Emergency Medicine Commons^™

Call To Action: Improving The Care Of Older Patients In Emergency Departments. A Much-Needed Collaboration Between Emergency Medicine Physicians And Geriatricians., Saket A. Saxena

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Level Of Comfort In Evaluating Older Patients Amongst Medical Students And Emergency Medicine Residents, Lily L. Berrin, Phraewa Thatphet, Anita N. Chary, Surriya C. Ahmad, Don Melady, Shan W. Liu

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Introduction

As the population ages, emergency physicians must be better equipped to manage the complex needs of older patients. While geriatric core competencies have been developed for medical students and emergency medicine (EM) residents, little work has been done to evaluate EM trainees’ comfort with these competencies, or their interest in and barriers to learning more about Geriatric Emergency Medicine (GEM).

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of EM residents and medical students in their clinical years of training with interest in EM. We used an online self-administered survey to evaluate trainees’ self-reported comfort with previously reported geriatric competency domains, …

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Journal Club: To Ct Or Not, Marie-Pier Lanoue, Kira Gossack-Keenan, Don Melady

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 In Older Adults- A Practical Review For Emergency Providers In 2022, Michael L. Malone, Teresita Hogan, Alice Bonner, Kevin Biese, Patti Pagel, Kathleen Unroe

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

COVID-19 has posed a considerable threat to all aspects of older Americans’ lives. The pandemic generated acute illness, emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalization, respiratory failure, and death. Pandemic-associated social isolation and loneliness further endangered older adults. Recovery from COVID-19 illness has commonly been followed by chronic symptoms, which may also precipitate ED visits. While vaccination has mitigated risks of serious illness requiring hospitalization, a booster dose is required to sustain protection. New treatments and therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and antiviral agents, have shown efficacy for older adults who are at risk of hospitalization. Older adults remain vulnerable in 2022, after …

What’S In A Name? Understanding Failure To Thrive And Frailty In The Emergency Department, Katherine Selman, Christina Shenvi

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Pitfalls Of Delirium Screening In Older Adults, Danya Khoujah, Debra Eagles

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Caring For Older Adults In The Hallway Of A Crowded Emergency Department, Rebecca Weeks, Kathy Sawasky, Michael Malone

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

This paper describes strategies for emergency department providers to address the needs of older adults when facilities are overcrowded and care extends into the hallway.

A Survey Of Delirium Self-Reported Knowledge And Practices Among Emergency Physicians In The United States, Anita N. Chary, Adriane Lesser, Sharon K. Inouye, Christopher R. Carpenter Md, Msc, Amy R. Stuck, Maura Kennedy

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate United States emergency physicians’ self-reported knowledge and practices regarding the detection, prevention, and management of delirium, a common and deadly syndrome that disproportionately affects older emergency department (ED) patients. Knowledge and practices of the broader emergency physician community about these priority topics in geriatric emergency medicine are understudied.

Design: Electronic self-administered online survey

Setting: United States

Participants: One-hundred ninety-seven emergency physicians of the American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Medicine Practice Research Network

Measures: Descriptive statistics were generated from survey responses.

Results: Of 734 physicians in the research network who were sent the …

It Takes Courage To Pause: Rapid Goals-Of-Care Conversations In The Emergency Department, Anita N. Chary, Aanand D. Naik, Kei Ouchi

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

n/a

Polypharmacy And High-Risk Medications In Older Veterans Presenting For Emergency Care, Paige Morizio, Vinita Mistry, Ashley Mcknight, Marc Pepin, William Bryan, Ryan Owenby, Laura Previll, Luna Ragsdale

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Background: Guidelines suggest screening for polypharmacy and documentation of high-risk medications in the geriatric Emergency Department (ED) setting. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to describe high-risk medications and polypharmacy in older Veterans presenting to the ED in order to inform the workflow of a Geriatric ED pharmacist.

Methods: This was a retrospective, quality improvement project that included patients age 65 years or older who presented to the ED between 10/1/2017 and 9/30/2019. The endpoints included the number of patients with at least one high-risk medication and the mean number of medications on the outpatient medication list. The …

Intermediate Care Technicians-A Novel Workforce For Veterans Affairs Geriatric Emergency Departments, Kristina T. Snell, Thomas Edes, Colleen M. Mcquown

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Journal Club: Frailty, Sarah Keene, Rebecca Fisher, Lauren Cameron-Comasco

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Ten Clinical Tips In The Assessment Of Genitourinary Emergencies Of An Older Adult, Nicole Soria, Danya Khoujah

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Sentinel Paper Review: Exploring Care Transitions From Patient, Caregiver, And Health-Care Provider Perspectives, Kevin T. Fuji, Aaron Malsch, Pamela Martin

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Barriers And Benefits Experienced In Qualitative Geriatric Emergency Care Research During The Covid-19 Era, James D. Van Oppen, Emma Regen, Kay Phelps, Timothy J. Coats, Jose M. Valderas, Simon P. Conroy, Nicola Mackintosh

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Can An Emergency Department Adequately Address An Older Adult Who Has Complex Needs?, Rami Tarabay, Adam Perry, Riwa Al Aridi, Michael Malone

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Older adults account for a considerable percentage of all emergency departments (ED) patient encounters. Those with very complex needs or multiple co-morbid conditions often have lengthy ED evaluations culminating in admission, many of which are considered potentially avoidable. Provider and process elements can evolve to create efficient and more comprehensive geriatric assessments in ED. This paper describes an older adult with acute on chronic symptoms admitted through the ED to the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) inpatient unit. We illustrate how elements of the ACE model, when applied in the ED, may avoid hospitalization. We review the Domain Management Model …

Caregiver Support In The Emergency Department, Candace Kim, Dawn Butler, Todd C. James

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Caregiver support in the emergency department can lead to improved patient care, decreased suffering and lower costs. Identifying caregivers and inviting them onto the healthcare team enhances care. It is useful to document risk factors for caregiver stress and provide resources. The Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale is a tool suitable for assessing needs of caregivers. Multiple health professionals in the emergency department can be utilized to support caregivers.

Unmet Needs And Social Challenges For Older Adults During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Opportunity To Improve Care, Alyssa Elman, Daniel Baek, Elaine Gottesman, Michael E. Stern, Mary R. Mulcare, Amy Shaw, Morgan Pearman, Michelle Sullivan, Sunday Clark, Timothy F. Platts-Mills, Rahul Sharma, Tony Rosen

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Many older adults have unmet needs and social challenges that can negatively impact their health and well-being, particularly during and after the COVID pandemic. These include social isolation, inadequate care or assistance with their daily activities, food insecurity, housing insecurity, poverty, and abuse/neglect/exploitation. An ED visit provides a unique and critical opportunity to identify these issues and initiate intervention for these vulnerable older adults. By assessing for unmet needs and social challenges, considering a team-based approach as to how they may be ameliorated, using online tools, and integrating telehealth and EMS, ED providers have the potential to dramatically improve …

Management Of Fall Patients – What Should Be Done For Emergency Department Fall Patients?, Katherine Selman, Christine Binkley, Katherine Davenport, Shan W. Lliu, Maura Kennedy

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related emergency visits in older adults, translating into an estimated 3 million ED visits and 32,000 deaths from fall-related injuries annually in the United States. Falls subsequently result in diminished functional ability and higher risk for future falls and mortality. Despite this, ED clinicians focus primarily on injuries that result from a fall and often defer the modifiable causes of the fall and future fall prevention to outpatient providers. We review two articles that address the feasibility of performing interventions from the ED and the efficacy of a multifactorial fall intervention program.

Using The 4m Model To Screen Geriatric Patients In The Emergency Department, Martinus Megalla, Roopa Avula, Christopher Manners, Portia Chinnery, Lindsey Perrella, Douglas Finefrock

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Several models of specialized geriatric care in the Emergency Department (ED) have been developed since the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) began accrediting geriatric EDs in 2018. There is considerable variability in terms of both design and efficacy in regard to screening older patients in the ED and determining proper interventions The John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) have developed the 4M Model for Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems which aims to provide high quality care to older patients by addressing four critical elements: Mentation, Mobility, Medication, What Matters. This article describes a screening tool for …

“I’M Not Staying In The Hospital Tonight”: How Emergency Departments Can Leverage Health And Social Services At Home To Support Care Transitions For Older Patients, Emily Franzosa, Ula Hwang, Maya Genovesi, Orna Intrator, Thomas Edes, Michael Malone

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

When hospital admission is less than desirable and sending a patient home alone feels unsafe, connecting patients to health and social services at home are a valuable third option for emergency providers. Coordinating home support services from the ED is effective care delivery and aligns with health systems’ goals of decreasing avoidable admissions, and developing capacity to assess and refer patients to home support from the ED is part of good emergency care. Change also doesn’t have to happen overnight. Taking small steps now to improve older patients' transitions to home can help EDs build toward high-quality, patient-centered care for …

Emergency Department - Community Partnership To Coordinate Older Adults Falls Prevention Programs, Suzanne Ryer, Ann Gallo, Adam Perry, Michael Malone

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Abstract

Falls and injurious falls are common causes for emergency department visits in older adults. Prior literature describing ED care of older adults has focused on the patients' injuries and their ED care. There is a gap in the literature describing community- based falls prevention strategies and interventions deployed by community organizations, beyond health systems. We identified variation in approaches to older adults among paramedic programs from one community to the next within Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. We also noted no organized falls prevention program spanning all communities, emergency departments and health systems in the county. We describe the implementation of …

Conference Proceedings: Aurora Scientific Day 2020

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Abstracts published in this supplement were among those presented at the 46th annual Aurora Scientific Day research symposium, held virtually on May 20, 2020. The symposium provides a forum for describing research studies conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, and allied health professionals affiliated with Wisconsin-based Aurora Health Care, a part of the Advocate Aurora Health health system, which publishes the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews.

Defining And Characterizing Frequent Attenders: Systematic Literature Review And Recommendations, Dip Shukla, Erik Faber, Brian Sick

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: To decrease cost and improve efficiency, health care organizations have focused on frequent attenders — patients with high health care utilization. Prior studies have investigated singular health care settings, used varying definitions of frequent attendance, and inconsistently identified factors correlated with frequent attendance. The purpose of this article is to suggest a uniform definition of frequent attenders for different health care settings and to determine factors correlated with frequent attendance.

Methods: This systematic review of three databases identified 2761 unique articles; 174 met inclusion criteria. Studies were analyzed for their definition of frequent attenders and factors associated with frequent …

Utilization Of Acupuncture Services In The Emergency Department Setting: A Quality Improvement Study, John R. Burns, Jessica J. F. Kram, Vashir Xiong, Jeanne M. Stark Casadont, Tiffany A. Mullen, Nancy Conway, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patients often present to the emergency department (ED) for pain. As opioid fatalities rise, alternative treatments are warranted for pain management. Acupuncture, a nonpharmacological treatment involving the insertion of needles into skin or tissue at specific points within the body, may help to decrease acute pain. Our study aimed to assess the utilization and impact of acupuncture in the ED for acute pain management.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of purposefully collected quality improvement data. Patients who were ≥18 years old and who presented to the ED at an urban medical center in Wisconsin during 2017 were offered …

Decreasing Time To Broad Spectrum Antibiotics For Septic Patients In The Emergency Department, Joseph J. Zieminski, Emily E. Bryant

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Timely administration of broad spectrum antibiotics has been shown to be directly correlated with decreased mortality for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. As such, both the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and the SEP-1 CMS measure recognize timely antibiotic administration as a cornerstone of therapy for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Purpose: Decrease time to broad spectrum antibiotic administration for septic patients in the emergency department (ED) of Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Methods: An alert within the electronic medical record was created to more rapidly identify potentially septic patients in the ED. After receiving the alert, …

Can Bedside Ultrasound Inferior Vena Cava Measurements Accurately Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure In The Emergency Department? A Clin-Iq, Miranda Gaskamp, Mark Blubaugh, Laine H. Mccarthy, Dewey C. Scheid

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis of CHF in patients presenting to the emergency department with undifferentiated dyspnea would allow clinicians to begin appropriate treatment more promptly. Current guidelines recommend B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels for more accurate diagnosis of CHF in dyspneic patients. Although BNP levels are relatively inexpensive, the test is not usually performed at bedside and results may take up to an hour or more. BNP also may have a “gray zone” in which the values can neither confirm nor rule out CHF. BNP has a reported sensitivity of …

Predictors Of Hospitalization Among Newly Admitted Skilled Nursing Facility Residents: Rethinking The Role Of Functional Decline, Sun J. Kim, Joo H. Lee, Shunichi Nakagawa, Elizabeth Bukowy, Ankoor Biswas, Boram Han, Yeilim Cho, Hyun Phil Shin, Ji Won Yoo

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Hospital transfer from a skilled nursing facility (SNF) is costly, and many are potentially preventable. This study examines: 1) whether functional decline is a predictor of hospital transfer, and 2) the magnitude of relationships between predictors (functional impairment and chronic medical illness) and hospital transfer from SNFs.

Methods: We used Minimum Data Set (MDS) Version 2.0 in the state of Michigan between 2007 and 2009. In total, 196,662 new SNF admissions were observed. Multilevel generalized estimating equations and regression models were performed for each functional and clinical domain while adjusting for demographic variables and change in activities of daily …