Journal article
Reduced Resident "Code Blue" Experience in the Era of Quality Improvement: New Challenges in Physician Training
Academic medicine, Vol.86(6), pp.726-730
06/01/2011
DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318217e44e
PMID: 21512366
Abstract
Purpose
Emergency resuscitation or "code blue" is a clinical event through which responding medical residents gain experience and proficiency. A retooling of practice has occurred at academic medical centers since the emergence of quality improvement initiatives and resident duty hours limits. The authors investigated how these changes may impact code blue frequency and resident opportunities to gain clinical experience.
Method
The authors conducted a single-center, retrospective (2002-2009) review of monthly code blue frequency. They compared code blue frequency with corresponding monthly first-year internal medicine resident call schedules (20022008 academic years). Using a Monte Carlo simulation they estimated annual code blue experience, and using Poisson regression, they estimated annual trends in resident code blue experience.
Results
The authors detected a 41% overall reduction in code blue events between 2002 and 2008; code blue events decreased by 13% annually (P < .001). These trends persisted, even after accounting for hospital census fluctuations: Rates fell from approximately 12 code blue events/1,000 admissions in 2002 to 3.8 events/1,000 in 2008. Overall, the model of code blue frequency and resident call schedules shows a dramatic reduction in the predicted number of code blue experiences, falling from 29 events (empirical 95% CI 18-40) in academic year 2002 to 5 events (CI 1-9) in 2008.
Conclusions
Physicians-in-training at one facility are seeing far fewer code blue events than their predecessors. Whether current numbers of in-hospital code blue events are sufficient to provide adequate experience without supplemental practice for trainees is unclear.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Reduced Resident "Code Blue" Experience in the Era of Quality Improvement: New Challenges in Physician Training
- Creators
- Steven Mickelsen - University of IowaRebecca McNeil - Durham VA Medical CenterPragnesh Parikh - Mayo Clinic in FloridaJason Persoff - Mayo Clinic in Florida
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Academic medicine, Vol.86(6), pp.726-730
- DOI
- 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318217e44e
- PMID
- 21512366
- NLM abbreviation
- Acad Med
- ISSN
- 1040-2446
- eISSN
- 1938-808X
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Number of pages
- 5
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2011
- Academic Unit
- Cardiovascular Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984359778802771
Metrics
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