Lead author: Monakshi Sawhney
Submitted by: Janice Radway, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Registered nurses (RNs) receive didactic training regarding caring for patients receiving epidural analgesia. Although RNs are tested on their knowledge after this training, their ability to critically think through adverse events has not been assessed at this institution. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of simulation education for RNs regarding the assessment and management of patients receiving epidural analgesia. The study included an education intervention, which consisted of a 4-hour workshop. After obtaining informed consent, RNs completed a pre-workshop evaluation of skill performance where they completed an OSCE in which they demonstrated an epidural assessment of a standardized patient. RNs then completed a demographic and knowledge questionnaire followed by a lecture. The results of this study indicate that the use of an instructional module using SPs is a feasible approach for RNs to learn the safe care of individuals receiving epidural analgesia.

Lead Author: Dr. L. Gao
Submitted by: Michael Maury, UC-San Diego 

In this research article the authors sought “to synthesize evidence on learning outcomes and curricular design elements of improvizational theater training in health professions education.” They conducted a literature search using the keywords of “improv” and “improvisational theatre” starting in January of 2016 which originally identified 95 abstracts. As it is noted in the article, “51 met criteria for abstract review. Of these, 23 publications were excluded for interventions not involving health professional learners, 15 did not employ improv techniques (no unscripted, unplanned component), and 6 did not include some measure or description of a learning outcome. As a result, a total of seven articles were selected for inclusion in our analysis.” While there is still much data to be gathered on the positive outcome of improv as an applied art, we are beginning to see the importance of this art craft within medical education.

Lead author: Erwin Jiayuan Khoo
Submitted by: Joe Miller, University of Minnesota

Abstract: When minors are asked to assist medical educators by acting as standardized patients (SPs), there is a potential for the minors to be exploited. Minors deserve protection from exploitation. Such protection has been written into regulations governing medical research and into child labor laws. But there are no similar guidelines for minors’ work in medical education. This article addresses the question of whether there should be rules. Should minors be required to give their informed consent or assent? Are there certain practices that could cause harm for the children who become SPs? We present a controversial case and ask a number of experts to consider the ethical issues that arise when minors are asked to act as SPs in medical education.

By: Joshua Landy
Submitted by: Joe Miller, University of Minnesota

If everyone who stays at a particular hotel gets sick, you don’t need to be an epidemiologist to wonder if the hotel is the problem. So if physicians across the country are reporting record levels of burnout, we might ask if hospitals are the problem. Could the workplace itself somehow be toxic to its workers? If so, it’s probably not due to asbestos in the walls or toxic black mould. It’s because a well-intentioned effort to make things better for patients ended up making them worse for everyone.

Submitted by: Kerensa Peterson, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Christine Park began her presentation talking about the things she loves: language, literature and medicine. Although medicine would not become a passion for her until later in her life, words and language filled her childhood. Her passion for words and language were evident throughout the presentation on the Simulation Code of Ethics. She may not have realized as a child how these seemingly disparate passions for medicine and language would translate into the work she embarked upon almost two years ago. However, the group of more than 40 simulation leaders from around the world had lots of discussion around language while crafting this new code of ethics.

Submitted by: Michael Maury, UC San Diego

The 2019 poster presentation rounds took place on Sunday, June 9^th from 5-6 PM and gave ASPE conference attendees a chance to discover what innovative approaches and research members have completed and/or are currently conducting. This year, there were 37 accepted submissions of which 34 posters were presented. From the field of 34, 2 posters were awarded a prize for Best Poster; one for Innovation & another for Research. During these poster rounds 14 judges were present to evaluate 5-6 posters each. Every poster presented was assessed by at least 2 different judges. Judges were assigned all Research posters or all Innovations posters and they were restricted from assessing posters that may be in a conflict of interest. The panel of judges used criteria based on Glassick criteria for scholarship (Glassick CE et al, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997) and they strove for objectivity and fairness in their evaluations. If you are interested in becoming a judge at future ASPE Conferences please email Kevin Hobbs at [email protected].

Submitted by: Dyan Colpo, Cleveland Clinic, Simulation and Advanced Skills Center

Melih Elcin, MD, MSc, CHSE, Hacettepe University, Department of Medical Education & Informatics, Receives ASPE Outstanding Educator of the Year Award for 2019

Submitted by: Dyan Colpo, Cleveland Clinic, Simulation and Advanced Skills Center

Margaret K. Liu, Ph.D., MBA, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Receives ASPE Emerging Leader of the Year Award for 2019

Submitted by: Amber Snyder, M.S., University of Pittsburgh

Gina Shannon welcomed all to a very productive business meeting. Through the meeting, it was clear that ASPE is staying very busy. This brief overview will highlight key moments from the meeting.

Submitted by: Dan Brown, Emory University

On Saturday of the 2019 ASPE Conference in Orlando, attendees had the pleasure of hearing a plenary by Dr. Amitai Ziv of the Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Dr. Ziv was introduced by Gail Furman as this year’s Howard Barrows Invited Presenter. He has worked across the world, including Israel, Palestine, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, and the US. In addition to his medical accolades, he is a former pilot of the Israeli Air Force.

Submitted by: Janice Radway, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

By: Shi Shuwen, Zhejiang University School of Medicine

By: Yoo Jung Kim
Submitted by: Michael Maury, UC-San Diego

Medicine has its own language. If we are not fluent in this language, we must translate before relaying or receiving any message to or from another. Much like the barriers that may come from the language of computers or of music or any foreign language that is not primary, there can be a particular communication hurdle that makes translating or conversing extra challenging. In this article, Yoo Jung Kim explores the difference between translation and communication. She says “There is much of both in medicine. Medicine has a particular language of its own, one that is accessible only to people who have dedicated years of their lives in studying its use. There is a vast knowledge gap between a typical practitioner and patient, so even when taking care of a native English speaker, it’s not enough to “translate” medical jargon in the vernacular. Instead, optimal communication requires tailoring the information to suit the patient’s needs and background.” She continues saying “Communication involves the extra step of providing just the right amount of information with the right combination words”. Communication is an art form and one that we as Standardized Patient Educators must master in order to guide medical students as they master this skill set.

Lead author: Kinga L. Eliasz, PhD
Submitted by: Janice Radway, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

On the first day of residency, incoming interns must understand the specific ways their new institution creates a culture of safety. To support transitioning trainees, this group at NYU Langone Health developed an authentic, large-scale immersive patient safety simulation called First Night-on Call (FNOC). This is a 4-hour immersive simulation during which new interns, in groups, were challenged to conduct an ethical informed consent, activate a rapid response team (escalation), document a clinical encounter, conduct an effective patient handoff, and participate in patient safety rounds.

Lead Author: Cosima Engerer
Submitted by: Kerensa Peterson, Northwestern University

We are all aware of the important role feedback plays in teaching communication skills. However, there is little research that has systematically investigated specific structures for giving feedback in order to produce evidence on the most effective way to provide feedback. There are several fascinating and challenging methodological insights and limitations in this work. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich, Germany sought out to prove that utilizing structured, and behavior-oriented feedback was the most effective way to provide feedback. While their results confirmed that this feedback is a powerful tool, they agreed that further research would be necessary “to arrive at a firm conclusion.”

Lead author: Joseph O. Lopreiato, MD, MPH
Submitted by: Dyan Colpo, Cleveland Clinic, Simulation and Advanced Skills Center

Health care simulation programs have spread to many parts of the United States health care system, including hospitals, medical and nursing schools, community college programs, and clinics. Many educational and training units use simulation to help teach new skills, refresh old skills, and promote teamwork in the delivery of health care.

Author: Amy Jeter Hanson
Submitted by: Michael Maury, UC-San Diego

Stanford Medicine’s course entitled “Medicine in the Movies” explores “medicine through the filmmaker’s lens” as it guides students in “examining questions of preconception and point-of-view, narrative and cinematography.” This innovative seminar “is the brainchild” of second—year student Bronwyn Scott and “leaders of Stanford’s Program in Bioethics and Film: founder and director Maren Monsen, MD; and assistant director Diana Farid, MD”. It covers communication themes such as “empathy, education and advocacy, nonverbal communication and the art of storytelling.” Scott shares with Author Hanson, “Ideally with this class, we’re able to have fun, watch some good movies, and take a little break from the medical school curriculum, while also thinking more deeply about how we communicate as future physicians.”

By: Todd Lash, Publications Committee Chair

The annual ASPE Conference, “Small World, Big Ideas,” will be held in Orlando, FL, from Friday, June 7 – Tuesday, June 11. Each year we like to summarize some numbers to demonstrate the diversity in program offerings.

By: Lindsay Kalter
Submitted by: Joe Miller, University of Minnesota

Medical misinformation is responsible for the largest measles outbreak in a quarter century. Here’s what academic medicine is doing to help physicians and students develop the skills they need to combat it. Joseph Hill, MD, PhD, chief of cardiology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has experienced firsthand a problem most doctors will eventually face: the consequences of bad medical information.

By: Mia Pattillo
Submitted by: Michael Maury, UC-San Diego

Being in Standardized Patient Education gives us the wonderful opportunity to better the world by helping future doctors navigate medicine empathically through reflective listening with a patient-centered focus. In this article, author Mia Pattillo points out different ways in which the Alpert Medical School at Brown University is working with their students to foster the skills necessary to connect with patients through the care they need. As Steven Rougas, assistant professor of medical science and emergency medicine points out in the article, “Brown has taken a lead in thoughtfully incorporating critical topics that have previously been neglected into curricula, such as LGBTQ+ patient care, racism and transgender medicine.” Many positive ideas are shared in this article including an annual Ceremony of Gratitude which is given each May to thank the families who have donated bodies to help the students understand human anatomy. Pattillo writes, “During the ceremony, students express their gratitude through poetry and speeches, dances and hand-written cards.” Please read further for potentially positive inspiratory ideas that could support our wonderful efforts in medical education.