Importance-There are concerns about the current quality of undergraduate medical education (UME) and its effect on students' well-being.Objective-This systematic review was designed to identify best practices for UME learning environment interventions that are associated with improved emotional well-being of students.Data Sources-Learning environment interventions were identified by searching the biomedical electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and the ERIC database from the database inception dates to October 2016. Studies examined any intervention designed to promote medical students' emotional well-being in the setting of a US academic medical school, with an outcome defined as students' reports of well-being as assessed by surveys, semistructured interviews, or other quantitative methods.Data Extraction and Synthesis-Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles. Data were extracted into tables to summarize results. Study quality was assessed by the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERQSI), which has a possible range of 5-18; higher scores indicate higher design and methods quality, and a score of ≥ 14 indicates a high-quality study.Findings-Twenty-eight articles including at least 8224 participants met eligibility criteria. Study designs included single-group cross-sectional or post-test only (n=10), single-group pre-/ post-test (n=2), nonrandomized two-group (n=13), and randomized clinical trial (n=3); 93% were

Objective Prevention of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in acute care hospitals is a priority for hospitals and clinicians. We performed a qualitative systematic review to update the evidence on interventions to prevent CDI published since 2009. Design We searched Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ISI Web of Knowledge, and grey literature databases from January 1, 2009 to August 1, 2015. Setting We included studies performed in acute care hospitals. Patients or participants We included studies conducted on hospitalized patients that investigated the impact of specific interventions on CDI rates. Interventions We used the QI-Minimum Quality Criteria Set (QI-MQCS) to assess the quality of included studies. Interventions were grouped thematically: environmental disinfection, antimicrobial stewardship, hand hygiene, chlorhexidine bathing, probiotics, bundled approaches, and others. A meta-analysis was performed when possible. Results Of 3236 articles screened, 261 met the criteria for full-text review and 46 studies were ultimately included. The average quality rating was 82% on the QI-MQCS. The most effective interventions, resulting in a 45% to 85% reduction in CDI, included daily to twice daily disinfection of high-touch surfaces (including bed rails) and terminal cleaning of patient rooms with chlorine-based products. Bundled interventions and antimicrobial stewardship showed promise for reducing CDI rates. Chlorhexidine bathing and intensified hand hygiene practices were not effective for reducing CDI rates. Conclusions Daily and terminal cleaning of patient rooms using chlorine-based products were most effective in reducing CDI rates in hospitals. Further studies are needed to identify the components of bundled interventions that reduce CDI rates.

BACKGROUND: Although specific interventions previously demonstrated benefit in patients with the ARDS, use of these interventions is inconsistent, and patient mortality remains high. The impact of variability in center management practices on ARDS mortality rates remains unknown.RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the impact of treatment variability on mortality in patients with moderate to severe ARDS in the United States? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, observational cohort study of mechanically ventilated adults with ARDS and PaO 2 to FIO 2 ratio of # 150 with positive endexpiratory pressure of $ 5 cm H 2 O, who were admitted to 29 US centers between October 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017. The primary outcome was 28-day in-hospital mortality. Center variation in ventilator management, adjunctive therapy use, and mortality also were assessed.RESULTS: A total of 2,466 patients were enrolled. Median baseline PaO 2 to FIO 2 ratio was 105 (interquartile range, 78.0-129.0). In-hospital 28-day mortality was 40.7%. Initial adherence to lung protective ventilation (LPV; tidal volume, # 6.5 mL/kg predicted body weight; plateau pressure, peak inspiratory pressure, or both, # 30 mm H 2 O) was 31.4% and varied between centers (0%-65%), as did rates of adjunctive therapy use (27.1%-96.4%), methods used (neuromuscular blockade, prone positioning, systemic steroids, pulmonary vasodilators, and extracorporeal support), and mortality (16.7%-73.3%). Center standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), calculated using baseline patient-level characteristics to derive expected mortality rate, ranged from 0.33 to 1.98. Of the treatment-level factors explored, only center adherence to early LPV was correlated with SMR.

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