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Observation medicine in emergency medicine residency programs
1Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University, 44195, USA. maces@ccf.org
Summary
Most emergency medicine residency programs either have or plan to establish observation units (OUs). However, current observation medicine (OM) educational resources and faculty training are insufficient to meet this growing need.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Administration
Background:
- Observation units (OUs) are increasingly common in healthcare settings.
- There is a need to understand the current landscape of observation medicine (OM) within emergency medicine (EM) residency programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of OUs in EM programs.
- To evaluate EM resident exposure to OM.
- To determine OM training for EM faculty and residency directors (RDs) and their attitudes toward OM.
Main Methods:
- A telephone survey was conducted over four months.
- Data were collected from EM residency programs regarding OU status, resident exposure, faculty training, and director attitudes.
Main Results:
- 36.1% of programs currently have OUs, with 44.9% planning to establish them.
- Observation medicine resources include textbooks (32.0%), articles (45.9%), lectures (36.9%), fellowships (2.5%), and research (26.2%).
- OM patient care occurs during residency for 25.4% of RDs and 11.3% of faculty, and as an attending for 45.1% of RDs.
Conclusions:
- Nearly two-thirds of EM programs have or are planning OUs.
- Existing OM educational resources and training appear to be lagging behind the development of OUs.
- This survey provides insights into current OM education strategies and highlights areas for improvement.