Comparative effectiveness of amoxicillin versus amoxicillin‐clavulanate among adults with acute sinusitis in emergency department and urgent care settings

The use of emergency departments for non-emergent issues has led to overcrowding and decreased the quality of care. Telemedicine may be a mechanism to decrease overutilization of this expensive resource. From April to September 2020, we assessed (a) the impact of a multi-center tele-urgent care program on emergency department referral rates and (b) the proportion of individuals who had a subsequent emergency department visit within 72 h of tele-urgent care evaluation when they were not referred to the emergency department. We then performed a chart review to assess whether patients presented to the emergency department for the same reason as was stated for their tele-urgent care evaluation, whether subsequent hospitalization was needed during that emergency department visit, and whether death occurred. Among the 2510 patients who would have been referred to in-person emergency department care, but instead received tele-urgent care assessment, one in five (21%; n = 533) were subsequently referred to the emergency department. Among those not referred following tele-urgent care, 1 in 10 (11%; n = 162) visited the emergency department within 72 h. Among these 162 individuals, most (91%) returned with the same or similar complaint as what was assessed during their tele-urgent care visit, with one in five requiring hospitalization (19%, n = 31) with one individual (0.01%) dying. In conclusion, tele-urgent care may safely decrease emergency department utilization.

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Use of Ophthalmic Sonography to Evaluate for Intraocular Foreign Body in Both Outpatient and Emergency Department/Urgent Care Patients

Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography ◽

10.1177/87564793211033232 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 875647932110332

Author(s):

Patrick J. Fish

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Foreign Body ◽

Foreign Bodies ◽

Outpatient Setting ◽

Intraocular Foreign Body ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Posterior Chamber ◽

Emergency Department Setting ◽

Before And After ◽

Glass Metal

Intraocular foreign bodies (IOFB) present differently depending on the type of material (wood, glass, metal) for the IOFB, extent of the injury, and location of the injury. IOFB and the injury can cause a perforation or penetration of the globe which can require more extensive treatment including surgery. Proper evaluation of the IOFB and injury can help to determine extent of the injury, the prognosis of the vision, and health of the eye before and after treatment but may be difficult for the physician depending on the view of the posterior chamber being compromised by media or simply by patient sensitivity. The extent of the injury may also prevent proper evaluation due to swelling, lacerations on the lids, or pain. Proper ophthalmic sonography can provide a quick evaluation of the globe for any IOFB in both the outpatient setting as well as emergency department setting. Evaluation via sonography may allow the physician to accurately diagnose and properly treat the patient to help restore and prevent further loss of vision.

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P029: Requesting prescriptions in the emergency department: the patient, the request and the response

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2020.236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (S1) ◽

pp. S74-S75

Author(s):

L. Shepherd ◽

M. Mucciaccio ◽

K. VanAarsen

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Family Doctor ◽

Wait Time ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Care Centre ◽

Medication Prescription ◽

Physician Decision Making ◽

Service Gap ◽

Urgent Care Centre

Introduction: Patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) for the sole purpose of requesting prescriptions are problematic. Problematic for the patient, who may have a long wait to be seen and may leave dissatisfied. Problematic for the ED physician, who is in the business of episodic not comprehensive care and is diligently trying to avoid the misappropriation of medications. The primary objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of patients who present to the ED or Urgent Care Centre (UCC) requesting a prescription, the nature of these requests and the resulting action by the attending physician. The secondary objective was to determine the proportion of medication requests and responses that have potential street value. With this knowledge we may be better positioned to serve these patients and support physician decision-making. Methods: This was a single-centre, retrospective electronic chart review looking at all adult patients with a presenting complaint of medication request who attended a two-site tertiary ED or an Urgent Care Centre (UCC) in London, Ontario between April 1, 2014 and June 30, 2017. Data was tested for normality and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 1923 cases met the inclusion criteria. Cases were removed (n = 421) if it was unclear which prescription was requested or if a non-medication prescription or injection was requested. The patient median (IQR) age was 44 (32-54) with 58% being male and 55% having a family doctor. There were a total of 2261 prescriptions requested by 1502 patients. The top 3 most commonly requested classes of medications were opioids 433/1502 (28.8%), antidepressants/antipsychotics 371/1502 (24.7%) and benzodiazepines 252/1502 (16.8%). The median (IQR) wait time was 73 minutes (35-128). 298/1502 (19.8%) of patients received their requested prescription (opioids 12.7%; antidepressant/antipsychotic 55.3% and benzodiazepines 16.3%). 740/1502 (49.3%) of patients requested a medication that had street value. Of those, 118/740 (15.9%) received the requested medication. Conclusion: There is no “one size fits all” solution for the patient who presents to the ED requesting a prescription. The large number of requests for psychiatric medications suggests a service gap for mental health patients in the community. This data supports the need for comprehensive electronic medication records to guide physicians’ decisions.

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Finding the path of least resistance: Locally adapting the MITIGATE toolkit in emergency departments and urgent care centers

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.1394 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Joanne Huang ◽

Zahra Kassamali Escobar ◽

Todd S. Bouchard ◽

Jose Mari G. Lansang ◽

Rupali Jain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Complex Data ◽

University Of Washington ◽

Primary Care Clinics ◽

Urgent Care Centers ◽

The University

Abstract The MITIGATE toolkit was developed to assist urgent care and emergency departments in the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs. At the University of Washington, we adopted the MITIGATE toolkit in 10 urgent care centers, 9 primary care clinics, and 1 emergency department. We encountered and overcame challenges: a complex data build, choosing feasible outcomes to measure, issues with accurate coding, and maintaining positive stewardship relationships. Herein, we discuss solutions to challenges we encountered to provide guidance for those considering using this toolkit.

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Increased access to urgent care centers decreases low acuity diagnoses in a nearby hospital emergency department

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ajem.2018.11.023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 486-488 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ingrid Llovera ◽

Kirsten Loscalzo ◽

Jia Gao ◽

Timmy Li ◽

Martina Brave ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Hospital Emergency Department ◽

Hospital Emergency ◽

Urgent Care Centers

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Why did the children stop coming? Reasons for paediatric emergency department attendance decrease during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom: A qualitative study

10.1101/2021.03.30.21254661 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew Breckons ◽

Sophie Thorne ◽

Rebecca Walsh ◽

Sunil Bhopal ◽

Stephen Owens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Emergency Department ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Substantial Reduction ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Urgent Care ◽

List Type ◽

Paediatric Emergency Department ◽

Paediatric Emergency ◽

Health Messaging

AbstractObjectiveTo explore parent’s experiences and views relating to their use of children’s emergency healthcare services during the Covid-19 pandemic.DesignQualitative telephone interview study using in-depth interviews, based on the principles of grounded theory. Recorded, transcribed verbatim, managed in NVivo version 12, analysed by thematic analysis.SettingNorth East England, United Kingdom.ParticipantsParents of children aged 0-8 years.FindingsThree major themes emerged from the interview data: Risk to children and families, Sources of Information, and Making Healthcare-seeking Decisions. These themes encompassed a range of intellectual and emotional responses in the way that parents interpreted information related to Covid-19, and their sense of responsibility towards family and wider society.ConclusionsTogether these themes aid understanding of the changes in paediatric emergency department attendances reported in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. The analysis suggests that public health messaging directed at those seeking urgent care for children may be inadequate and lead to adverse consequences, the impacts of which require further study and refinement.What is known about the subjectFollowing lockdown, there was a substantial reduction in the number of children taken to unscheduled medical care across the countryDelays in presentation can impact on children’s healthIt is not known what parents’ views are on accessing emergency health services in a pandemic situationWhat this study addsParents had to weigh up a number of information sources before deciding on whether to take their child to hospitalPublic health messaging directed at those seeking urgent care for children may lead to a reduction in use of emergency healthcare servicesFuture lockdowns should implement focussed strategies, optimising use of emergency healthcare services, whilst avoiding harm.

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Pasteurella Multocida tenosynovitis of the flexor pollicis longus caused by a rabbit bone wound

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology ◽

10.36438/jost2020005 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 50-56

Author(s):

Blasco Alejandro ◽

Cuñat-Aragó Borja ◽

Baixauli Emilio ◽

Amaya-Valero Jose

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Pasteurella Multocida ◽

Oral Antibiotic ◽

Flexor Pollicis Longus ◽

Indication For Surgery ◽

Subcutaneous Edema ◽

Show Evidence ◽

Amoxicillin Clavulanate ◽

Limited Function ◽

Rabbit Bone

A 29-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department with a painful thumb, feverredness, and swelling and limited function. Five days before he was wounded with a rabbitbone. He was given amoxicillin-clavulanate with a lack of improvement. He was admitted forhospitalization and an ultrasound confirmed tenosynovitis as well as subcutaneous edema, sosurgical debridement was performed. Cultures were positive to Pasteurella multocida.Hospital stay was 9 days, and he continued oral antibiotic for 10 days after discharge. Fourmonths postoperatively, the patient had complete function and didn’t show evidence ofrecurrence. To conclude, rapidly developing cellulitis, tenosynovitis, fever and drainage fromhand wounds after a cat or dog bites should suggest Pasteurella multocida infection.However, P. multocida tenosynovitis can be also produced after a rabbit bone wound.Absence of response after 24-48 of antibiotic treatment, especially if cellulitis has progressedto tenosynovitis, is an indication for surgery.

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Urgent Care Costs of Uncontrolled Asthma in Canada, 2004

Canadian Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1155/2005/478764 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 435-436 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Soo Jin Seung ◽

Nicole Mittmann

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Indirect Costs ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Uncontrolled Asthma ◽

Physician Visits ◽

Direct And Indirect Costs ◽

Drug Treatments ◽

The Cost ◽

Care Costs

It has been more than a decade since Krahn evaluated the direct and indirect costs of asthma in Canada. Asthma is often uncontrolled and the cost of providing urgent care has not been determined. Hospitalizations, unscheduled physician visits, emergency department visits, drug treatments and ambulance rides are resources used by the uncontrolled asthmatic population, resulting in $162 million in costs annually. Improved control of asthma could decrease these costs.

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