Resident physicians' exam scores tied to patient survival

How do we know whether newly minted doctors have what it takes to prevent patient deaths? After completing residency training, graduating physicians typically take board certification exams at the time they enter practice — but surprisingly little is known about the ability of these standard tests to predict the things that count the most in a doctor’s performance, such as how likely their patients are to survive or to avoid a return trip to the hospital. Get more HMS news here A new study, published May 6 in JAMA, found that internal medicine patients of newly trained physicians with top scores on the board certification exam — a comprehensive test usually taken after a physician completes residency training — had lower risk of dying within seven days of hospital admission or of being readmitted to the hospital. The analysis was led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the body that developed and regularly updates the exam th ... Read full article.