Emergency Medicine Commons^™

Clinical Decision Making: A Case Study Of The Effects Of Evidence Based Medicine And Past Empirical Experience In The Emergency Department, Olivia Zeman-Renner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

With a growing number of medical malpractice suits and the passage of policy that focuses on patient advocacy, an emphasis has been placed on research regarding the decision-making processes of physicians in everyday practices. Over the past decades, scholars have looked to specific clinical decision-making philosophies, how they can be implemented into practice, and the effects of such implementation, but little research has been done into the culmination of decision-making philosophies on a day-to-day basis. By focusing on single-case study of a Midwestern Emergency Department and asking Attending physicians to self-report their decision-making philosophies, this study serves as a transition …

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 …

An Integrated Model Of Palliative Care In The Emergency Department To Improve Referrals, Jennifer L. Schlatter

Doctoral Projects

Introduction: The emergency department plays a critical role in the trajectory of in-hospital patient care. The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) along with the American College of Emergency Physicians (AECP) recommend early referral to palliative care for patients with life limiting illnesses that present to the emergency department. Research demonstrates that early palliative care consultations result in patient directed goals of care, improved symptom management, decreased length of stay, and reduced direct costs for inpatient hospitalizations.

Objectives: The goal of this project was to implement evidence-based recommendations for early palliative care referrals in an adult emergency department to improve …

Acute Pancreatitis In The Emergency Department, Gregory J. Lopez, Bs, Matt Hall, Md, Matthew Babineau, Md, Darshan Kothari, Md, Ryan C. Burke, Phd, Mph, Richard E. Wolfe, Md, Sunil G. Sheth, Md, Stephen Freedman, Md, Nathan I. Shapiro, Md, Carrie Tibbles, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common emergency department (ED) presentation with a variety of outcomes. Stratifying AP severity with scoring systems can allow physicians to effectively manage patient disposition.

Objective: To identify ED pancreatitis patients who will likely be admitted to the ICU or be discharged within 48 hours, and to validate existing pancreatitis severity scores.

Methods: Patients with a final ED diagnosis of AP and/or lipase ≥ 3 times the upper limit of normal were enrolled in a prospective, observational chart review study. Parametric and non-parametric descriptive statistics were used to describe the patient population. Area under receiver …

Emergency Medicine Palliative Care Access (Empalla): Protocol For A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing The Effectiveness Of Specialty Outpatient Versus Nurse-Led Telephonic Palliative Care Of Older Adults With Advanced Illness, Corita R. Grudzen, Deborah J. Shim, Abigail M. Schmucker, Jeanne Cho, Keith S. Goldfeld

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Introduction Emergency department (ED)-initiated palliative care has been shown to improve patient-centred outcomes in older adults with serious, life-limiting illnesses. However, the optimal modality for providing such interventions is unknown. This study aims to compare nurse-led telephonic case management to specialty outpatient palliative care for older adults with serious, life-limiting illness on: (1) quality of life in patients; (2) healthcare utilisation; (3) loneliness and symptom burden and (4) caregiver strain, caregiver quality of life and bereavement.

Methods and analysis This is a protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel, two-arm randomised controlled trial in ED patients comparing two established models of …

What Does Anxiety Look Like? Prevalence Among Ed Patients, Justin B. Anderson

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

The prevalence of mental illness in the US population is common, with an estimated value of 8%. The emergency department patient population is especially vulnerable to mental illness. Previous studies from 2012 and 2017 estimated the rate of undiagnosed mental illness in the Emergency Department (ED) at 41-42%.1,2 According to the studies, only a minority of these were identified by the physician.

DSM-5 defines the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as “excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school …

Consent For Emergency Treatment: Emergency Department Patient Recall And Understanding, Ashley Lafountain

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Informed consent is an important ethical and legal requirement that underlies the concept of patient autonomy. This prospective survey study was conducted to assess patient recall and understanding of consent for treatment in adult emergency department (ED) patients at an urban level 1 trauma center with annual volume of 95,000, Miami Valley Hospital. Out of a total 293 patients, most individuals reported only receiving a verbal explanation of the consent document (45%) or not reading the document at all (36%). About half of the patients recalled consenting to treatment (N=144, 49%) and over one third of patients could not recall …

Central Line Cart: An Emergency Department Initiative To Improve Efficiency, M. Ahmed, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background

• Critically ill patients that present to the emergency room often require time sensitive resuscitative measures, which often necessitates placement of a central venous catheter.
• Efficient placement of a central venous catheter is often limited by the time it takes to gather the number of supplies needed for the task.
• It is already known that central venous catheter procedure carts and kits decrease the incidence of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)1 as well as reduce the incidence of procedural mistakes during central line insertion2
• However, there is a paucity of data in regards to the impact of central line …

Reducing Pediatric Asthma Visits In The Emergency Department, Kathleen Grimley Ahn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this project was to reduce the number of unnecessary pediatric asthma management visits to an urban emergency department (ED) by performing a brief action plan for improved National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guideline adherence. This plan was shared with parents during an NP-initiated follow-up phone call.

Rationale/Background: Inadequate outpatient management of pediatric asthma can result in avoidable visits to the ED. Acute exacerbations comprise a large portion of pediatric asthma patients seeking care in the ED. Reasons for persistent under-utilization of outpatient care for asthma management in primary care settings are multifactorial. Daily symptom …

Understanding Patient Uncertainty As A Driver Of Emergency Department Utilization: A Concept Mapping Approach, Angela Gerolamo, Phd, Rn, Shannon Doyle, Mph, Rhea E. Powell, Md, Mph, Amanda M.B. Doty, Ms, Marianna Lanoue, Phd, Kristin L. Rising, Md, Mshp

Department of Emergency Medicine Posters

Background and Purpose

• Most previous research regarding factors associated with increased risk of emergency department (ED) use has been done via retrospective review of medical records rather than obtaining patients’ perspectives.
• Recent research identified patient uncertainty related to symptoms as a primary motivator for seeking ED care, and ongoing uncertainty at the time of ED discharge as an unmet need (Rising et al. 2015; Rising, Hudgins, Reigle, Hollander, & Carr 2016).
• While providers have limited ability to influence many factors identified by retrospective medical record review (e.g. financial concerns), patient uncertainty can be addressed by providers directly. To do so …

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, …

Implementation Of A Standardized Handoff During Transition Of Care From The Emergency Department To The Intensive Care Unit, Melinda Abbring

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Patient safety and nursing communication are crucial to the nursing handoff during transition of care from the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU). The Institute of Medicine published To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System (1999) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) highlighting ED handoffs as a safety measure. In 2006, the Joint Commission recognized handoffs with the National Patient Safety Goal 2E. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to determine if implementation of a standardized handoff would improve nursing communication and patient safety during transition of care from the ED to the …

Emergency Department Approach To Electrical Toothbrush Associated Hand Injury, A Unique Case Of Non-Oropharyngeal Injury., Hannah Robinson, Neal Sikka, Chimere Little, Ali Pourmand

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

Puncture wounds are common injuries treated in the emergency department (ED). Prior studies have shown that toothbrushes are common reservoirs for oral flora, especially in regions near the head of the toothbrush near the bristles. ED providers must be aware of the danger associated with bacterial contamination of the associated wound and should be familiar with different pathogens and options for treatment. We present a unique case of a 30-year-old male with non-intraoral injury who presented to the ED after puncturing his left palm with the metal post of an electric toothbrush.

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 …

Impact Of Delay In Admission On The Outcome Of Critically Ill Patients Presenting To The Emergency Department Of A Tertiary Care Hospital From Low Income Country, Badar Afzal Khan, Nishi Shakeel, Emad Uddin Siddiqui, Ghazala Kazi, Irum Qamar Khan, Munawer Khursheed, Asher Feroze, Kiran Ejaz, Sumaiya Tauseeq Khan, Hatem Adel

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective: To assess the impact of admission delay on the outcome of critical patients.Methods: The retrospective chart review was done at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised adult patients visiting the Emergency Department during 2010. Outcome measures assessed were total hospital length of stay, total cost of the visit and in-hospital mortality. Patients admitted within 6 hours of presentation at Emergency Department were defined as non-delayed. Data was analysed using SPSS 19.Results: Of the 49,532 patients reporting at the Emergency Department during the study period, 17,968 (36.3%) were admitted. Of them 2356(13%) were admitted to special or intensive care …

Imparting Research Ethics In Emergency Medicine-A Perspective From The Developing World, Shahan Waheed, Muhammad Akbar Baig, Asad Mian

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of The New Senior Ed Program At Summa Akron City Hospital, Ahmed F. Ozgur

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Objectives: To compare the outcomes of patients seen during a pilot Senior Emergency Department (ED) program to a historical cohort of geriatric patients receiving usual ED care.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of quality assurance data obtained to evaluate the implementation of a pilot Senior ED program at a 78,000 visit hospital ED. The historical cohort covered 1/23/2012 to 12/31/2012. The pilot Senior ED program was implemented from 1/1/2013 to 12/31/2013. Patients 65 years and older arriving between 8:30 am and 8:30 pm were triaged to a 15 bed Senior ED. Interventions included assessment by a nurse transitional …

Intentional And Unintentional Poisoning In Pakistan: A Pilot Study Using The Emergency Departments Surveillance Project., Nadeem Ullah Khan, Ricardo Pérez-Núñez, Nudrat Shamim, Uzma Rahim Khan, Naureen Naseer, Asher Feroze, Junaid Abdul Razzak, Adnan A. Hyder

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Acute poisoning is one of the most common reasons for emergency department visits around the world. In Pakistan, the epidemiological data on poisoning is limited due to an under developed poison information surveillance system. We aim to describe the characteristics associated with intentional and unintentional poisoning in Pakistan presenting to emergency departments.
Methods: The data was extracted from the Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance (Pak-NEDS) which was an active surveillance conducted between November 2010 and March 2011. All patients, regardless of age, who presented with poisoning to any of Pakistan's seven major tertiary care centers' emergency departments, were included. …

The Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance Study (Pak-Neds): Introducing A Pilot Surveillance, Mohammed Umer Mir, Abdulgafoor M. Bachani, Haseeb Khawaja, Shiraz Qayoom Afridi, Sabir Ali, Muhammad Mujeeb Khan, Seemin Jamali, Fareed Ahmed Sumalani, Adnan A. Hyder, Junaid Abdul Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Evidence-based decision making is essential for appropriate prioritization and service provision by healthcare systems. Despite higher demands, data needs for this practice are not met in many cases in low- and middle-income countries because of underdeveloped sources, among other reasons. Emergency departments (EDs) provide an important channel for such information because of their strategic position within healthcare systems. This paper describes the design and pilot test of a national ED based surveillance system suitable for the Pakistani context.
Methods: The Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance Study (Pak-NEDS) was pilot tested in the emergency departments of seven major tertiary healthcare …

Pattern Of Fall Injuries In Pakistan: The Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance (Pak-Neds) Study., Jabeen Fayyaz, Shirin Wadhwaniya, Hira Shahzad, Asher Feroze, Nukhba Zia, Mohammed Umer Mir, Uzma Rahim Khan, Sumera Iram, Sabir Ali, Junaid Abdul Razzak, Adnan A. Hyder

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: We aimed to analyse the frequency and patterns of fall-related injuries presenting to the emergency departments (EDs) across Pakistan.
Methods: Pakistan National Emergency Departments surveillance system collected data from November 2010 to March 2011 on a 24/7 basis using a standardized tool in seven major EDs (five public and two private hospitals) in six major cities of Pakistan. For all patients presenting with fall-related injuries, we analysed data by intent with focus on unintentional falls. Simple frequencies were run for basic patient demographics, mechanism of falls, outcomes of fall injuries, mode of arrival to ED, investigations, and procedures with …

Handoff Communication In The Emergency Department, Kristen Matichko

DNP Forum

The communication of patient information through use of handoff ensures continuity of care and patient safety. A study of hand-off reports between pre-hospital personnel and staff in the emergency department revealed a lack of complete or formal information dialogue. Nurses play a vital role in the process of communication and information exchange through the use of handoff despite minimal guidelines for that exchange in current nursing practice. The pre-hospital hand-off informational exchange impacts patient safety as well as the planning and implementation of nursing care based upon that information.

The sample used was from a convenience sampling of patients arriving …

Setting Up Triage Services In The Emergency Department: Experience From A Tertiary Care Institute Of Pakistan. A Journey Toward Excellence., Munawar Khursheed, Jabeen Fayyaz, Ahsan Jamil

Department of Emergency Medicine

The history of triage started from the French battle field for prioritizing patients. Emergency triage was started in early 1950's in USA in order to treat the sickest first. It has now become an integral component of all emergency departments (ED). The basic aim of triage is not only to sort out patients according to the criticality of their illness, but it also serves to streamline the patient flow. This will ultimately enable the ED physician to provide right management at the right time to the right patient in the available resources. In turn has a positive impact in reducing …

Providence Ed Guide Program - Analysis Of Program Impacts; The Center For Outcomes Research & Education (Core); Providence Health & Services, Bill J. Wright

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Framework For Classifying Compliance And Medical Immediacy Among Low-Acuity Presentations At An Urban Trauma Center, Joshua G. Behr, Rafael Diaz, Barry Knapp, Cynthia Kratzke

VMASC Publications

Background: This research offers two exploratory frameworks for medical regimen compliance and medical immediacy. The first classifies compliance awareness, compliance mitigation, and financial limitation for those patients that exhibit nonadherence with a medical regimen. The second classifies medical immediacy and characterizes avoidable utilization.

Methods: Representative sampling of adult patients presenting at an emergency department (62,000/ppy) triaged as low acuity; emergency department physician assessment of noncompliance with medical regimen for those patients with a complaint related to a chronic condition; and emergency department physician assessment of medical immediacy and avoidable utilization.

Results: Physicians report 48.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 43.5% to …

Descriptive Study Of Prescriptions For Opioids From A Suburban Academic Emergency Department Before New York's I-Stop Act., Lyncean Ung, Ronald Dvorkin, Steven Sattler, David P. Yens

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

Introduction: Controlled prescription opioid use is perceived as a national problem attributed to all specialties. Our objective was to provide a descriptive analysis of prescriptions written for controlled opioids from a database of emergency department (ED) visits prior to the enactment of the I-STOP law, which requires New York prescribers to consult the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) prior to prescribing Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances for prescriptions of greater than five days duration.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective medical record review of patients 21 years of age and older, who presented to the ED between July …

National Estimates Of Emergency Department Visits For Pediatric Severe Sepsis In The United States, Sara Singhal, Mathias W. Allen, John-Ryan Mcannally, Kenneth S. Smith, John P. Donnelly, Henry E. Wang

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective. We sought to determine the characteristics of children presenting to United States (US) Emergency Departments (ED) with severe sepsis.

Study design. Cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Using triage vital signs and ED diagnoses (defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes), we identified children(triage fever or ICD-9 infection) and organ dysfunction (triage hypotension or ICD-9 organ dysfunction).

Results. Of 28.2 million pediatric patients presenting to US EDs each year, severe sepsis was present in 95,055 (0.34%; 95% CI: 0.29-0.39%). Fever and respiratory infection were the most common indicators of …

Intubation In Emergency Department Of A Tertiary Care Hospital In A Low-Income, Nadeem Ullah Khan, Uzma R. Khan, Kiran Ejaz, Humaid Ahmad, Nukhba Zia, Junaid Abdul Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective: To study the indications, method, success rate and complications of intubation at the Emergency Department of a private, tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: The case series involved 278 patients above 14 years of age who underwent emergency intubation at the Emergency Department of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between 1998 and 2003. Descriptive statistics were used to compare rapid sequence intubation with crash intubation. The level of significance was p<0.05.
Results: Of the total 278 intubations performed, 37 (13.3%) had to be left out for incomplete information. The study population remaining for inferential analysis comprised of 241 …

Nitric Oxide And Its Metabolites In The Critical Phase Of Illness: Rapid Biomarkers In The Making, Asad Mian, Mayank Aranke, Nathan S. Bryan

Department of Emergency Medicine

The potential of nitric oxide (NO) as a rapid assay biomarker, one that could provide a quantum leap in acute care, remains largely untapped. NO plays a crucial role as bronchodilator, vasodilator and inflammatory mediator. The main objective of this review is to demonstrate how NO is a molecule of heavy interest in various acute disease states along the emergency department and critical care spectrum: respiratory infections, central nervous system infections, asthma, acute kidney injury, sepsis, septic shock, and myocardial ischemia, to name just a few. We discuss how NO and its oxidative metabolites, nitrite and nitrate, are readily detectable …

Optimizing Atraumatic Emergency Care In Child Sexual Abuse, Kristen A. Morris

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Child sexual abuse has been identified as a common problem. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in 2010 it was estimated that child victims of sexual abuse accounted for 9.2% (69,368) of the 573,794 children under the age of 12 years who were the victims of maltreatment. The emergency department (ED) is often the point of entry into the healthcare system for child sexual abuse victims, which adds to the resource burden of this department nationwide. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to develop a best-practice screening tool for medical providers to guide the …

Evidence-Based Protocols For Assessment And Treatment Of Adolescent Suicide Risk In An Emergency Department, Rebecca Bentele

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Suicide and suicide attempts are a frequently encountered clinical crisis and the assessment, management and treatment of suicidal patients is one of the most stressful tasks for clinicians (Fowler, 2012). The purpose of this project was to examine whether current assessment and treatment protocols followed in the ED, Mankato, adhere to best-­‐practices as identified through research, as well as to make recommendations to MCHS-­‐Mankato for future considerations and potential modifications to existing protocols.