate approval | 1.8 | 4.7 | 25 | 70.3 4a) Projects that take place over >1 month should be accepted as “longitudinal” and all affiliates should be on the same page. | 42.9 | 1.5 | 16.9 | 81.5 5a) Students may submit outside project to their affiliate to be approved for Capstone credit as long as they worked on this project during med school | 44.6 | 1.5 | 10.8 | 87.7 5c) Website should be simplified. | 7.1 | 0 | 21.9 | 78.1 Conclusion: Students enter medical school with widely differing levels of experience in conducting scholarly research, and the current Capstone course does not have flexibility for different types of projects, or the resources needed to accommodate student needs. Capstone affiliates and advisors also face difficulties providing optimal assistance to students. Through this work, I have identified solutions that are popular amongst students, which address unclear aspects of the Capstone course and top barriers to meeting deadlines. Bringing these solutions to the Capstone Course Leadership Team is the next step to addressing these concerns. Future goals include asking Capstone affiliates for their input, as this group was not included either in the oasis evaluations or the surveys. Another limitation of this study was the low survey response rates, ranging from 15-30%. I hope that ultimately some of these proposed changes to the Capstone course will be adopted and integrated into the new Vista curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Implementation science frameworks advise the engagement of multi-level partners (at the patient, provider, and systems level) to adapt and increase the uptake of evidence-based practices (EBPs). However, there is little guidance to ensure that systems-level adaptations reflect the voices of providers who deliver and patients/caregivers who receive EBPs. METHODS: We present a novel methodology, grounded in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which anchors the engagement of multi-level partners to the voices of individuals who deliver and receive EBPs. Using the CFIR domains: intervention adaptation, individuals involved, inner/outer setting, and process, we illustrate our 4-step methodology through a case example of Asthma Link, a school-supervised asthma management intervention. In step 1, we interviewed "individuals involved" in the intervention (providers/caregivers/patients of Asthma Link) to identify implementation barriers. In step 2, we selected systems-level partners in the "inner and outer setting" that could assist with addressing these barriers. In step 3, we presented the barriers to these systems-level partners and conducted semi-structured interviews to elicit their recommended solutions (process). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and open-coded. A theoretical sampling model and deductive reasoning were used to identify solutions to implementation barriers. In step 4, we utilized multi-level input to adapt the Asthma Link intervention. RESULTS: Identified barriers included inability to obtain two inhalers for home and school use, inconsistent delivery of the inhaler to school by families, and challenges when schools did not have a nurse. Interviews conducted with school/clinic leaders, pharmacists, payors, legislators, and policymakers (n=22) elicited solutions to address provider and patient/caregiver-identified barriers, including (1) establishing a Medicaid-specific pharmacy policy to allow dispensation of two inhalers, (2) utilizing pharmacy-school delivery services to ensure medication reaches schools, and (3) identifying alternate (non-nurse) officials to supervise medication administration. The iterative process of engaging multi-level partners helped to create an adapted Asthma Link intervention, primed for effective implementation. CONCLUSIONS: This novel methodology, grounded in the CFIR, ensures that systems-level changes that require the engagement of multi-level partners reflect the voices of individuals who deliver and receive EBPs. This methodology demonstrates the dynamic interplay of CFIR domains to advance the field of implementation science.

IMPORTANCE: Withdrawal-of-life-sustaining treatments (WOLST) rates vary widely among critically ill neurologic patients (CINPs) and cannot be solely attributed to patient and family characteristics. Research in general critical care has shown that clinicians prognosticate to families with high variability. Little is known about how clinicians disclose prognosis to families of CINPs, and whether any associations exist with WOLST. OBJECTIVES: Primary: to demonstrate feasibility of audio-recording clinician-family meetings for CINPs at multiple centers and characterize how clinicians communicate prognosis during these meetings. Secondary: to explore associations of 1) clinician, family, or patient characteristics with clinicians' prognostication approaches and 2) prognostication approach and WOLST. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three audio-recorded clinician-family meetings during which prognosis was discussed from seven U.S. centers for 39 CINPs with 88 family members and 27 clinicians. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Two investigators qualitatively coded transcripts using inductive methods (inter-rater reliability > 80%) to characterize how clinicians prognosticate. We then applied univariate and multivariable multinomial and binomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Clinicians used four distinct prognostication approaches: Authoritative (21%; recommending treatments without discussing values and preferences); Informational (23%; disclosing just the prognosis without further discussions); advisory (42%; disclosing prognosis followed by discussion of values and preferences); and responsive (14%; eliciting values and preferences, then disclosing prognosis). Before adjustment, prognostication approach was associated with center (p < 0.001), clinician specialty (neurointensivists vs non-neurointensivists; p = 0.001), patient age (p = 0.08), diagnosis (p = 0.059), and meeting length (p = 0.03). After adjustment, only clinician specialty independently predicted prognostication approach (p = 0.027). WOLST decisions occurred in 41% of patients and were most common under the advisory approach (56%). WOLST was more likely in older patients (p = 0.059) and with more experienced clinicians (p = 0.07). Prognostication approach was not independently associated with WOLST (p = 0.198). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: It is feasible to audio-record sensitive clinician-family meetings about CINPs in multiple ICUs. We found that clinicians prognosticate with high variability. Our data suggest that larger studies are warranted in CINPs to examine the role of clinicians' variable prognostication in WOLST decisions.

BACKGROUND: School-supervised asthma therapy improves asthma medication adherence and morbidity, particularly among low-income and underrepresented minority (URM) children. However, COVID-19-related school closures abruptly suspended this therapy. In response, we developed a school-linked text message intervention. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a school-linked text message intervention. METHODS: In December 2020, children previously enrolled in school-supervised asthma therapy in Central Massachusetts were recruited into this school-linked text message intervention. We sent two-way, automated, daily text reminders in English or Spanish to caregivers of these children, asking if they had given their child their daily preventive asthma medicine. Our study team notified the school nurse if the caregiver did not consistently respond to text messages. School nurses performed weekly remote check-ins with all families. The primary outcome of the study was feasibility: recruitment, retention, and intervention fidelity. Secondarily we examined intervention acceptability and asthma health outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty-six children (54% male, 69% Hispanic, 8% Black, 23% White, 93% Medicaid insured) and their caregivers were enrolled in the intervention with 96% participant retention at 6 months. Caregiver response rate to daily text messages was 81% over the study period. Children experienced significant improvements in asthma health outcomes. The intervention was well accepted by nurses and caregivers. CONCLUSION: A school-linked text messaging intervention for pediatric asthma is feasible and acceptable. This simple, accessible intervention may improve health outcomes for low-income and URM children with asthma. It merits further study as a potential strategy to advance health equity.

BACKGROUND: Chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforations are a common cause of conductive hearing loss in adult patients. The gold-standard approach to repair of TM perforations involves surgical elevation of the remnant TM via a postauricular or endaural incision to enable grafting (1). Endoscopic TM repair in awake patients in the clinic setting using a novel graft design may permit perforation closure while avoiding general anesthesia and decreasing operative time (2,3). CASE REPORT: A 42-year-old female with a chronic, left sided tympanic membrane perforation in the anterior–inferior quadrant (15% of TM area) presented with a mild conductive hearing loss on audiometry. In-office repair of the perforation was performed with immediate subjective hearing improvement. Four months post-procedure, the TM was intact, and her prior air-bone gap had closed. CONCLUSION: In-office endoscopic repair of TM perforations using a novel graft design in awake patients offers a viable alternative to traditional in-OR approach for tympanoplasty.

Importance: There are limited data to guide screen time recommendations after concussion. Objective: To determine whether screen time in the first 48 hours after concussion has an effect on the duration of concussive symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted in the pediatric and adult emergency departments of a tertiary medical center between June 2018 and February 2020. Participants included a convenience sample of patients aged 12 to 25 years presenting to the emergency department within 24 hours of sustaining a concussion. A total of 162 patients were approached, 22 patients met exclusion criteria, and 15 patients declined participation; 125 participants were enrolled and randomized. Interventions: Patients were either permitted to engage in screen time (screen time permitted group) or asked to abstain from screen time (screen time abstinent group) for 48 hours after injury. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was days to resolution of symptoms, defined as a total Post-Concussive Symptom Scale (PCSS) score of 3 points or lower. Patients completed the PCSS, a 22-symptom scale that grades each symptom from 0 (not present) to 6 (severe), each day for 10 days. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression modeling were used to compare the 2 groups. A Wilcoxon rank sum test was also performed among participants who completed the PCSS each day through recovery or conclusion of the study period. Results: Among 125 patients with concussion, the mean (SD) age was 17.0 (3.4) years; 64 participants (51.2%) were male. A total of 66 patients were randomized to the screen time permitted group, and 59 patients were randomized to the screen time abstinent group. The Cox regression model including the intervention group and the patient's self-identified sex demonstrated a significant effect of screen time (hazard ratio [HR], 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.90), indicating that participants who engaged in screen time were less likely to recover during the study period. In total, 91 patients were included in the Wilcoxon rank sum test (47 patients from the screen time permitted group, and 44 patients from the screen time abstinent group). The screen time permitted group had a significantly longer median recovery time of 8.0 days (interquartile range [IQR], 3.0 to > 10.0 days) compared with 3.5 days (IQR, 2.0 to > 10.0 days; P = .03) in the screen time abstinent group. The screen time permitted group reported a median screen time of 630 minutes (IQR, 415-995 minutes) during the intervention period compared with 130 minutes (IQR, 61-275 minutes) in the screen time abstinent group. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study indicated that avoiding screen time during acute concussion recovery may shorten the duration of symptoms. A multicenter study would help to further assess the effect of screen time exposure. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03564210.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic uncertainty is frequently cited as a barrier to communication between physicians and patients and is particularly burdensome for surrogate decision-makers, who must make choices on behalf of their incapacitated family members. The Conceptual Taxonomy of Uncertainty is one model through which physician and surrogate communication can be analyzed to identify strategies for reducing uncertainty in surrogate decision-making. Our objective was to examine themes of uncertainty in physician communication of prognosis and surrogate goals-of-care decision-making for critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of a previous qualitative study that involved semistructured interviews of 16 surrogates of critically ill patients with TBI from two level 1 trauma centers and 20 TBI expert physicians from seven trauma centers. Open-ended questions about prognostic uncertainty were asked. We identified major themes with an inductive approach. The Conceptual Taxonomy of Uncertainty was applied to further characterize these themes as data-centered, system-centered, and patient-centered issues of uncertainty. RESULTS: Nearly all surrogates (15 of 16) and physicians (19 of 20) recognized the emotional burden of uncertainty in the decision-making process for surrogates. More than three quarters of surrogates (13 of 16) described instances in which a lack of information regarding their loved one's disease or prognosis created uncertainty in their decision-making process, identifying both positive and negative instances of prognostic communication by physicians. We found that physicians used one of three strategies to communicate prognostic uncertainty to surrogates: leaving no room for uncertainty, honesty about uncertainty, and range of possibilities. These strategies did not meet the communication preferences of the majority of surrogates, with more than a third of decision-makers (6 of 15) being frustrated by too much ambiguity about prognosis as well as the failure to acknowledge the existence of uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: We found that physician communication strategies rarely addressed surrogate needs regarding uncertainty adequately, suggesting an urgent need for future research into improved communication of prognostic uncertainty.

Background: Limited data exist on complications following hysterectomy among women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Objective: The objective was to assess the frequencies of postoperative complications in women with IDD following hysterectomy. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample from 2014 to 2017 was queried using codes from the International Classification of Disease 9th and 10th revisions to identify women over 15 years of age with a diagnosis of an IDD undergoing hysterectomy. Comparisons were made to women without IDD undergoing the same procedure. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine between group differences in the frequency of clinical post-surgical complications while adjusting for potential confounding variables. Results: Of eligible women undergoing hysterectomy, 1,370 were identified as having IDD and 624,700 did not. Compared to controls, women with IDD were significantly younger (45 vs. 50 years, p < 0.001). Women with IDD were also more likely to have had governmental health insurance (83% vs. 34%, p < 0.001), an open hysterectomy approach (78% vs. 69%, p = 0.002), and longer hospital stays (4 vs. 3 days, p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, women with IDD had greater odds of postoperative urinary complications (OR 3.74, 95% CI 1.18-11.83) and complications related to decubitus ulcer formation (OR 8.97, 95% CI 2.10-38.36). Conclusions: Women with IDD have increased odds having urinary and decubitus ulcer complications following hysterectomy, compared to women without IDD. These results inform surgical decision-making and anticipatory guidance for these women and their caregivers.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize parent-reported symptom burden and effectiveness of symptom management in children hospitalized with advanced heart disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective survey study of 161 parents whose child was admitted to a single institution with AHD between March 2018 and February 2019 using the Survey about Caring for Children with Heart Disease. RESULTS: Of the 161 patients, 54% were under 2 years old with a diagnosis of single ventricle physiology (39%), pulmonary hypertension (12%), and other congenital heart disease (28%). Over half (56%) of parents reported that their child was experiencing a high degree ('a great deal'/'a lot') of symptoms. The most frequently reported symptoms were pain (68%), fatigue (63%), and breathing difficulties (60%). Of the symptoms that were treated, parents perceived successful treatment to be least likely for their child's sleep disturbance (24%), depression (29%), and fatigue (35%). Parents who reported their child's functional status as NYHA class III/IV were more likely to report that their child was experiencing 'a great deal' of symptoms, compared with those who reported class I/II (51% vs. 19%, p<0.001). Parents who reported their child was experiencing a high degree of suffering from fatigue were also more likely to report a high symptom burden (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with AHD reported high symptom burden with a broad spectrum of symptoms. Parents reported fatigue and psychiatric symptoms frequently and rarely reported treatment as successful. Parents' view of their child's symptom burden was concordant with their perception of their child's functional status.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers are trained to place endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in the prehospital setting when indicated. Endotracheal tube cuffs are traditionally inflated with 10cc of air to provide adequate seal against the tracheal lumen. There is literature suggesting that many ETTs are inflated well beyond the accepted safe pressures of 20-30cmH2O, leading to potential complications including ischemia, necrosis, scarring, and stenosis of the tracheal wall. Currently, EMS providers do not routinely check ETT cuff pressures. It was hypothesized that the average ETT cuff pressure of patients arriving at the study site who were intubated by EMS exceeds the safe pressure range of 20-30cmH2O. OBJECTIVES: While ETT cuff inflation is necessary to close the respiratory system, thus preventing air leaks and aspiration, there is evidence to suggest that over-inflated ETT cuffs can cause long-term complications. The purpose of this study is to characterize the cuff pressures of ETTs placed by EMS providers. METHODS: This project was a single center, prospective observational study. Endotracheal tube cuff pressures were measured and recorded for adult patients intubated by EMS providers prior to arrival at a large, urban, tertiary care center over a nine-month period. All data were collected by respiratory therapists utilizing a cuff pressure measurement device which had a detectable range of 0-100cmH2O and was designed as a syringe. Results including basic patient demographics, cuff pressure, tube size, and EMS service were recorded. RESULTS: In total, 45 measurements from six EMS services were included with ETT sizes ranging from 6.5-8.0mm. Mean patient age was 52.2 years (67.7% male). Mean cuff pressure was 81.8cmH2O with a range of 15 to 100 and a median of 100. The mode was 100cmH2O; 40 out of 45 (88.9%) cuff pressures were above 30cmH2O. Linear regression showed no correlation between age and ETT cuff pressure or between ETT size and cuff pressure. Two-tailed T tests did not show a significant difference in the mean cuff pressure between female versus male patients. CONCLUSION: An overwhelming majority of prehospital intubations are associated with elevated cuff pressures, and cuff pressure monitoring education is indicated to address this phenomenon.