scholarly journals MP82-09 METABOLIC STONE CENTER EFFECTIVELY DECREASES EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS

2016 ◽  
Vol 195 (4S) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Turini ◽  
Mary Flynn ◽  
Christopher Tucci ◽  
Gyan Pareek
Author(s):  
Laura C. Blomaard ◽  
Bas de Groot ◽  
Jacinta A. Lucke ◽  
Jelle de Gelder ◽  
Anja M. Booijen ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of implementation of the acutely presenting older patient (APOP) screening program for older patients in routine emergency department (ED) care shortly after implementation. Methods We conducted an implementation study with before-after design, using the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) model for quality improvement, in the ED of a Dutch academic hospital. All consecutive patients ≥ 70 years during 2 months before and after implementation were included. The APOP program comprises screening for risk of functional decline, mortality and cognitive impairment, targeted interventions for high-risk patients and education of professionals. Outcome measures were compliance with interventions and impact on ED process, length of stay (LOS) and hospital admission rate. Results Two comparable groups of patients (median age 77 years) were included before (n = 920) and after (n = 953) implementation. After implementation 560 (59%) patients were screened of which 190 (34%) were high-risk patients. Some of the program interventions for high-risk patients in the ED were adhered to, some were not. More hospitalized patients received comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) after implementation (21% before vs. 31% after; p = 0.002). In 89% of high-risk patients who were discharged to home, telephone follow-up was initiated. Implementation did not influence median ED LOS (202 min before vs. 196 min after; p = 0.152) or hospital admission rate (40% before vs. 39% after; p = 0.410). Conclusion Implementation of the APOP screening program in routine ED care did not negatively impact the ED process and resulted in an increase of CGA and telephone follow-up in older patients. Future studies should investigate whether sustainable changes in management and patient outcomes occur after more PDSA cycles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kelsey Ragan ◽  
Anjali Pandya ◽  
Tristan Holotnak ◽  
Katrina Koger ◽  
Neil Collins ◽  
...  

Background. Approximately 0.7% of the Canadian population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and many individuals are unaware of their infection. Our objectives were to utilize an emergency department (ED) based point-of-care (POC) HCV screening test to describe our local population and estimate the proportion of high-risk patients in our population with undiagnosed HCV. Methods. A convenience sample of medically stable patients (≥18 years) presenting to a community ED in Calgary, AB, between April and July 2018 underwent rapid clinical screening for HCV risk factors, including history of injection drug use, healthcare in endemic countries, and other recognized criteria. High-risk patients were offered POC HCV testing. Antibody-positive patients underwent HCV-RNA testing and were linked to hepatology care. The primary outcome was the proportion of new HCV diagnoses in the high-risk population. Results. Of the 999 patients screened by survey, 247 patients (24.7%) were high-risk and eligible for testing. Of these, 123 (49.8%) were from HCV-endemic countries, while 63 (25.5%) and 31 (12.6%) patients endorsed a history of incarceration and intravenous drug use (IVDU), respectively. A total of 144 (58.3%) eligible patients agreed to testing. Of these, 6 patients were POC-positive (4.2%, CI 0.9–7.4%); all 6 had antibodies detected on confirmatory lab testing and 4 had detectable HCV-RNA viral loads in follow-up. Notably, 103 (41.7%) patients declined POC testing. Interpretation. Among 144 high-risk patients who agreed to testing, the rate of undiagnosed HCV infection was 4.2%, and the rate of undiagnosed HCV infection with detectable viral load was 2.8%. Many patients with high-risk clinical criteria refused POC testing. It is unknown if tested and untested groups have the same disease prevalence. This study shows that ED HCV screening is feasible and that a small number of previously undiagnosed patients can be identified and linked to potentially life-changing care.


CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S40
Author(s):  
A. Verma ◽  
A. Kapoor ◽  
J. Kim ◽  
N. Kujbid ◽  
K. Si ◽  
...  

Background: Canadian Stroke Guidelines recommend that Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) patients at highest risk of stroke recurrence should undergo immediate vascular imaging. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the head and neck is recommended over carotid doppler because it allows for enhanced visualization of the intracranial and posterior circulation vasculature. Imaging while patients are in the emergency department (ED) is optimal for high-risk patients because the risk of stroke recurrence is highest in the first 48 hours. Aim Statement: At our hospital, a designated stroke centre, less than 5% of TIA patients meet national recommendations by undergoing CTA in the ED. We sought to increase the rate of CTA in high risk ED TIA patients from less than 5% to at least 80% in 10 months. Measures & Design: We used a multi-faceted approach to improve our adherence to guidelines including: 1) education for staff ED physicians; 2) agreements between ED and radiology to facilitate rapid access to CTA; 3) agreements between ED and neurology for consultations regarding patients with abnormal CTA; and 4) the creation of an electronic decision support tool to guide ED physicians as to which patients require CTA. We measured the rate of CTA in high risk patients biweekly using retrospective chart review of patients referred to the TIA clinic from the ED on a biweekly basis. As a balancing measure, we also measured the rate of CTA in non-high risk patients. Evaluation/Results: Data collection is ongoing. An interim run chart at 19 weeks shows a complete shift above the median after implementation, with CTA rates between 70 and 100%. At the time of submission, we had no downward trends below 80%, showing sustained improvement. The CTA rate in non-high risk patients did also increase. Disucssion/Impact: After 19 weeks of our intervention, 112 (78.9%) of high risk TIA patients had a CTA, compared to 10 (9.8%) in the 19 weeks prior to our intervention. On average, 10-15% of high risk patients will have an identifiable lesion on CTA, leading to immediate change in management (at minimum, an inpatient consultation with neurology). Our multi-faceted approach could be replicated in any ED with the engagement and availability of the same multi-disciplinary team (ED, radiology, and neurology), access to CTA, and electronic orders.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Harringa ◽  
Rebecca L. Bracken ◽  
Scott K. Nagle ◽  
Mark L. Schiebler ◽  
Michael S. Pulia ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A341.3-A341
Author(s):  
Y Hsieh ◽  
S Peterson ◽  
M Gauvey-Kern ◽  
C A Gaydos ◽  
D Holtgrave ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. TPS2086-TPS2086
Author(s):  
Nathan Handley ◽  
Adam Binder ◽  
Michael Li ◽  
Aliya Rogers ◽  
Valerie Pracilio Csik

TPS2086 Background: Acute care utilization (ACU), encompassing both emergency department visits and hospitalizations, is common in patients with cancer, with nearly three quarters of patients with advanced disease hospitalized at least once in the year after their diagnosis. Efforts to prospectively identify these patients prior to ACU have led to the development of a variety of scoring systems for specific cancer patient populations, including the elderly and those initiating palliative infusional chemotherapy. Prospectively identifying patients may enable early interventions to reduce ACU. However, few studies have demonstrated effective implementation of such prediction tools in clinical practice. We developed an oncology risk score (ORS) for active oncology patients (defined as patients with an active cancer diagnosis in the last 12 months who had a Medical Oncology encounter in a 180-day period ) to prospectively determine risk of ACU. Patients are defined as high risk (18% of patients, accounting for 57% of historical ACU), intermediate risk (25% of patients, accounting for 25% of ACU), or low risk (56% of patients, accounting for 18% of ACU) by the ORS. We are currently deploying a pragmatic implementation initiative to evaluate the impact of targeted nurse navigator (NN) outreach to patients defined as high risk for ACU by the ORS. Methods: The ORS is embedded within the health system electronic medical record. The ORS will be queried on a weekly basis. NNs will contact identified patients, prioritizing patients not yet identified by the navigation team by other means. Following chart review, NNs will either meet patients in person (if a visit is already planned within 24 hours) or complete standard navigation outreach and documentation (consisting of phone call and barrier assessment, as well as appropriate nursing intervention) if no visit is planned. NNs will determine follow up cadence based on clinical judgement. Efficacy will be determined using a case-control method. Case patients will be OCM patients defined as high risk by the ORS (historical n = 289); control patients will be non-OCM high risk patients (historical n = 388). The total number of patients in the case and control groups, as well as the proportion of patients in the group utilizing acute care, will be monitored over time. Proportion of high risk patients known to navigation will be tracked. ACU in medium and low risk groups will also be monitored. Targeted outreach to high risk patients using the ORS began on 2/5/2019.


2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 473-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
EVELYN M. J. YEAW ◽  
PAMELA A. BURLINGAME

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