SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Enhancing Internal Medicine Residents' Understanding of Thrombophilia Testing and Antiphospholipid Syndrome Diagnosis Through Focused Educational Interventions

Enhancing Internal Medicine Residents' Understanding of Thrombophilia Testing and Antiphospholipid Syndrome Diagnosis Through Focused Educational Interventions

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This study examined whether focused education could improve internal medicine residents’ knowledge of when to order thrombophilia testing in hospitalized patients and how to diagnose/manage antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The authors note that the American Society of Hematology discourages routine inpatient thrombophilia testing in new venous thromboembolism (VTE) cases because results can be unreliable during the acute phase and testing is costly. Despite this guidance, their hospital had a high volume of testing ordered by residents.<br /><br />To address this, residents completed a pre-test assessing knowledge of inpatient thrombophilia workup and APS. They then attended a 40-minute hematology lecture followed by 20 minutes of small-group case discussions. A post-test was given immediately afterward, and scores were compared using a paired t-test.<br /><br />Fifty-four residents participated. Knowledge improved substantially after the intervention, with mean test scores rising from 53.0% to 81.9%, a statistically significant increase (p=0.001). Residents showed particularly strong improvement in identifying appropriate timing for thrombophilia workup and deciding which clinical scenarios warrant inpatient testing. Most participants also correctly answered questions about APS clinical criteria (88.9%) and laboratory criteria (83.3%), and 96.3% answered correctly on appropriate inpatient thrombophilia testing.<br /><br />The authors conclude that brief, focused education significantly improved residents’ understanding of thrombophilia testing and APS management. However, they emphasize that long-term retention will require continued reinforcement. Planned next steps include quarterly educational sessions and additional case-based teaching during night float shifts.

Asset Subtitle

Harleen K. Sidhu

Meta Tag

Author List Angelica Singh, Hannah Hugo, Harleen K. Sidhu, Matthew Wend, Mohamed Abdelghffar, Nagma Shah

Category Research

Concept Thrombophilia Testing

Concept Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

Concept Venous Thromboembolism

Concept Anticoagulation

Concept Inpatient Testing

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Department of Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Presenting Author Harleen K. Sidhu

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

thrombophilia testing

antiphospholipid syndrome

internal medicine residents

hospitalized patients

venous thromboembolism

hematology education

case-based learning

knowledge improvement

inpatient testing guidelines

resident training

Thrombophilia Testing

Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

Venous Thromboembolism

Anticoagulation

Inpatient Testing