scholarly journals LO39: Using an ambulatory zone to improve physician initial assessment times in a tertiary care hospital emergency department

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S21-S21
Author(s):  
A. Verma ◽  
I. Cheng ◽  
K. Pardhan ◽  
L. Notario ◽  
W. Thomas-Boaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
The Past ◽  
Qualitative Feedback ◽  
Nurses And Physicians

Background: Increasing Emergency Department (ED) stretcher occupancy with admitted patients at our tertiary care hospital has contributed to long Physician Initial Assessment (PIA) times. As of Oct 2019, median PIA was 2.3 hours and 90th percentile PIA was 5.3 hours, with a consequent 71/74 PIA ranking compared to all Ontario EDs. Ambulatory zone (AZ) models are more commonly used in community EDs compared to tertiary level EDs. An interdisciplinary team trialled an AZ model for five days in our ED to improve PIA times. Aim Statement: We sought to decrease the median PIA for patients in our ED during the AZ trial period as compared to days with similar occupancy and volume. Measures & Design: The AZ was reserved for patients who could walk from a chair to stretcher. In this zone, ED rooms with stretchers were for patient assessment only; when waiting for results or receiving treatment, patients were moved into chairs. We removed nursing assignment ratios to increase patient flow. Our outcome measure was the median PIA for all patients in our ED. Our balancing measure was the 90th percentile PIA, which could increase if we negatively impacted patients who require stretchers. The median and 90th percentile PIA during the AZ trial were compared to similar occupancy and volume days without the AZ. Additional measures included ED Length of Stay (LOS) for non-admitted patients, and patients who leave without being seen (LWBS). Clinicians and patients provided qualitative feedback through surveys. Evaluation/Results: The median PIA during the AZ trial was 1.5 hours, compared to 2.1 hours during control days. Our balancing measure, the 90th percentile PIA was 3.7 hours, compared to 5.0 during control days. A run chart revealed both median and 90th percentile PIA during the trial were at their lowest points over the past 18 months. The number of LWBS patients decreased during the trial; EDLOS did not change. The majority of patients, nurses, and physicians felt the trial could be implemented permanently. Discussion/Impact: Although our highly specialized tertiary care hospital faces unique challenges and high occupancy pressures, a community-hospital style AZ model was successful in improving PIA. Shorter PIA times can improve other quality metrics, such as timeliness of analgesia and antibiotics. We are working to optimize the model based on feedback before we cycle another trial. Our findings suggest that other tertiary care EDs should consider similar AZ models.

scholarly journals P117: A pilot program of physician at triage conducted at a tertiary care hospital improved measures of emergency department throughput and provides a potential solution for emergency department overcrowding

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (S1) ◽  
pp. S98-S98
Author(s):  
J. D. Powell ◽  
A. Hughes ◽  
R. Scott ◽  
N. Balfour ◽  
G. McInnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Administrative Database ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Emergency Department Overcrowding ◽  
Number Of Patients

Introduction: Emergency Department Overcrowding (EDOC) is a multifactorial issue that leads to Access Block for patients needing emergency care. Identified as a national problem, patients presenting to a Canadian Emergency Department (ED) at a time of overcrowding have higher rates of admission to hospital and increased seven-day mortality. Using the well accepted input-throughput-output model to study EDOC, current research has focused on throughput as a measure of patient flow, reported as ED length of stay (LOS). In fact, ED LOS and ED beds occupied by inpatients are two “extremely important indicators of EDOC identified by a 2005 survey of Canadian ED directors. One proposed solution to improve ED throughput is to utilize a physician at triage (PAT) to rapidly assess newly arriving patients. In 2017, a pilot PAT program was trialed at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH), a tertiary care hospital, as part of a PDSA cycle. The aim was to mitigate EDOC by improving ED throughput by the end of 2018, to meet the national targets for ED LOS suggested in the 2013 CAEP position statement. Methods: During the fiscal periods 1-6 (April 1 to September 7, 2017) a PAT shift occurred daily from 1000-2200, over four long weekends. ED LOS, time to inpatient bed, time to physician initial assessment (PIA), number of British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) offload delays, and number of patients who left without being seen (LWBS) were extracted from an administrative database. Results were retrospectively analyzed and compared to data from 1000-2200 of non-PAT trial days during the trial periods. Results: Median ED LOS decreased from 3.8 to 3.4 hours for high-acuity patients (CTAS 1-3), from 2.1 to 1.8 hours for low-acuity patients (CTAS 4-5), and from 9.3 to 8.0 hours for all admitted patients. During PAT trial weekends, there was a decrease in the average time to PIA by 65% (from 73 to 26 minutes for CTAS 2-5), average number of daily BCAS offload delays by 39% (from 2.3 to 1.4 delays per day), and number of patients who LWBS from 2.4% to 1.7%. Conclusion: The implementation of PAT was associated with improvements in all five measures of ED throughput, providing a potential solution for EDOC at KGH. ED LOS was reduced compared to non-PAT control days, successfully meeting the suggested national targets. PAT could improve efficiency, resulting in the ability to see more patients in the ED, and increase the quality and safety of ED practice. Next, we hope to prospectively evaluate PAT, continuing to analyze these process measures, perform a cost-benefit analysis, and formally assess ED staff and patient perceptions of the program.

scholarly journals Predictors of prolonged adult hospitalization in the tertiary care hospital emergency department of Saudi Arabia ‎

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-100
Author(s):  
Majid Alsalamah ◽  
Nesreen Suliman Alwallan ◽  
Saeed Mastour Alshahrani ◽  
Bader F Al-Khateeb ◽  
Raed Aldahash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Hospital Emergency Department ◽  
Hospital Emergency

Assessment of Daily Burden and Factors for Overcrowded Emergency Department at Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi

2021 ◽  
pp. 30-35
Author(s):  
Arsala Faridi ◽  
Farah Ahmad ◽  
Areej Zehra ◽  
Afreen Fazal
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Duration ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Significant Difference

Background: When in emergency room there is no enough area left to serve or to admit the subsequent sick patients who may require urgent attention and observation the setting is called as the overcrowded emergency room. Due to overcrowded emergency department the quality of services provided by the staff and doctors is compromised ultimately patients with severe diseases are ignored and this may be one of the causes for causalities. Objective: To assess the daily burden and factors responsible for overcrowding at emergency department of tertiary care hospital of Karachi. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study conducted at tertiary care hospital of Karachi from October 2020 to January 2021. Data of patients coming to adult emergency department of either gender were collected.  Patients age <14 were excluded as these were referred to pediatric emergency department. Data collection was done according to Canadian emergency department triage and acuity scale (CTAS). Results: Total number (N) of patients who visited emergency department in study duration was 13434. The mean number of patients who visited ED was 141±13during our study duration. There was no any significant difference in presenting complaint. Delay in investigations was found to be a reason of prolong stay and overcrowding in ED in our setting. Conclusion: Overcrowding of patients in our ED of our setting was a common problem. The number of staff, doctors and beds were not matching the number of patient flow in the department. The main reason of prolong stay in ED was delay in investigations.

VALIDATION OF QUICK COVID SEVERITY INDEX IN COVID PATIENTS ADMITTED THROUGH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF A PRIVATE TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-55
Author(s):  
Harsimran Singh Das
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Oxygen Requirement ◽  
Clinical Tool

Introduction:qCSI (Quick COVID severity index) is a clinical tool established recently post pandemic to predict respiratory failure within 24 hours of admission in COVID-19 patients; respiratory failure being explain as increased oxygen requirement greater than 6L/min by low ow device, high ow device, noninvasive or invasive ventilation to maintain spO2 of greater than or equal to 94%, or death. Aim:To verify and validate the application of the qCSI in Emergency Department in Indian demographic for evidence-based guidance to aid physician decision making in safely dispositioning adult patients with COVID-19 with oxygen requirement less than or equal to 6L/min via low ow devices including nasal cannula and oxygen mask Materials and methods:This is an observational, retrospective study from Emergency Department in a private tertiary care hospital of admitted adult patients with COVID-19 disease. Clinical parameters in qCSI and disposition of 210 patients admitted through Emergency Department included in this study selected randomly was sought on admission and clinical status with level of care 24 hours following admission was recorded and compared with prediction based on qCSI from a period of 1 May 2020 to 31 October 2020. Result:We found that19(9.0%) patients Initial qCSI Score was Low, 80(38.1%) patients Initial qCSI Score was Low-intermediate, 84(40.0%) patients Initial qCSI Score was High-intermediate and 27(12.9%)patients Initial qCSI Score was High.qCSI Score after 24 hours 16(11.4%) patients were Low, 43(30.7%) patients were Low-intermediate, 63(45.0%) patients was High-intermediate and 18(12.9%) patients was High.Out of 210(100.0%) patients, 70 (33.3%) patients were critically ill. Conclusion:In conclusion these data show that the quick COVID-19 Severity Index provides easily accessed risk stratication relevant to Emergency Department provider.

scholarly journals Emergency Department Referral Profile of Traumatic Brain Injury Records at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Khan ◽  
Uzair Yaqoob ◽  
Zair Hassan ◽  
Muhammad Muizz Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Mild Tbi ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world and the impact is much worse in Pakistan. The objective here is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients with TBI in our country and to determine the immediate outcomes of patients with TBI after the presentation.Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were extracted from the medical records from January 1st to December 31st, 2019. Patient age, sex, type of trauma, and immediate outcome of the referral to the Emergency Department were recorded. The severity of TBI was categorized based on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in mild (GCS 13-15), moderate (GCS 9-12), and severe (GCS <8) classes. The Emergency Department referral profile was classified as admissions, disposed, detained and disposed, referred.Results: Out of 5047 patients, 3689 (73.1%) males and 1358 (26.9%) females. The most commonly affected age group was 0-10 years (25.6%) and 21-30 years (20.1%). Road Traffic accident was the predominant cause of injury (38.8%, n=1960) followed by fall (32.7%, n=1649). Most (93.6%, n=4710) of the TBIs were mild. After the full initial assessment and workup, and completing all first-aid management, the immediate outcome was divided into four, most frequent (67.2%, n=3393) of which was “disposed (discharged)”, and 9.3% (n=470) were admitted for further management.Conclusion: Our study represents a relatively commonplace picture of epidemiological data on the burden of TBI in Pakistan. As a large proportion of patients had a mild TBI, and there is a high risk of mild TBI being under-diagnosed, we warrant further investigation of mild TBI in population-based studies.

Patient perception regarding privacy and confidentiality: A study from the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (ICON-2022) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ghazanfar Saleem ◽  
Saima Ali ◽  
Nida Ghouri ◽  
Quratulain Maroof ◽  
Muhammad Imran Jamal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Patient Perception ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality ◽  
And Behavior

Background and Objective: Maintaining privacy and ensuring confidentiality with patients is paramount to developing an effective patient-provider relationship. This is often challenging in over-crowded Emergency Departments (EDs). This survey was designed to explore patients’ perceptions on maintenance of privacy and confidentiality and their subsequent interactions with providers in a busy tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Methods: Trained nursing staff conducted structured interviews with 571 patients who presented to The Indus Hospital (TIH) ED from January to December 2020. All patients were 14 years of age or older, could speak and understand Urdu, and provide informed consent. Patients were asked about their perceptions of privacy and confidentiality in the ED and whether this affected their interactions with providers. Results: Respondents were primarily men (64%) under the age of 45 (62%) presenting for the first time (49%). The majority of patients felt that privacy and confidentiality were maintained, however 10% of patients reported that they had rejected examination due to privacy concerns and 15% of patients reported that they had changed or omitted information provided to a provider due to confidentiality concerns. There was correlation between privacy and confidentiality concerns and patient-provider interactions (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Despite the often over-crowded and busy environment of the ED, patients generally felt that privacy and confidentiality were maintained. Given the correlation between perception and behavior and the importance of an effective patient-provider relationship, particularly in the acute setting when morbidity and mortality is high, initiatives that focus on maintaining privacy and confidentiality should be pursued. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.ICON-2022.5785 How to cite this:Saleem SG, Ali S, Ghouri N, Maroof Q, Jamal MI, Aziz T, et al. Patient perception regarding privacy and confidentiality: A study from the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(2):351-355.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.ICON-2022.5785 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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