Current Issue: Volume 21 Issue 5 Archives - The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine

Two-Item Fall Screening Tool Identifies Older Adults at Increased Risk of Falling after Emergency Department Visit

Solie, CJ.

Few emergency department (ED)-specific fall-risk screening tools exist. The goals of this study were to externally validate Tiedemann et al’s two-item, ED-specific fall screening tool and test handgrip strength to determine their ability to predict future falls. We hypothesized that both the two-item fall screening and handgrip strength would identify older adults at increased risk of falling.

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Creation and Implementation of a Mastery Learning Curriculum for Emergency Department Thoracotomy

Miller, DT.

Emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) is a lifesaving procedure within the scope of practice of emergency physicians. Because EDT is infrequently performed, emergency medicine (EM) residents lack opportunities to develop procedural competency. There is no current mastery learning curriculum for residents to learn EDT. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a simulation-based mastery learning curriculum to teach and assess EM residents’ performance of the EDT.

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This Article Corrects: “Conference Didactic Planning and Structure: An Evidence-based Guide to Best Practices from the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors”

Wood, DB.

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Endemic Infections

COVID-19: An Emerging Threat to Antibiotic Stewardship in the Emergency Department

Pulia, MS.

While current research efforts focus primarily on identifying patient level interventions that mitigate the direct impact of COVID-19, it is important to consider the collateral effects of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance. Early reports suggest high rates of antibiotic utilization in COVID-19 patients despite their lack of direct activity against viral pathogens. The ongoing pandemic is exacerbating known barriers to optimal antibiotic stewardship in the ED, representing an additional direct threat to patient safety and public health. There is an urgent need for research analyzing overall and COVID-19 specific antibiotic prescribing trends in the ED. Optimizing ED stewardship during COVID-19 will likely require a combination of traditional stewardship approaches (e.g. academic detailing, provider education, care pathways) and effective implementation of host response biomarkers and rapid COVID-19 diagnostics. Antibiotic stewardship interventions with demonstrated efficacy in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on ED prescribing should be widely disseminated and inform the ongoing pandemic response.

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Feasibility of Health Literacy Tools for Older Patients in the Emergency Department

McGuinness, MJ.

This study evaluates the feasibility of using a volunteer research associate (RA) to administer two separate health literacy assessment tools in the emergency department (ED), specifically in an older population of patients. The outcomes measured were administration time and interruptions.

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Effect of Resident Physicians in a Supervisory Role on Efficiency in the Emergency Department

Kraut, AS.

While patient throughput and emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) are recognized as important metrics in the delivery of efficient care, they must be balanced with the educational mission of academic centers. Prior studies examining the impact of learners on throughput and LOS when staffing directly with attending physicians have yielded mixed results. Herein we sought to examine the impact of a staffing model involving a supervisory resident “pre-attending” (PAT) on ED throughput and LOS, as this model offers a valuable educational experience for residents, but may do so at the expense of operational efficiency.

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Age-adjusted and Expanded Lactate Thresholds as Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in the Emergency Department

Cannon, CM.

While numerous studies have found emergency department (ED) lactate levels to be associated with increased in-hospital mortality, little information is available on the role age plays in this association. This study investigates whether age is a necessary variable to consider when using lactate levels as a marker of prognosis and a guide for management decisions in the ED.

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Insurance Does Not Affect Adverse Events While Awaiting Surgery for Ankle Trauma in One System

Dobbins, AB.

Ankle injuries that are not properly cared for can have devastating effects on a patient’s health and ability to maintain an active lifestyle. Recommended outpatient surgery may be difficult to obtain for many groups of patients, including those without insurance or minority races. Patients who are of low socioeconomic status also have worse outcomes following trauma. The purpose of this study was to examine whether insurance status impacts the number of adverse events that patients face prior to receiving surgical treatment following an emergency department (ED) visit for an acute ankle injury.

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Paramedic Pain Management Practice with Introduction of a Non-opiate Treatment Protocol

O’Connor, L.

There is concern about the initiation of opiates in healthcare settings due to the risk of future misuse. Although opiate medications have historically been at the core of prehospital pain management, several states are introducing non-opiate alternatives to prehospital care. Prior studies suggest that non-opiate analgesics are non-inferior to opiates for many acute complaints, yet there is little literature describing practice patterns of pain management in prehospital care. Our goal was to describe the practice patterns and attitudes of paramedics toward pain management after the introduction of non-opiates to a statewide protocol.

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Development and Implementation of a Community Paramedicine Program in Rural United States

Myers, LA.

Community paramedicine (CP) is an innovative care model focused on medical management for patients suffering from chronic diseases or other conditions that result in over-utilization of healthcare services. Despite their value, CP care models are not widely used in United States healthcare settings. More research is needed to understand the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing CP programs. Our objective was to develop a CP program to better meet the needs of complex, high-utilizer patients in a rural setting.

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Emergency Department Operations

Patient Characteristics and Clinical Process Predictors of Patients Leaving Without Being Seen from the Emergency Department

Rathlev, N.

Delays in patient flow in the emergency department (ED) result in patients leaving without being seen (LWBS). This compromises patient experience and quality of care. Our primary goal was to develop a predictive model by evaluating associations between patients LWBS and ED process measures and patient characteristics.

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Emergency Department Operations

Dumpster Diving in the Emergency Department: Quantity and Characteristics of Waste at a Level I Trauma Center

Hsu, S.

Healthcare contributes 10% of greenhouse gases in the United States and generates two milion tons of waste each year. Reducing healthcare waste can reduce the environmental impact of healthcare and lower hospitals’ waste disposal costs. However, no literature to date has examined US emergency department (ED) waste management. The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe the amount of waste generated by an ED, identify deviations from waste policy, and explore areas for waste reduction.

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Emergency Department Operations

Sepsis Alerts in Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review of Accuracy and Quality Measure Impact

Hwang, MI.

For early detection of sepsis, automated systems within the electronic health record have evolved to alert emergency department (ED) personnel to the possibility of sepsis, and in some cases link them to suggested care pathways. We conducted a systematic review of automated sepsis-alert detection systems in the ED.

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The Utility of Serum Creatinine Kinase in Emergency Department Patients with Possible Substance-use Related Conditions

Alzahri, MS.

Our goal was to assess the diagnostic utility and temporal kinetics of serum creatine kinase (CK) measurement as a predictor of acute kidney injury (AKI) in emergency department (ED) patients who present with possible substance-use related conditions.

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Point-of-sale Naloxone: Novel Community-based Research to Identify Naloxone Availability

Olives, T.

Expanding naloxone availability is important to reduce opioid-related deaths. Recent data suggest low, variable urban naloxone availability. No reports describe naloxone availability at the point of sale (POSN). We characterize POSN without prescription across a Midwestern metropolitan area, via a unique poison center-based study.

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Family-witnessed Resuscitation of Emergency Department Patients

Erogul, M.

Family presence during emergency resuscitations is increasingly common, but the question remains whether the practice results in psychological harm to the witness. We examine whether family members who witness resuscitations have increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at one month following the event.

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Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Chart Review

LeSaint, KT.

Emergency care providers routinely treat patients with acute presentations and sequelae of opioid use disorder. An emergency physician and pharmacist implemented a protocol using buprenorphine for the treatment of patients with opioid withdrawal at an academic, Level I trauma center. We describe our experience regarding buprenorphine implementation in the emergency department (ED), characteristics of patients who received buprenorphine, and rates of outpatient follow-up.

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Improving Understanding of Screening Questions for Social Risk and Social Need Among Emergency Department Patients

Ciccolo, G.

With recent healthcare policy changes, including the creation of accountable care organizations, screening for social risks such as food and housing insecurity has become increasingly common in the healthcare system. However, the wide variety of different tools used for screening makes it challenging to compare across systems. In addition, the majority of tools used to measure social risks have only been tested in primary care settings and may not be optimal for emergency department (ED) use. Therefore, the goal of this study was to create a brief social screening tool for use in EDs.

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Academic Emergency Medicine Faculty Experiences with Racial and Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Lu, DW.

Despite the increasing diversity of individuals entering medicine, physicians from racial and sexual minority groups continue to experience bias and discrimination in the workplace. The objective of this study was to determine the current experiences and perceptions of discrimination on the basis of race and sexual orientation among academic emergency medicine (EM) faculty.

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Endemic Infections

Triage in the Time of Diphtheria

Habib, H.

A diphtheria outbreak occurred in 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, during which our hospital was appointed as a referral hospital where patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms were sent for confirmation of the diagnosis and medical intervention. In this study we review the implementation of the emergency department (ED) triage process and patient flow management during the diphtheria outbreak. No previous study in Indonesia has provided a detailed report on the triage process during infectious disease outbreaks.

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Healthcare Utilization

A Method for Grouping Emergency Department Visits by Severity and Complexity

Theiling, BJ.

Triage functions to quickly prioritize care and sort patients by anticipated resource needs. Despite widespread use of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), there is still no universal standard for emergency department (ED) triage. Thus, it can be difficult to objectively assess national trends in ED acuity and resource requirements. We sought to derive an ESI from National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) survey items (NHAMCS-ESI) and to assess the performance of this index with respect to stratifying outcomes, including hospital admission, waiting times, and ED length of stay (LOS).

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Using an Online Vaccination Registry to Confirm Tetanus Status in Children with Tetanus-prone Wounds

Zeretzke-Bien, C.

Tetanus vaccination status is an important consideration for emergency physicians managing patients with tetanus-prone wounds. Physicians must identify at-risk patients, but vaccination histories are often unknown and commonly lack documentation. The study objective was to determine the potential impact of an online immunization registry (Florida SHOTS – State Health Online Tracking System) on the appropriate administration of tetanus prophylaxis for pediatric patients managed in the emergency department (ED).

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Provider Workforce

Intention to Leave Emergency Medicine: Mid-career Women Are at Increased Risk

Lall, MD.

Burnout is prevalent among emergency physicians and may cause physicians to consider leaving the practice of emergency medicine (EM). This study sought to determine whether there is a gender difference in reporting burnout and seriously considering leaving the specialty of EM, and secondarily to explore the factors reported as contributing to burnout.

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Counseling on Access to Lethal Means-Emergency Department (CALM-ED): A Quality Improvement Program for Firearm Injury Prevention

Mueller, KL.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with firearms reported as the cause of death in up to 50% of these cases. Our goal was to evaluate the feasibility of the Counseling on Access to Lethal Means intervention in the Emergency Department (CALM-ED) by non-physician personnel.

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Endemic Infections

Mastery Learning Ensures Correct Personal Protective Equipment Use in Simulated Clinical Encounters of COVID-19

Pokrajac, N.

The correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) limits transmission of serious communicable diseases to healthcare workers, which is critically important in the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, prior studies illustrated that healthcare workers frequently err during application and removal of PPE. The goal of this study was to determine whether a simulation-based, mastery learning intervention with deliberate practice improves correct use of PPE by physicians during a simulated clinical encounter with a COVID-19 patient.

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Endemic Infections

Barrier Enclosure for Endotracheal Intubation in a Simulated COVID-19 Scenario: A Crossover Study

Laack, TA.

Barrier enclosures have been developed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to healthcare providers during intubation, but little is known about their impact on procedure performance. We sought to determine whether a barrier enclosure delays time to successful intubation by experienced airway operators.

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