Part I. Patient Info Series

Expanding Upon Our Patient Info Series
The ATS maintains a Patient Information Series, peer-reviewed, patient friendly two-page handouts on a wide variety of adult and pediatric topics addressing lung diseases, procedures, and special issues. The series has recently been expanded to include Public Health Information topics such as mold, tobacco marketing, outdoor air pollution, and unproven stem cell therapy, as well as decision aids to assist clinicians in counseling patients on procedures, such as lung cancer screening. Our newest change to the series is a “Top 20 Facts About” format to provide concise information on a focused issue.

All handouts within the Patient Information Series are peer reviewed by ATS member experts for accuracy and health literacy. The series has become a trusted source of information for clinicians, patients and families, and the public; it is available at no cost at thoracic.org/patients. Individuals interested in using these materials in their practice environment may contact Judy Corn at jcorn@thoracic.org.

The range of topics is continually being expanded and updated, and may be used in concert with key patient-facing programming events, such as Lung Disease Week or local chapter meetings. Recent publications include:

• ARDS
• Bronchiectasis Treatment
• CTEPH Treatment
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Mold
• Pulmonary Hypertension in Children
• Sarcoidosis
• Sepsis
• Work-exacerbated Asthma

Share your ideas about the Patient Information Series by contacting Marianna Sockrider, MD, medical editor for Patient Education, or Judy Corn, ATS staff, by sending an email to:  jcorn@thoracic.org.

Part II. Critical Care Review Book

ATS Offers Critical Care Board Review Book for First Time
Physicians planning to take the ABIM critical care MOC assessment on April 30 now have a new resource to prepare for the exam: the ATS Review for the Critical Care Boards.

According to Tisha Wang, MD, a senior editor, the electronic book’s format follows that of the ATS Pulmonary Board Review Book, which has been downloaded more than 6,000 times. With both reviews, she says, “we tried to create a visually appealing book, with short paragraphs, bullet points, tables and graphics, ‘flash cards’ and key facts highlighted in the margins, and mnemonics.”

In addition to Dr. Wang, the senior editors of the latest review book are Susan Pasnick, MD, and Jason T. Poston, MD.  Drs. Wang and Poston are fellowship program directors at UCLA and the University of Chicago, respectively. Dr. Pasnick is director of critical care process improvement at CHRISTUS St. Vincent’s in Santa Fe. All three are members of the ATS Education Committee. 

The Critical Care Board Review is divided into 10 chapters, which follow the ABIM blueprint for the exam. Fellows and junior faculty members wrote the chapter content. They peer reviewed each other’s work before it was sent to a faculty reviewer. Two associate editors—W. Graham Carlos, MD, MSCR, and Shazia M. Jamil, MD—reviewed further, and all the senior editors reviewed the final product. Altogether, about 50 ATS members were involved.  

“I believe so many people donated so much time because they believe this is a very worthwhile project for every physician, from the trainee to the senior clinician,” Dr. Wang says, noting that the next ABIM critical care certification exam for those completing their fellowship will be given on Nov. 12.

The review book can be purchased through the ATS Store.  A companion Question Book with 150 board review questions will be available soon.