Clinical Focus


  • Emergency Medicine

Academic Appointments


Administrative Appointments


  • Clinical Decision Unit, Medical Director, Stanford Healthcare (2020 - Present)

Professional Education


  • Board Certification: American Board of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine
  • Fellowship: Stanford University Emergency Medicine Residency (2020) CA
  • Residency: UCSF Emergency Medicine Residency (2019) CA
  • Medical Education: Harvard Medical School (2015) MA

All Publications


  • Mobile application adjunct to the WHO basic emergency care course: a mixed methods study. BMJ open Tenner, A. G., Greenberg, A. L., Nicholaus, P., Rose, C. C., Addo, N., Shari, C. R., Friedman, A., George, U. N., Losak, M. J., Mfinanga, J. A., Sawe, H. R. 2022; 12 (7): e056763

    Abstract

    OBJECTIVES: The WHO developed a 5-day basic emergency care (BEC) course using the traditional lecture format. However, adult learning theory suggests that lecture-based courses alone may not promote long-term knowledge retention. We assessed whether a mobile application adjunct (BEC app) can have positive impact on knowledge acquisition and retention compared with the BEC course alone and evaluated perceptions, acceptability and barriers to adoption of such a tool.DESIGN: Mixed-methods prospective cohort study.PARTICIPANTS: Adult healthcare workers in six health facilities in Tanzania who enrolled in the BEC course and were divided into the control arm (BEC course) or the intervention arm (BEC course plus BEC app).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in knowledge assessment scores, self-efficacy and perceptions of BEC app.RESULTS: 92 enrolees, 46 (50%) in each arm, completed the BEC course. 71 (77%) returned for the 4-month follow-up. Mean test scores were not different between the two arms at any time period. Both arms had significantly improved test scores from enrolment (prior to distribution of materials) to day 1 of the BEC course and from day 1 of BEC course to immediately after BEC course completion. The drop-off in mean scores from immediately after BEC course completion to 4months after course completion was not significant for either arm. No differences were observed between the two arms for any self-efficacy question at any time point. Focus groups revealed five major themes related to BEC app adoption: educational utility, clinical utility, user experience, barriers to access and barriers to use.CONCLUSION: The BEC app was well received, but no differences in knowledge retention and self-efficacy were observed between the two arms and only a very small number of participants reported using the app. Technologic-based, linguistic-based and content-based barriers likely limited its impact.

    View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056763

    View details for PubMedID 35798522

  • Congress Should Provide Student Debt Relief To Frontline Health Care Workers Losak, M., Gowda, V., Rose, C. Health Affairs Forefront. 2022
  • COVID-19 has roared back in California. Essential worker protections have not. Losak, M., Rose, C. San Francisco Chronicle. 2022
  • Financial Incentives to Enhance Participation of Resident Physicians in Hospital-Based Quality Improvement Projects. Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety Chen, E. H., Losak, M. J., Hernandez, A., Addo, N., Huen, W., Mercer, M. P. 2021

    Abstract

    Methods to promote successful trainee participation in quality improvement projects are poorly studied. This project studied the effects of a trainee pay-for-performance program and quality improvement education at a safety-net hospital.In this program, trainees worked with quality improvement faculty, participated in projects aligned with the hospital's priorities, and designed their program-specific project. Each trainee who worked at least 88 days in the institution was eligible to earn $400 for every target achieved for at least six months (maximum of $1,200).Among hospitalwide goals, needlestick injuries per quarter decreased from [mean (standard deviation; SD)] 18 (4.6) to 12 (2.6), 95% confidence interval (CI) = -10.1-1.9, p = 0.02; percentage of excellent provider communication improved from 76.8% to [mean (SD)] 80.5% (2.9), 95% CI = 0.8-8.3, p = 0.08; and mean length of stay for discharged emergency department patients requiring specialist consultation decreased from [mean (SD)] 523 (120) to 461 (40) minutes, 95% CI = -162-37.2, p = 0.11. Among resident-initiated projects, the percentage of Family Medicine patients undergoing colorectal screening increased from 65.1% to [mean (SD)] 67.7% (0.4), 95% CI = 1.7-3.5, p = 0.01; percentage of at-risk patients receiving naloxone at hospital discharge increased from 9% to [mean (SD)] 63% (7.2), 95% CI = 36.1-71.9, p = 0.01; percentage of adolescents screened for chlamydia increased from 34% to [mean (SD)] 55.8% (6.4), 95% CI = 5.9-37.6, p = 0.03; and percentage of high-dose opioid prescriptions following cesarean section decreased from 28% to [mean (SD)] 1.7% (2.9), 95% CI = -33.5 to -19.2, p = 0.001. Eleven of 14 programs achieved three goals. All resident-led goals were met.A pay-for-performance improvement program that aligns educational and hospital priorities can provide meaningful experiential learning for trainees and improve patient care.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jcjq.2021.04.004

    View details for PubMedID 34023276