Internal Medicine - General

Research Interests

The Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Kentucky is nationally known for its excellence in education research.  Most faculty in the division are here because their first love is teaching.  However, we have not been content to simply teach, make curricular innovations, etc. without evaluating our educational efforts, and this critical and creative approach to educational evaluation has resulted in our success and reputation for excellence in educational research.

Topics of focus include evaluation of educational programs (residency outcomes, women's health education, etc.), the outcomes of teaching (learner outcomes, etc.), studies on attitudes and professional development, the outcomes of patients when cared for by residents (patient satisfaction, etc.), and doctor-patient communication (non-verbal communication/end-of-life discussions).

Methodologies employed include standardized patients, surveys, videotaping, patient satisfaction questionnaires, assessing verbal and non-verbal behaviors, manipulation of large data sets, among other techniques.  Members of the division present regularly at the national meetings of the AAMC, SGIM, CDIM and the regional meetings of the SSGIM and SGEA.  Faculty publishes regularly in prestigious educational research journals such as Academic Medicine, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Evaluation and the Health Professions among others. 

Funding support comes from fellowship and residency training grants from HRSA Title VII funds, the NBME and other foundations.

National recognition for research in education have come through awards from the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (Charles Griffith won the inaugural Educational Research Award for lifetime educational research accomplishments in 1998; the award has subsequently been named for him), Andrew Hoellein and Steve Haist have received the Best Poster Presentation at the National CDIM meeting in 2005 and 2006, and the AAMC (Drs. Griffith, Steve Haist, and John Wilson winning the AAMC Best Paper award in 1999).  In addition, achievement in educational scholarship is a reason for Drs. Haist and Griffith receiving the Regional SGIM's Clinician-Educator of the Year Award (in 1996 and 1999, respectively).

Recently our research focus has expanded to include issues regarding patient safety, spearheaded by Dr. Joe Conigliaro, recruited from Pittsburgh in 2006.  Dr. Conigliaro is funded from a variety of sources, including principal investigator for our Lexington VA National Center for Patient Safety Fellowship Program.

Current projects/research interests

• Steve Haist:  standardized patients, evaluation of resident's clinical skills, use of fourth year students in teaching the physical exam, gender differences in clinical performance
• Charles Griffith:  outcomes of education, learner outcomes when exposed to "best" teachers, standardized patient studies of communication and non-verbal skills, attitude changes during residency, the outcomes of patient when cared for by residents
• Shawn Caudill:  patient satisfaction studies in resident clinic, evaluation of primary care residency outcomes
• Andrew Hoellein:  studies on the nature of attending teaching rounds, evaluating the efficacy of interactive standardized patient workshops, issues regarding primary care for HIV patients
• Chris Feddock:  evaluation of clinical skills, non-verbal communication, medical errors and clinical workload in the intensive care unit
• Paula Bailey:  time and doctor-patient communication, developing curriculum in the business aspects of medicine, efficient discharge practices
• Angela Dearinger:  continuity of care and diabetic outcomes, resident quality-of-life
• Kristy Deep:  qualitative research, end-of-life discussions, clinical ethics

An invaluable resource and collaborator is John Wilson, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Science, an educational psychologist, who brings expertise in study design, survey development, analysis to most of the division's research efforts, as well as sage advice and guidance.