Dewesh Agrawal

Academic Medical Centers incur significant expenses associated with training residents and caring for underserved populations. No previous studies have analyzed hospital-level graduate medical education economics for pediatric residency training. Using data from the 2010–2011 academic year, we quantified total direct costs per year for training 12 community health track (CHT) residents. Utilizing sensitivity analyses, we estimated revenues generated by residents in inpatient and outpatient settings. The total yearly direct cost of training 12 CHT residents was $922,640 including salaries, benefits, and administrative costs. The estimated additional yearly inpatient net revenue from attending-resident clinical teams compared to attendingonly service was $109,452. For primary care clinics, the estimated yearly revenue differential of resident-preceptor teams was $455,940, compared to attending-only clinics. The replacement cost of 12 CHT residents with advanced practitioners was $457,596 per year.This study suggests there is positive return on a children’s hospital’s investment in a CHT.

Background: Few data exist on the presentations and clinical courses of infants with enterococcal urinary tract infections (UTI). The objective of this study was to compare the clinical presentation, sensitivity of urinalysis (UA) and Gram’s stain, radiological abnormalities and adverse events of febrile infants with enterococcal UTIs to those with Gram-negative UTIs. Methods: Retrospective study of febrile (≥38.0°C) infants 29–60 days of age with UTIs at 20 emergency departments. UTI was defined as growth of (1) ≥50,000 colony forming units (CFUs)/mL of a single pathogen; or (2) either 10,000 to P <0.05). On multivariable analysis, ≥ grade 3 vesicoureteral reflux (adjusted odds ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 7.6) and hydronephrosis (adjusted odds ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 7.9) were associated with enterococcal UTIs. Both groups had similar low risks of adverse events or severe clinical courses. The urine white blood cell count alone or in combination with leukocyte esterase was more sensitive for Gram-negative than enterococcal UTIs (range 80.4%–93.9% vs. 50.0%–75.9%). Conclusions: Febrile infants with enterococcal UTIs had a low likelihood of adverse events or severe clinical course, similar to those with Gram-negative UTIs. Infants with enterococcal UTIs frequently had underlying hydronephrosis and/or vesicoureteral reflux. The preliminary diagnosis of enterococcal UTIs may be inaccurate if based on UA.

Residents at most institutions change rotations every 2 to 4 weeks. It often takes significant time for residents to become acclimated to the different protocols, expectations, and environments of each unique rotation. As a result, residents often spend time searching for answers, time that could be spent in outside learning and direct patient care. The goal of this resource is to provide a novel guidebook that improves residents' efficiency and knowledge of best patient care practices. The guidebook begins with an introductory chapter with key contact information that can be filled in for the user's institution, which is followed by 16 rotation-specific chapters. A rotation-based approach was chosen as it focuses the content on the most pertinent information. Thus, trainees can quickly read a chapter to cover the most pertinent content for their current rotation. As a surrogate marker for efficiency, noon-conference attendance logs were queried to assess improvement in on-time attendance after introduction of the guidebook. After introduction of the learning resources, on-time arrival to noon conference improved for all residents and interns. Guidebook survey results were universally favorable; however, around half of respondents stated that they used the guidebook once or less per rotation. Underutilization of these resources potentially contributed to the lack of a statistically significant improvement overall. Future directions should focus on augmenting the quality and utilization of the guidebook and then reevaluating if, once well adopted, there is a sustained benefit.

Objectives: Empathy is a critical competency in medicine. Prior studies demonstrate a longitudinal decrease in empathy during residency; however, they have not included pediatric residents. The relations among the expression of empathy, sense of power (ability to influence other’s behavior), and personality traits in residents also have not been addressed. Lastly, there are no data on how...

Controversy exists regarding the disposition of young febrile infants who present to emergency departments (EDs) with urinary tract infections (UTIs). In a large multicenter cohort of such patients, we aimed to determine the variation in patient disposition and clinical factors independently associated with outpatient management. Secondary analysis of a retrospective study of infants 29 to 60 days with fever (≥38.0°C), urinalysis finding, and culture-proven UTIs presenting to 20 North American EDs belonging to the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We determined independent factors associated with outpatient management. Of 1764 infants with UTIs, 132 (7.5%) were discharged home from the ED. The proportion of infants managed as outpatients varied among sites (0%-20.0%). Of the 132 infants, 29 (22.0%) were subsequently hospitalized after culture results were known, including 5 patients with bacteremia. None of the 107 patients initially discharged from the ED for whom outcomes were known had adverse events (0%; 95% CI, 0%-2.7%). On multivariable regression and generalized estimated equations analyses, only clinical site, presence of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, absence of vomiting, and having fewer than 10 white blood cells per microliter on cerebrospinal fluid examination were independently associated with discharge from the ED. Clinical site was the factor most highly associated with outpatient management (odds ratio, 8.8; 95% confidence interval, 5.2-15.0). There is substantial practice variation regarding the disposition of febrile infants 29 to 60 days of age with UTIs. Institutional practice is the strongest predictor of outpatient management. Further evidence is needed to guide the management of non-toxic-appearing young febrile infants with UTIs.