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Promoting the Development of Clinical Skills throughout the Continuum of Medical Education University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine November 9, 2011. Ann C. Jobe, MD,MSN Executive Director Clinical Skills Evaluation Collaboration (CSEC). Clinical Skills in Practice.
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Promoting the Development of Clinical Skills throughout the Continuum of Medical Education University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of MedicineNovember 9, 2011
Ann C. Jobe, MD,MSNExecutive DirectorClinical Skills Evaluation Collaboration (CSEC)
Clinical Skills in Practice • The physician-patient encounter is central to the identity of physicians in the US • Clinical skills of trainees and young physicians have been described as deficient since at least the 1970’s • Good evidence supports the diagnostic and therapeutic value of the clinical encounter but… • …..Technology, fragmented care, reimbursement, and practice culture affect the clinical encounter Weiner,A. & Nathonson M; JAMA 1976; 236:852-855 Verghese, A et al; Annals Int Med 2011;155:550-553
Clinical Skills in Practice • The clinical encounter is often buried in process measures, such as HEDIS or other guidelines • The ritual value of the clinical encounter is important, and must be balanced by its documented utility • The environment determines most of what and how trainees learn about the clinical examination Weiner,A. & Nathonson M; JAMA 1976; 236:852-855 Verghese, A et al; Annals Int Med 2011;155:550-553
COMMUNICATION • The essence of the patient-physician relationship • Includes communicating verbally, non-verbally, as well as actions and interactions during a physical examination
Communication • It is all about COMMUNICATING with patients and families and health professionals • It is all about improving communication to improve the quality and safety of health care
Why Assess Communication Skills? • Essential physician competency • (LCME, ACGME, ABMS, USMLE) • Clinical outcomes require effective communication • Public expectations: need for more information and supportive interactions. • Quality measures now incorporate patient-centeredness
Patient-Centered Communication • Exploring the patient’s illness experience • Understanding the patient as a whole person • Picking up on patient cues • Involvement of the patient in problem definition • Involvement of the patient in decision-making • (now >50% expect such involvement) • Finding common ground regarding management • Enhancing the doctor/patient relationship by being responsive to the patient IOM,2001; Street,2008
Communication Skills • Prospective study of 80 medical outpatients with new or previously undiagnosed conditions • Internists asked to list their differential diagnoses and to estimate their confidence in each diagnostic possibility • after the history, • after the physical examination, and • after the laboratory investigation.
Communication Skills • In 61 of 80 cases (76%), the leading diagnosis after taking the history agreed with the diagnosis accepted at the time the record was reviewed • The physical examination led to the diagnosis in 10 patients (12%) • The laboratory investigation led to the diagnosis in 9 patients (11%) • These data support the concept that most diagnoses are made from the medical history
Communication Skills • Authors suggest that more time should be devoted to improving history-taking skills during clinical training. Peterson MC, Holbrook JH, Hales D, Smith NL, Staker LV: Contributions of the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigation in making medical diagnoses. West J Med 1992 Feb; 156:163-165
Communication Skills • Numerous publications confirm that poor skills in patient communication are associated with: • Lower levels of patient satisfaction • Higher rates of complaints • Increased risk of malpractice claims • Poorer health outcomes
High level skills in “bedside medicine” – “clinical skills” • Ability to elicit a patient’s story/history • Correct use of evidence-based PE maneuvers in a focused manner based on history • Ability to synthesize information gathered • Ability to communicate and negotiate plans for management are the cornerstone of patient safety and quality of care
Why Does It Matter? • Initiatives focused on improving clinical skills, especially communication – through teaching and assessment - will be most successful in improving the quality and outcomes of care provided by health professionals
Comprehensive Program • Overarching Competencies and Objectives • Map for addressing teaching and assessing throughout the continuum of education • Course content • Assessment methodologies
AAMC Recommendations ForClinical Skills Curricula For UndergraduateMedical Education(2008) • Professionalism • The ability to understand the nature of, and demonstrate professional and ethical behavior in, the act of medical care. • Patient Engagement and Communication Skills • The ability to engage and communicate with a patient, develop a student-patient relationship, and communicate with others in the professional setting • Biomedical Knowledge Application Skills • The ability to apply scientific knowledge and method to clinical problem solving.
AAMC Recommendations ForClinical Skills Curricula For UndergraduateMedical Education(2008) • History Taking • The ability to take a clinical history, both focused and comprehensive. • Patient Examination • The ability to perform a mental and physical examination • Clinical Testing • The ability to select, justify and interpret selected clinical tests and imaging • Clinical Procedures • The ability to understand and perform a variety of basic clinical procedures
AAMC Recommendations ForClinical Skills Curricula For UndergraduateMedical Education(2008) • Diagnosis • The ability to diagnose and explain clinical problems in terms of pathogenesis, to develop basic differential diagnosis, andto learn and demonstrate clinical reasoning and problem identification. • Clinical Information Management • The ability to record, present, research, critique and manage clinical information • Clinical Intervention • The ability to understand and select clinical interventions in the natural history of disease, including basic preventive, curative and palliative strategies
AAMC Recommendations ForClinical Skills Curricula For UndergraduateMedical Education(2008) • Prognosis • The ability to understand and formulate a prognosis about the future events of an individual’s health and illness basedupon an understanding of the patient, the natural history of disease, and upon known intervention alternatives. • Personalizing Clinical Care • The ability to provide clinical care within the practical context of a patient’s age, gender, personal preferences, family, healthliteracy, culture, religious perspective, and their economic circumstances
Core Competencies & Assessment • Patient Care/Clinical Skills • Students must be able to provide care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for treating health problems and promoting health
Core Competencies & Assessment • Interpersonal & Communication Skills • Students must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that facilitate effective interactions with patients and their families and other health professionals
Developing a Comprehensive Program • Types of assessments • Examinees • Timing of assessments
Types of assessments • Formative • Designed to provide feedback to facilitate acquisition of new skills or improvement of performance • Part of continuous professional development • Part of performance and quality improvement
Types of assessments • Summative • “High stakes” • Associated with an important decision – like graduation, licensure, certification or credentialing • Utilized to distinguish between those who are competent and those who are not
Types of assessments • “Snapshot” • One time assessment • Longitudinal • Repeated over various periods of time
Timing of assessments • At planned intervals for promotion decisions • Ongoing for continuous professional development and/or performance improvement • One-time “snapshot” for initial licensure • Repeat assessment for license renewal • For credentialing or granting privileges • Review for re-entry into practice
Program Elements • Depend on PURPOSE of the assessment and • LEVEL of the examinee
Assessing Skills and Performance • What is included in an assessment of skills and performance? • What are some of the assessment methods and how are they assembled? • How do the methods perform against the criteria for good assessment?
Miller’s Pyramid for Assessing Clinical Competence Does Shows How Knows How Knows Action Performance Competence Knowledge
Kirkpatrick Criteria • Results Change in organizational practice Benefits to patients/clients • Behavior Transfer learning to workplace Learners apply new knowledge and skills • Learning Change attitudes/perceptions Change knowledge/skills • Reaction Customer satisfaction related to participation in educational activities
Simulation • Simulation • Real patients are replaced with realistic but artificial experiences • Trainee interacts with the re-creations • Judgments are made about their performance
Simulation • Methods can be divided according to how faithful they are to reality • Intermediate fidelity • Task specific models • Instructor driven models • High fidelity • Virtual reality • Standardized patients (SPs)
Method: Task Specific Models • Designed around a specific task • Venipuncture model • Animal cadavers • Usually not automated • Relatively inexpensive
Method: Instructor Driven Models • Physical representation • Responses driven by an instructor • Little feedback • Moderate cost
Method: Virtual Reality Simulators • Simple physical representation • Sensing device that informs computer of user actions • Computer models realistic reactions • 3D imaging • Haptics
Method: Standardized Patients • Individuals trained to portray a patient • Scripted and standardized • USMLE Step 2 CS example • Integrated Clinical Encounter • Data gathering • SP completing checklists • Written communication • Doctor rating a patient note • Communication & Interpersonal skills • SP Rating • Spoken English • SP Rating
Ideal Assessment of Communication Skills • Evidence-based construct • Assessment instrument consists of observable behaviors • Realistic stimuli • SPs trained to use instrument reliably • Appropriate scoring decisions
Putting it Together: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) • Multiple stations • Each focused on a specific aspect of competence • Stations might include • Manikins • SPs • ECG or X-ray interpretation • Heart sounds • Animal cadavers • Anastomosis • Laparoscopic vessel ligation • Simulators “In a way the OSCE is not an examination method; rather it is an examination format or framework into which many different types of test methods can be incorporated” Ian Hart, 2001
Putting it Together: OSCE • Stations are usually short: 10-15 minutes • Test is composed of 8-25 stations • Round-robin format • At a bell, examinees rotate to next station • Can accommodate as many examinees as stations • Total score is calculated across all stations
Work-based Methods • Work-based assessment • Real patient encounters • Trainees are observed • Judgments are made about their performance “When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.” Henry Kaiser
Work-based Assessment • Foundation Programme (in the UK) • Two-year program • Bridge between medical school and advanced training • Series of clinical placements • Assessment Purpose • Determine fitness to progress to the next level • Identify trainees in difficulty • Provide feedback • Establish accountability • Three methods • Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mCEX) • Directly Observed Procedures (DOPs) • Case-Based Discussion (CbD)
Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mCEX) • Process • List of patient problems • Trainee picks a patient • Assessor observes the encounter • Focused clinical task • Assessor rates: • Hx, PE, Communication, Clinical Judgment, Professionalism, Organization/Efficiency • Assessor provides feedback • Takes 15-20 minutes
Directly Observed Procedures (DOPs) • Process • List of procedures • Trainee picks a patient • Assessor observes the encounter • Procedure • Assessor rates: • Preparation, Sedation, Asepsis, Technical skill, etc. • Assessor provides feedback • Takes 15-20 minutes
Case-Based Discussion (CbD) • Process • List of patient problems • Trainee picks 2 case records • Assessor selects one • Discussion centered on the trainee’s notes • Assessor rates: • Diagnosis, Treatment, Planning, Professionalism, etc. • Assessor provides feedback • Takes 15-20 minutes
Putting it Together: Work-based Assessment • An OSCE “on the hoof” • Multiple encounters are needed • Captured as feasible during clinical training • Multiple examiners are needed • Encounters can be made to conform loosely to a problem list • Ongoing, longitudinal assessments
Criteria for Judging an Assessment • How do simulation and work-based assessment perform against the criteria? • Validity • Reliability • Equivalence • Educational effect • Opportunity for feedback • Feasibility
Validity • What is validity? • Degree to which the inferences based on scores are correct • Does the test measure what it is supposed to measure? • Simulation • Good content coverage • Rare conditions • Errors cause no harm • Good fidelity • Work-based methods • Excellent content coverage • Includes difficult to simulate conditions • High fidelity
Reliability • What is reliability? • If an assessment process is repeated with the same trainees, they should get the same scores • Physician performance varies considerably from patient to patient • The trainee must be observed with several patients • Assessors differ in stringency • The trainee must be evaluated by different examiners
Equivalence • What is equivalence? • To compare examinees they must have taken assessments that are equal in difficulty • Fairness • Comparable meaning • Simulation • Different examinees can be given the same items • Security • Statistical techniques help with different versions • Work-based methods • Equivalence is a problem that can be mitigated but not eliminated
Educational Effect “Students respect what you inspect.” • Both simulation and work-based methods signal the importance of working with patients • Drives learning