Browsing by Author "Heflin, Mitchell T"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Advancing Geriatrics Education Through a Faculty Development Program for Geriatrics-Oriented Clinician Educators.
    (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2015-12) Pinheiro, Sandro O; White, Heidi K; Buhr, Gwendolen T; Elbert-Avila, Katja; Cohen, Harvey Jay; Heflin, Mitchell T
    Geriatrician and nongeriatrician faculty need instruction as teachers to provide quality training for a broader community of physicians who can care for the expanding population of older adults. Educators at Duke University designed a program to equip geriatrician and nongeriatrician faculty to develop quality educational programs and teach medical learners about geriatrics. Eighty-three faculty representing 52 institutions from across the United States participated in mini-fellowship programs (2005-09) consisting of workshops and 1-year follow-up mentoring by Duke faculty. Participants attended 1-week on-campus sessions on curriculum development and teaching skills and designed and implemented a curriculum in their home institution. Participant specialties included general medicine (nearly 50%), family medicine, surgery, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and emergency medicine. Pre- and postprogram self-efficacy surveys, program evaluation surveys, and 6- and 12-month progress reports on scholars' educational projects were used to assess the effect of the Duke mini-fellowship programs on participants' educational practices. Forty-four scholars (56%) completed the end-of-year self-efficacy survey and end-of-program evaluation. Self-efficacy results indicated significant gains (P < .001) in 12 items assessed at 1 week and 1 year. Scholars reported the largest average gains at 1 year in applying adult learning principles in the design of educational programs (1.72), writing measurable learning objectives (1.51), and identifying optimal instructional methods to deliver learning objectives (1.50). Participants described improved knowledge and skills in designing curricula, implemented new and revised geriatrics curricula, and demonstrated commitment to faculty development and improving learning experiences for medical learners. This faculty development program improved participants' self-efficacy in curriculum design and teaching and enhanced geriatrics education in their home institutions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Cognition and brain changes associated with high-dose atorvastatin: A BOLD proposition?
    (American Heart Journal, 2018-01-01) Browndyke, Jeffrey N; Heflin, Mitchell T
  • No Thumbnail Available
    ItemOpen Access
    Delaying Elective Surgery in Geriatric Patients: An Opportunity for Preoperative Optimization.
    (Anesthesia and analgesia, 2019-07-17) Wong, Serena P; Zietlow, Kahli M; McDonald, Shelley R; Barbeito, Atilio; Colon-Emeric, Cathleen S; Lagoo-Deenadayalan, Sandhya A; Loyack, Nancy; Heflin, Mitchell T
    Deciding whether to pursue elective surgery is a complex process for older adults. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can help refine estimates of benefits and risks, at times leading to a delay of surgery to optimize surgical readiness. We describe a cohort of geriatric patients who were evaluated in anticipation of elective abdominal surgery and whose procedures were delayed for any reason. Themes behind the reasons for delay are described, and a holistic framework to guide preoperative discussion is suggested.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Development and assessment of a web-based clinical quality improvement curriculum.
    (Journal of graduate medical education, 2014-03) Yanamadala, Mamata; Hawley, Jeffrey; Sloane, Richard; Bae, Jonathan; Heflin, Mitchell T; Buhr, Gwendolen T

    Background

    Understanding quality improvement (QI) is an important skill for physicians, yet educational interventions focused on teaching QI to residents are relatively rare. Web-based training may be an effective teaching tool in time-limited and expertise-limited settings.

    Intervention

    We developed a web-based curriculum in QI and evaluated its effectiveness.

    Methods

    During the 2011-2012 academic year, we enrolled 53 first-year internal medicine residents to complete the online training. Residents were provided an average of 6 hours of protected time during a 1-month geriatrics rotation to sequentially complete 8 online modules on QI. A pre-post design was used to measure changes in knowledge of the QI principles and self-assessed competence in the objectives of the course.

    Results

    Of the residents, 72% percent (37 of 51) completed all of the modules and pretests and posttests. Immediate pre-post knowledge improved from 6 to 8.5 for a total score of 15 (P < .001) and pre-post self-assessed competence in QI principles on paired t test analysis improved from 1.7 to 2.7 on a scale of 5 for residents who completed all of the components of the course.

    Conclusions

    Web-based training of QI in this study was comparable to other existing non-web-based curricula in improving learner confidence and knowledge in QI principles. Web-based training can be an efficient and effective mode of content delivery.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Educational interventions to improve recognition of delirium: a systematic review.
    (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2013-11) Yanamadala, Mamata; Wieland, Darryl; Heflin, Mitchell T
    Delirium is a common and serious condition that is underrecognized in older adults in a variety of healthcare settings. It is poorly recognized because of deficiencies in provider knowledge and its atypical presentation. Early recognition of delirium is warranted to better manage the disease and prevent the adverse outcomes associated with it. The purpose of this article is to review the literature concerning educational interventions focusing on recognition of delirium. The Medline and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL) databases were searched for studies with specific educational focus in the recognition of delirium, and 26 studies with various designs were identified. The types of interventions used were classified according to the Predisposing, Reinforcing and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation (PRECEDE) model, and outcomes were sorted according to Kirkpatrick's hierarchy. Educational strategies combining predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors achieved better results than strategies that included one or two of these components. Studies using predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing strategies together were more often effective in producing changes in staff behavior and participant outcomes. Based on this review, improvements in knowledge and skill alone seem insufficient to favorably influence recognition of delirium. Educational interventions to recognize delirium are most effective when formal teaching is interactive and is combined with strategies including engaging leadership and using clinical pathways and assessment tools. The goal of the current study was to systematically review the published literature to determine the effect of educational interventions on recognition of delirium.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Participatory research to improve medication reconciliation for older adults in the community.
    (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2023-02) Doucette, Lorna; Kiely, Bridget T; Gierisch, Jennifer M; Marion, Eve; Nadler, Lisa; Heflin, Mitchell T; Upchurch, Gina

    Introduction

    Medication reconciliation, a technique that assists in aligning a care team's understanding of an individual's true medication regimen, is vital to optimize medication use and prevent medication errors. Historically, most medication reconciliation research has focused on institutional settings and transitional care, with comparatively little attention given to medication reconciliation in community settings. To optimize medication reconciliation for community-dwelling older adults, healthcare professionals and older adults must be engaged in co-designing processes that create sustainable approaches.

    Methods

    Academic researchers, older adults, and community- and health system-based healthcare professionals engaged in a participatory process to better understand medication reconciliation barriers and co-design solutions. The initiative consisted of two participatory research approaches: (1) Sparks Innovation Studios, which synthesized professional expertise and opinions, and (2) a Community Consultation Studio with older adults. Input from both groups informed a list of possible solutions and these were ranked based on evaluative criteria of feasibility, person-centeredness, equity, and sustainability.

    Results

    Sparks Innovation Studios identified a lack of ownership, fragmented healthcare systems, and time constraints as the leading barriers to medication reconciliation. The Community Consultation Studio revealed that older adults often feel dismissed in medical encounters and perceive poor communication with and among providers. The Community Consultation Studio and Sparks Innovation Studios resulted in four highly-ranked solutions to improve medication reconciliation: (1) support for older adults to improve health literacy and ownership; (2) ensuring medication indications are included on prescription labels; (3) trainings and incentives for front-line staff in clinic settings to become champions for medication reconciliation; and (4) electronic health record improvements that simplify active medication lists.

    Conclusion

    Engaging community representatives with academic partners in the research process enhanced understanding of community priorities and provided a practical roadmap for innovations that have the potential to improve the well-being of community-dwelling older adults.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Preoperative Cognitive Impairment As a Predictor of Postoperative Outcomes in a Collaborative Care Model.
    (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2018-01-13) Zietlow, Kahli; McDonald, Shelley R; Sloane, Richard; Browndyke, Jeffrey; Lagoo-Deenadayalan, Sandhya; Heflin, Mitchell T
    OBJECTIVES: To compare postoperative outcomes of individuals with and without cognitive impairment enrolled in the Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) program at Duke University, a comanagement model involving surgery, anesthesia, and geriatrics. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of individuals enrolled in a quality improvement program. SETTING: Tertiary academic center. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults undergoing surgery and referred to POSH (N = 157). MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive impairment was defined as a score less than 25 out of 30 (adjusted for education) on the St. Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) Examination. Median length of stay (LOS), mean number of postoperative complications, rates of postoperative delirium (POD, %), 30-day readmissions (%), and discharge to home (%) were compared using bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Seventy percent of participants met criteria for cognitive impairment (mean SLUMS score 20.3 for those with cognitive impairment and 27.7 for those without). Participants with and without cognitive impairment did not significantly differ in demographic characteristics, number of medications (including anticholinergics and benzodiazepines), or burden of comorbidities. Participants with and without cognitive impairment had similar LOS (P = .99), cumulative number of complications (P = .70), and 30-day readmission (P = .20). POD was more common in those with cognitive impairment (31% vs 24%), but the difference was not significant (P = .34). Participants without cognitive impairment had higher rates of discharge to home (80.4% vs 65.1%, P = .05). CONCLUSION: Older adults with and without cognitive impairment referred to the POSH program fared similarly on most postoperative outcomes. Individuals with cognitive impairment may benefit from perioperative geriatric comanagement. Questions remain regarding the validity of available measures of cognition in the preoperative period.