Brian C. Drolet

Approval and Perceived Impact of Duty Hour Regulations: Survey of Pediatric Program Directors

OBJECTIVES: To determine pediatric program director (PD) approval and perception of changes to resident training and patient care resulting from 2011 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Common Program Requirements. METHODS: All US pediatric PDs (n = 181) were identified from the ACGME. Functional e-mail addresses were identified for 164 (90.6%). Three individualized e-mail requests were sent to each PD to complete an anonymous 32-question Web-based survey. RESULTS: A total of 151 responses were obtained (83.4%). Pediatrics PDs reported approval for nearly all of the 2011 ACGME duty hour regulations except for 16-hour intern shift limits (72.2% disapprove). Regarding the perceived impact of the new standards, many areas were reportedly unchanged, but most PDs reported negative effects on resident education (74.7%), preparation for senior roles (79.9%), resident ownership of patients (76.8%), and continuity of care (78.8%). There was a reported increase in PD workload (67.6%) and use of physician extenders (62.7%). Finally, only 48.3% of PDs reported that their residents are “always” compliant with 2011 requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric PDs think there have been numerous negative consequences of the 2011 Common Program Requirements. These include declines in resident education and preparation to take on more senior roles, as well as diminished resident accountability and continuity of care. Although they support individual aspects of duty hour regulation, almost three-quarters of pediatric PDs say there should be fewer regulations. The opinions expressed by PDs in this study should prompt research using quantitative metrics to assess the true impact of duty hour regulations.

Unprofessional Behaviors Among Tomorrow's Physicians: Review of the Literature With a Focus on Risk Factors, Temporal Trends, and Future Directions.

Purpose Recent reports have identified concerning patterns of unprofessional and dishonest behavior by physician trainees. Despite this publicity, the prevalence and impact of these behaviors is not well described; thus, the authors aimed to review and analyze the various studies on unprofessional behavior among U.S. medical trainees. Method The authors performed a literature review. They sought all reports on unprofessional and dishonest behavior among U.S. medical school students or resident physicians published in English and indexed in PubMed between January 1980 and May 2014. Results A total of 51 publications met criteria for inclusion in the study. The data in these reports suggest that plagiarism, cheating on examinations, and listing fraudulent publications on residency/fellowship applications were reported in 5% to 15% of the student and resident populations that were studied. Other behaviors, such as inaccurately reporting that a medical examination was performed on a patient or falsifying duty hours, appear to be even more common (reportedly occurring among 40% to 50% of students and residents). Conclusions “Unprofessional behavior” lacks a unified definition. The data on the prevalence of unprofessional behavior in medical students and residents are limited. Unprofessional behaviors are common and appear to be occurring in various demographic groups within the medical trainee population. The relationship between unprofessional behaviors in training and future disciplinary action is poorly understood. Going forward, defining “unprofessional behavior”; developing validated instruments to evaluate such behaviors scientifically; and studying their incidence, motivations, and consequences are critical.

Evidence-based medicine: Blepharoplasty.

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Identify the essential preoperative considerations for patients undergoing blepharoplasty. 2. Describe upper and lower eyelid anatomy and the relevance to blepharoplasty techniques. 3. Discuss a standard approach to upper and lower lid blepharoplasty, beginning with preoperative assessment, planning, and marking. 4. Describe the major considerations in periorbital rejuvenation and the critical steps taken during blepharoplasty to create aesthetic improvements. Summary: Blepharoplasty is one of the most common aesthetic procedures performed in the United States. Significant improvements in facial aesthetics can be made with a relatively short operation that can be performed under intravenous sedation or entirely with local anesthesia. Upper blepharoplasty focuses primarily on removal of excess skin and aesthetic placement of the supratarsal crease, along with filling and contouring of a deep upper orbital sulcus with injections when necessary. Lower blepharoplasty addresses the orbitomalar sulcus (lid-cheek junction and tear-trough abnormalities) and pseudoherniation of periorbital fat, and is based on selective removal and repositioning of fat. Upper blepharoplasty generally does not require fat removal. In addition, lower blepharoplasty involves releasing deep structures, whereas upper blepharoplasty is generally more superficial. In general, the upper lid should be approached transcutaneously, whereas lower blepharoplasty can be safely performed through a transconjunctival or a transcutaneous incision. Complications of upper blepharoplasty are uncommon with more current techniques, but lower lid blepharoplasty has potentially disastrous complications. Blepharoplasty can significantly enhance periorbital and midface aesthetics by improving the tired appearance of even young patients, and is an important tool for facial rejuvenation.

Extended lower lid blepharoplasty for eyelid and midface rejuvenation.

Summary: Many techniques have been described for lower eyelid surgery, and the evolution of these procedures has seen significant advances, from simple skin excision to fat preservation and repositioning. Lower lid blepharoplasty can address lid-cheek junction and tear-trough deformities, which cause significant aesthetic concerns for patients, giving the appearance of fatigue and sadness. However, there is potential for serious functional and aesthetic complications, including dry eyes, scleral show, and ectropion. In addition, many surgeons perceive a steep learning curve and difficulty of reliably obtaining excellent cosmetic results. However, the authors have found that an extended lower blepharoplasty can significantly improve eyelid and midface contour, creating substantial aesthetic improvements without visible scars or an operated appearance. In this article, the authors review the relevant pathoanatomical causes of periorbital contour deformities and the evolution and history of lower eyelid surgery, and present the results of their extended blepharoplasty technique in over 300 patients. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.

Text Messaging and Protected Health Information: What Is Permitted?

The first short message service (SMS) “text message” was sent in 1992 from a computer to a mobile phone. It read: “Merry Christmas.” Since then, mobile-to-mobile SMS has become one of the most popular means of electronic communication worldwide, with more than 20 billion messages transmitted daily. In a 2013 survey of 2076 US adults, 91% reported owning a cellular phone, and 81% reported using their device for texting—making SMS the most commonly used mobile application.1 Not surprisingly, several small studies including 45 resident and 28 faculty general surgeons and 97 pediatrics hospitalists found that more than half (60%80%) of physicians use text messaging for clinical communications.2,3 However, there is little guidance regarding appropriate use of this technology in the health care setting. In addition, some physicians may have the misconception that text messaging of protected health information is prohibited by law.

Finesse in forehead and brow rejuvenation: modern concepts, including endoscopic methods.

Background: The brow and forehead are essential elements of the facial aesthetic architecture. Although frequently overlooked in youth, signs of facial aging are often most noticeable in the upper third of the face. Ptosis and loss of contour in the brows, along with temporal volume loss, sagging of periorbital tissue, and rhytides in the forehead, are common presenting complaints for aesthetic surgery. Although use of nonsurgical procedures (e.g., neuromodulators) has become very common practice, knowledge of surgical anatomy and interventions for brow and forehead rejuvenation are critical for a plastic surgeon. The earliest descriptions of brow-lift procedures are nearly a century old. Techniques have evolved significantly, to the point that patients may now return to work within 1 week of surgery, with minimal or no stigmata from an operation. Methods: The literature and a series of cases from the senior surgeon (P.K.S.) were reviewed. Results: A minimally invasive approach with an endoscope for dissection and repositioning of the brow was used in all patients. The authors have found that permanent suture fixation with cortical tunnels can produce an excellent, long-lasting aesthetic result for not only the forehead and brow but also the lateral periorbital and temporal regions. Conclusions: Although each operation is tailored to the patient’s individual anatomy, the authors’ approach to the endoscopic procedure is described in this article, along with a review of anatomical and surgical considerations. Finally, several patients provide demonstrative results from the senior surgeon’s series of 546 patients. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.

Fees for Certification and Finances of Medical Specialty Boards

Fees for Certification and Finances of Medical Specialty Boards The process of board certification has a central role in the selfregulation of physician quality standards.1,2 However, many physicians have objected to programs by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), particularly maintenance of certification (MOC), citing a lack of clinical relevance and evidence to support efficacy as well as high fees to participants. We investigated fees charged to physicians for certification examinations and finances of the ABMS member boards.

Unnecessary Emergency Transfers for Evaluation by a Plastic Surgeon: A Burden to Patients and the Health Care System.

Background: Plastic surgeons are frequently consulted for hand and facial injuries, and patients are often transferred to trauma centers for evaluation of these problems. The authors sought to identify the frequency and impact of “unnecessary” transfers for emergency evaluation by a plastic surgeon at a Level I trauma center. Methods: The authors reviewed more than 32,000 consecutive emergency department encounters at their institution between April of 2009 and April of 2013 and found 1181 patients transferred for evaluation by plastic surgery. Using a retrospective chart review, necessity of transfer was determined based on the intervention performed at the authors’ institution and the availability of resources at the transferring site. Results: Of all the patients referred for “emergency” evaluation, 860 (74.1 percent) were unnecessary. Transfers for hand-related issues were more likely to be coded as unnecessary compared with referrals for facial trauma and infection (76 percent versus 66 percent; p < 0.001). The average time from referral to discharge from the emergency department was 412 minutes. The expense for these unnecessary transfers exceeded

Duty hours and home call: the experience of plastic surgery residents and fellows.

4.6 million. Conclusions: This is the first intervention-based study evaluating the impact of unnecessary transfer for evaluation of hand and facial emergencies. Using a framework based on objective outcomes, the authors found that fewer than one-third of patients required emergent transfer for evaluation by a plastic surgeon, and almost half did not receive an intervention following transfer. Based on patient time and financial expenses for these unnecessary evaluations, improvements could be made in both quality and cost of care by limiting inappropriate emergency department referrals.

Coding and Billing in Surgical Education: A Systems-Based Practice Education Program.

Background: Although resident duty hours are strictly regulated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, there are fewer restrictions on at-home call for residents. To date, no studies have examined the experience of home call for plastic surgery trainees or the impact of home call on patient care and education in plastic surgery. Methods: The authors distributed an anonymous electronic survey to plastic surgery trainees at 41 accredited programs. They sought to produce a descriptive assessment of home call and to evaluate the perceived impact of home call on training and patient care. Results: A total of 214 responses were obtained (58.3 percent completion rate). Nearly all trainees reported taking home call (98.6 percent), with 66.7 percent reporting call frequency every third or fourth night. Most respondents (63.3 percent) felt that home call regulations are vague but that Council regulation (44.9 percent) and programmatic oversight (56.5 percent) are adequate. Most (91.2 percent) believe their program could not function without home call and that home call helps to avoid strict duty hour restrictions (71.5 percent). Nearly all respondents (92.3 percent) preferred home call to in-house call. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine how plastic surgery residents experience and perceive home call within the framework of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty hour regulations. Most trainees feel the impact of home call is positive for education (50.2 percent) and quality of life (56.5 percent), with a neutral impact on patient care (66.7 percent). Under the Council’s increasing regulations, home call provides a balance of education and patient care appropriate for training in plastic and reconstructive surgery.