Abstract Details

Title Team is Brain: An Interdisciplinary Educational Initiative to Improve Stroke Care in the Emergency Department

Topic Research Methodology, Education, and History

Presentation(s) Research Methodology and Education Posters (7:00 AM-5:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 054

Background Nationally, EM physicians rather than neurologists care for the majority of acute stroke patients in the ED, yet very little dedicated training exists in EM residency programs. Safe and timely acute stroke care in the ED requires a multidisciplinary team, but training opportunities to work as an integrated team is currently lacking.

Objective

Implementation of interdisciplinary simulation-based education for trainees in emergency medicine (EM) and neurology will improve teamwork and clinical knowledge needed to care for acute stroke patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Using a high-fidelity simulation of an acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, our intervention will foster collaboration amongst EM and neurology colleagues, and demonstrate sustained retention in knowledge of acute stroke care.

Design/Methods Over the course of two years, twelve PGY-1 EM residents and twelve PGY-2 neurology residents participated in a pilot training program using patient simulations of an acute stroke presenting to the ED. EM and neurology residents were responsible for jointly triaging and assessing the patient while making collaborative management decisions. The primary outcome was perceived efficacy of teamwork between EM and neurology residents, which was objectively obtained via a 50-point Likert scale-based survey. The secondary outcome of interest included retention of clinical knowledge after long-term post-intervention assessment, which was measured via MCQ assessment.

Results Post-intervention, affective surveys showed sustained improvements in perceptions of teamwork efficacy in EM and Neurology cohorts compared to baseline. Both EM and neurology residents demonstrated quantitative post-intervention retention of acute stroke care knowledge compared to pre-intervention assessments.

Conclusions Integration of simulation-based acute stroke education of EM and neurology residents improves clinical knowledge and perceptions of teamwork. To our knowledge, this simulator is the first of its kind to integrate EM and neurology resident training for acute stroke care. This model can be easily implemented to other residency programs nationally to enhance patient care.

Authors/Disclosures
Erin R. Fiedler, DO (Baylor Scott & White Neurology) PRESENTER	Dr. Fiedler has nothing to disclose.
Michael Teitcher, MD	Dr. Teitcher has nothing to disclose.
Jasmine Singh, MD (Northwest Community Hospital)	Dr. Singh has nothing to disclose.
Rick Gill, MD (Loyola University Medical Center)	Dr. Gill has nothing to disclose.
Matthew A. McCoyd, MD (Loyola University, Stritch School of Medicine)	Dr. McCoyd has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Genzyme. Dr. McCoyd has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for EMD Serono.
Sean D. Ruland, MD (Loyola University Medical Center)	Dr. Ruland has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Up to Date. Dr. Ruland has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Expert Witness for Law Firms.