The Jeffrey Silver Humanism in Healthcare Research Roundup features summaries of recently published studies on humanism in healthcare. To receive email notification of new studies once per month, enter your information here and select “Jeffrey Silver Research Roundup” from the checkboxes at the bottom. See previous posts in this series.
Publications from Gold Foundation-Affiliated Authors
Parent coping support interventions during acute pediatric hospitalizations: A meta-analysis
Doupnik SK, Hill D, Palakshappa D, Worsley D, Bae H, Shaik A, Qiu MK, Marsac M, Feudtner C. Pediatrics. 2017 Sep;140(3). pii: e20164171.
This study was supported by a Mapping the Landscape grant.
Authors examined 32 studies about interventions designed to provide coping support to parents of hospitalized children. They also conducted a meta-analysis of 12 studies to examine outcomes of those interventions. Authors found that the interventions significantly reduced parent anxiety and stress, but not depression.
Reflection as a learning tool in graduate medical education: A systematic review
Winkel AF, Yingling S, Jones AA, Nicholson J. J Grad Med Educ. 2017 Aug;9(4):430-439.
This study was supported by a Mapping the Landscape grant.
Authors conducted a systematic review of interventions using reflection in graduate medical education. A total of 16 studies, encompassing 477 residents and fellows, met eligibility criteria. They found that reflection increased learning of complex subjects and deepened professional values and appears to be an effective tool for improving attitudes and comfort around difficult material.
Using jazz as a metaphor to teach improvisational communication skills
Haidet P, Jarecke J, Yang C, Teal CR, Street RL, Stuckey H. Healthcare (Basel). 2017 Aug 4;5(3). pii: E41
Drs. Haidet, Jarecke, Teal and Stuckey are Mapping the Landscape grantees.
Researchers studied the effects of a month-long course using jazz as a metaphor to teach senior medical students improvisational communication skills. Compared to control students, course students demonstrated statistically significant and educationally meaningful gains in adaptability and listening behaviors. Students’ course experiences suggested that the jazz components led to high engagement and creativity, and provided a model to guide application of improvisational concepts to their own communication behaviors.
Other Publications
Inpatient hospital factors and resident time with patients and families
Destino LA, Valentine M, Sheikhi FH, Starmer AJ, Landrigan CP, Sanders L. Pediatrics. 2017 May;139(5). pii: e20163011.
To define hospital factors associated with proportion of time spent by 483 pediatric resident physicians delivering inpatient care across nine pediatric institutions. They found that variation exists within and between hospitals, but on average, trainees spent less than 8 minutes per hour in direct patient care. A less complex case mix, increased patient volume, and Magnet designation were independently associated with increased direct patient care.
A meta-analysis of compassion-based interventions: Current state of knowledge and future directions
Kirby JN, Tellegen CL, Steindl SR. Behav Ther. Epub 21 June 2017.
Authors performed a meta-analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials of compassion-based interventions from the last 12 years. They found moderate effect sizes for all outcomes variables: self-compassion, mindfulness, depression, anxiety, psychological distress and well-being. Authors provide 20 recommendations to improve compassion-based intervention research.
Cross-sectional and longitudinal association between trust in physician and depressive symptoms among U.S. community-dwelling Chinese older adults
Dong X, Bergren S, Simon MA. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2017 Jul 1;72(suppl_1):S125-S130.
Researchers examined data on over 2,700 Chinese older adults in Chicago. They found that when patients’ trust in their physicians increased, they were less likely to have depressive symptoms. Those who were in the top 33% of scores on trust in their physician had a 31% decreased risk of any depressive symptoms compared to those in the bottom 33%.
The Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations (free full-text)
Egener BE, Mason DJ, McDonald WJ, Okun S, Gaines ME, Fleming DA, Rosof BM, Gullen D, Andresen ML. Acad Med. 2017 Aug;92(8):1091-1099.
This free full-text article contains the Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations, as well as the process and rationale for its development. For hospitals and hospital systems to effectively care for patients, maintain a healthy workforce, and improve the health of populations, they must attend to the four domains addressed by the Charter: patient partnerships, organizational culture, community partnerships, and operations and business practices. While the Charter is aspirational, it also outlines specific institutional behaviors that will benefit both patients and workers.
Physicians’ perceptions of volunteer service at safety-net clinics
Mcgeehan L, Takehara MA, Daroszewski E. Perm J. 2017;21. pii: 16-003.
Researchers conducted a survey of 31 physicians and engaged in eight follow-up interviews to understand their experience of volunteering at safety-net clinics. Physicians conveyed uniformly positive perceptions of their volunteer service, and most were motivated by humanitarian or prosocial desires. The most common personal barrier was a lack of time. The most common professional barriers were organizational and supply issues at the clinic, along with the patients’ social, transportation, and financial challenges.
Decreasing patient stress and physician/medical workforce burnout through health care environments: uncovering the serious leisure perspective at Mayo Clinic’s Campus in Rochester, Minnesota (free full-text)
Dieser RB, Edginton CR, Ziemer R. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017 Jul;92(7):1080-1087.
Combining historical research on the leisure pursuits of Drs. William J. Mayo and Charles H. Mayo, literature on leisure, stress, and burnout, and a case study methodology of Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minnesota, the purpose of this study was to describe how the Serious Leisure Perspective exists at Mayo Clinic and contributes to relieving stress among patients and preventing burnout among physicians.
Writing well: The long-term effect on empathy, observation, and physician writing through a residency writers’ workshop
Lemay M, Encandela J, Sanders L, Reisman A. J Grad Med Educ. 2017 Jun;9(3):357-360.
The study aimed to assess the long-term effects of a writers’ workshop for residents on empathy, observation skills, and future writing. Sixty-eight percent of former participants completed a survey about the workshop’s influence on their observation skills, empathy, improvement in writing, and continued informal and formal writing. Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop influenced their ability for careful observation (85%); ability to be empathic with patients or colleagues (66%); quality of writing (90%); and continued formal or informal writing (68% and 53%, respectively).
