D.T. Vance1, S. Adkins1, J. Penn1, S. Baghdadi1, T. Elmendorf1, K. Lambou2, B. Mohammadian4, T. Love3, T. Crawford4, L.J. Kilgore2 1University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA 2University of Kansas Medical Center, General Surgery, Kansas City, KS, USA 3University of Kansas Medical Center, Cardiology, Kansas City, KS, USA 4University of Kansas Medical Center, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kansas City, KS, USA
Introduction: Management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a pertinent skill for all physicians, involving the collaboration between Cardiology and Cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). As medical education increasingly emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, it becomes essential to equip future physicians with the knowledge and confidence to navigate complex clinical scenarios involving multiple specialties. This primer aimed to provide medical students with exposure to interdisciplinary collaboration and improve their understanding, confidence, and skillset regarding ACS.
Methods: First- and second-year medical students participated in an interdisciplinary ACS workshop led by Cardiothoracic surgery and Cardiology faculty. Using a case presentation, simulation mannequin, anatomic pro-sections, and soft-embalmed cadavers, students were taught relevant anatomy, cardiac evaluation, and basic CTS procedures. Pre- and post-surveys measured changes in student’s understanding of ACS and the interdisciplinary collaboration that occurs in its diagnosis, workup, and management using paired two-sample t-tests.
Results: Eighteen pre-clinical medical students participated, and all responded. Students' confidence significantly increased in diagnosing, working up, and managing ACS (p<0.0001). Confidence also significantly increased regarding selecting the most appropriate procedure for ACS management in a clinical or surgical setting (p<0.0001), interpreting electrocardiograms (p=0.0073), and understanding heart (p=0.0092) and lung (p=0.0130) anatomy. There was a notable improvement in their understanding of whether cardiology and/or cardiothoracic surgery performs a transthoracic echocardiogram (p=0.044) and percutaneous coronary intervention (p=0.041), though not for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (p=0.081). There was an increase in perceived understanding of when to perform CTS interventions, including sternotomy, thoracotomy, and CABG and the anatomic considerations (p<0.05). Students reported an increased understanding of interdisciplinary collaboration during ACS management (p=0.0012).
Conclusion: Interdisciplinary collaboration between surgical and medicine specialties is imperative for optimal patient care, particularly in the management of ACS. This interdisciplinary workshop, integrating both Cardiology and Cardiothoracic surgery, successfully enhanced students' understanding of the diagnosis, workup, and management of ACS. Programs such as this should be implemented in numerous fields to enhance medical students' education and exposure to multidisciplinary collaborative efforts as they will encounter these in their future careers.