Biomedical subjects

Earl J Reisdorff

Publications and source records attributed to Earl J Reisdorff.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Developing a valid evaluation for interpersonal and communication skills.

OBJECTIVES: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that residency programs evaluate the acquisition of six general competencies, including Interpersonal and Communication Skills (ICS). To develop a 360-degree method for accomplishing this, a semantic-differentiation matrix for various communication traits for nurses to evaluate physician ICS was developed. The authors sought to determine whether this evaluation method could discriminate between more experienced medical communicators (faculty) and less experienced medical communicators (residents). METHODS: A 98-item questionnaire measured several communication dimensions by using an eight-element semantic-differentiation scale. In addition, global assessment ratings assessed nursing perceptions of physician ICS skills. This process was repeated for various clinical scenarios. RESULTS: There were 26 nurse evaluators, 19 emergency medicine (EM) residents (EM2 and EM3), and 30 EM faculty. Each physician received five independent evaluations (total, 245 evaluations). All EM residents (EM2 and EM3) were compared with the EM faculty. All eight items on the semantic-differentiation scale were compared. Likewise, the global assessment scores were compared. In every category, the faculty scored higher (Mann-Whitney U: p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An evaluation process integrating a semantic-differentiation matrix was applied to various clinical scenarios (as well as global assessment items) and demonstrated discriminatory results. Faculty physicians scored significantly higher than resident physicians. The ability to provide discriminatory results is a requisite in the development of a valid evaluation process. The described semantic-differentiation matrix and global assessment questions may be valid measurements of ICS.

Communication↗

PubMed2004

Quantitative validation of a general competency composite assessment evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to modify and validate a composite assessment evaluation process that assesses resident acquisition of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) general competencies (GCs). METHODS: This study critically analyzed the evaluation process used in a multicenter study (150 emergency medicine resident evaluations) to determine whether the procedure was psychometrically valid. For each GC, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine whether certain evaluation items could be eliminated, as well as to determine the magnitude of variability explained by up to three linear combinations or "principal components." The factor proportions (factor loadings) of various eigenvectors were measured to determine the degree of variability (determined by the square of the factor proportion) within a data or item set. The factor proportions essentially measure the length of the eigenvector as determined from a correlation matrix. RESULTS: The first three principal components are reported as factor proportion sum (% of total variability) as follows: patient care 0.91 (83%), medical knowledge 0.87 (76%), practice-based learning and improvement 0.90 (81%), interpersonal and communication skills 0.84 (71%), professionalism 0.74 (55%), and systems-based practice 0.80 (64%). PCA showed that evaluating certain traditional categories such as medical knowledge seemed to capture a single element, whereas professionalism appeared to measure a more complex, multidimensional phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS: By using a structured development process, the authors were able to create valid evaluation items for determining resident acquisition of the ACGME GCs.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2003

General competencies are intrinsic to emergency medicine training: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has promulgated six areas called General Competencies (GCs) that residency programs are required to evaluate. The authors sought to determine if these domains were an intrinsic part of emergency medicine (EM) residency training by using a global assessment evaluation device. METHODS: This was an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study that compared GC acquisition between first-, second-, and third-year (EM1, EM2, and EM3) residents. Five postgraduate year (PGY) 1 to PGY 3 allopathic EM programs in Michigan participated. A global assessment form using a 1 through 9 ordinal scale with 86 scoring items was given to program directors for each resident in their programs. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means between EM1, EM2, and EM3 scores. RESULTS: Five EM programs evaluated 150 residents. The GC scores were as follows: Patient Care: EM1 4.92, EM2 5.79, and EM3 6.40; Medical Knowledge: EM1 4.90, EM2 5.80, and EM3 6.46; Practice-based Learning and Improvement: EM1 4.60, EM2 5.48, and EM3 6.16; Interpersonal and Communication Skills: EM1 4.99, EM2 5.39, and EM3 6.01; Professionalism: EM1 5.43, EM2 5.68, and EM3 6.27; Systems-based Practice: EM1 4.80, EM2 5.48, and EM3 6.21. ANOVA showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) for all GCs. CONCLUSIONS: EM residents from several residency programs showed statistically significant progressive acquisition of the ACGME GCs using a global assessment device. This suggests that the GCs may be an intrinsic component in the training of EM residents.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2002

Emergent CT evaluation of stroke.

The rapid neuroimaging of a patient that has suffered a stroke is a critical preamble to the emergent initiation of thrombolytic therapy. Emergency physicians must be familiar with normal brain structures as they appear on CT, as well as common stroke patterns. The more facile emergency physicians are at interpreting the head CT, the better they can communicate with consulting specialists and deliver prompt care to patients that present with neurologic emergencies.

Brain Ischemia↗

PubMed2002

Using standardized oral examinations to evaluate general competencies.

Emergency medicine residency programs are required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to formally evaluate each resident with oral and written examinations. The Michigan State University Emergency Medicine Residency Program in Lansing conducts monthly standardized oral examinations (SOEs) as part of each resident's evaluation. Recently, the ACGME has advanced six areas, termed "general competencies," that should be acquired during graduate medical education. According to the ACGME, these competencies should be included in the educational process of all residency programs. In promulgating these competencies, the ACGME did not provide examples of core content, strategies for implementation, or methods of evaluation; rather, individual residency programs are required to develop their own methods. The authors describe a modification of an existing SOE strategy that assesses residents' knowledge, skills, experiences, and attitudes as reflected in the general competencies.

Educational Measurement↗

PubMed2002

Evaluating systems-based practice in emergency medicine.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has required that training programs initiate an evaluation process to assess resident acquisition of the newly promulgated general competencies (GCs). Certain GCs (e.g., systems-based practice, problem-based learning and improvement) are somewhat more challenging to define and measure than others. Systems-based practice essentially captures the interactions of the emergency medicine resident that expand beyond isolated contact with the patient. Evaluating these various interactions is readily accomplished using a detailed ordinal evaluation form that measures commonly occurring easily identified actions. Examples of measurable items and the method by which they can be integrated into an evaluation device are presented.

Educational Measurement↗