scholarly journals Diagnostic Uncertainty in Patients Empirically Treated with Intravenous Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Author(s):  
C. Shappell ◽  
M. Klompas ◽  
C. Rhee
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Chen ◽  
Myura Nagendran ◽  
Yakup Kilic ◽  
Dominic Cavlan ◽  
Adam Feather ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study To characterise the documentation of working diagnoses and their associated level of certainty by clinicians assessing patients referred to the medical team from the emergency department. Design This was a single centre retrospective cohort study of non-consultant grade clinicians at the Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust between 01/03/19 to 31/03/19. De-identified electronic health record data was collected to include the type of diagnosis documented (clinical, laboratory result or symptom/sign defined) and the certainty adjective used for single diagnoses. Presence or absence of diagnostic uncertainty was collected for multiple diagnoses. Results 865 medical assessments were recorded during the study period. 850 were available for further analysis. 420 presented a single diagnosis while 430 presented multiple diagnoses. Of the 420 single diagnoses, 67 (16%) were documented as either a symptom or physical sign, and 16 (4%) were laboratory-result defined diagnoses. No uncertainty was expressed in 309 (74%) of the diagnoses. Of 430 multiple diagnoses, uncertainty was expressed in 346 (80%) compared to 84 (20%) in which no uncertainty was expressed. Conclusion The documentation of working diagnoses is highly variable amongst non-consultant grade clinicians assessing patients admitted via the emergency department. In nearly three quarters of assessments with single diagnoses, no element of uncertainty was implied or quantified. More uncertainty was expressed in multiple diagnoses than single diagnoses however documentation style was heterogenous. These data have implications for prospective studies examining the quantification of diagnostic certainty and its association with important process or outcome measures.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. e0211133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anniek Brink ◽  
Jelmer Alsma ◽  
Rob Johannes Carel Gerardus Verdonschot ◽  
Pleunie Petronella Marie Rood ◽  
Robert Zietse ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffie H. A. Brouns ◽  
Lisette Mignot-Evers ◽  
Floor Derkx ◽  
Suze L. Lambooij ◽  
Jeanne P. Dieleman ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e0135066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffie H. A. Brouns ◽  
Patricia M. Stassen ◽  
Suze L. E. Lambooij ◽  
Jeanne Dieleman ◽  
Irene T. P. Vanderfeesten ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  

Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding and overuse are global healthcare problems. Despite that substantial pieces of literature have explored quality parameters to monitor the patients’ safety and quality of care in the ED, to the best of our knowledge, no reasonable patient-to-ED staff ratios were established. Objectives: This study aimed to find the association between unexpected emergency department cardiac arrest (EDCA) and the patient-to-ED staff ratio. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a medical center in Taiwan. Non-trauma patients (age > 18) who visited the ED from January 1, 2016 to November 30, 2018 were included. The total number of patients in ED, number of patients waiting for boarding, length of stay over 48 hours, and physician/nurse number in ED were collected and analyzed. The primary outcome was the association of each parameter with the incidence of EDCA. Results: A total of 508 patients were included. The total number of patients in ED ( > 361, RR: 1.54; 95% CI {1.239-1.917}), ED occupancy rate (> 280, RR: 1.54; 95% CI {1.245-1.898}), ED bed occupancy rate (> 184, RR: 1.63; 95% CI {1.308-2.034}), number of patients waiting for boarding (> 134, RR: 1.45; 95% CI {1.164-1.805}), number of patients in ED with length of stay over 48 hours (> 36, RR: 1.27; 95% CI {1.029-1.558}) and patient-to-nurse ratio (> 8.5, adjusted RR: 1.33; 95% CI {1.054-1.672}) had significant associations with higher incidence of EDCA. However, the patient-to-physician ratio was not associated with EDCA incidence. Discussions: Regarding loading parameters, the patient-to-nurse ratio is more representative than the patient-to-physician ratio as regards association with higher EDCA incidence. Conclusions: A higher patient-to-nurse ratio (> 8.5) was associated with an increment in the incidence of EDCA. Our findings provide a basis for setting different thresholds for different ED settings to adjust ED staff and develop individually tailored approaches corresponding to the level of ED overcrowding.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneloes NJ Huijgens ◽  
Laurens J van Baardewijk ◽  
Carolina JPW Keijsers

Abstract BACKGROUND: At the emergency department, there is a need for an instrument which is quick and easy to use to identify geriatric patients with the highest risk of mortality. The so- called ‘hanging chin sign’, meaning that the mandibula is seen to project over one or more ribs on the chest X-ray, could be such an instrument. This study aims to investigate whether the hanging chin sign is a predictor of mortality in geriatric patients admitted through the emergency department. METHODS: We performed an observational retrospective cohort study in a Dutch teaching hospital. Patients of ≥ 65 years who were admitted to the geriatric ward following an emergency department visit were included. The primary outcome of this study was mortality. Secondary outcomes included the length of admission, discharge destination and the reliability compared to patient-related variables and the APOP screener.RESULTS: 396 patients were included in the analysis. Mean follow up was 300 days; 207 patients (52%) died during follow up. The hanging chin sign was present in 85 patients (21%). Patients with the hanging chin sign have a significantly higher mortality risk during admission (OR 2.94 (1.61 to 5.39), p < 0.001), within 30 days (OR 2.49 (1.44 to 4.31), p = 0.001), within 90 days (OR 2.16 (1.31 to 3.56), p = 0.002) and within end of follow up (OR 2.87 (1.70 to 4.84),p < 0.001). A chest X-ray without a PA view or lateral view was also associated with mortality. This technical detail of the chest x-ray and the hanging chin sign both showed a stronger association with mortality than patient-related variables or the APOP screener. CONCLUSIONS: The hanging chin sign and other details of the chest x-ray were strong predictors of mortality in geriatric patients presenting at the emergency department. Compared to other known predictors, they seem to do even better in predicting mortality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanae Hosomi ◽  
Tomotaka Sobue ◽  
Tetsuhisa Kitamura ◽  
Atsushi Hirayama ◽  
Hiroshi Ogura ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundPharmacological elevation of blood pressure is frequently incorporated in severe traumatic brain injury management algorithms. However, there is limited evidence on prevalent clinical practices regarding resuscitation for severe traumatic brain injury using vasopressors. We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to determine the association between the use of vasopressors and mortality following hospital discharge in patients with severe traumatic brain injury, and to determine whether the use of vasopressors affects emergency department mortality or the occurrence of cognitive dysfunction.MethodsData were collected between January 2004 and December 2018 from the Japanese Trauma Data Bank, which includes data from 272 emergency hospitals in Japan. Adults aged ≥16 years with severe traumatic brain injury, without other major injuries, were examined. A severe traumatic brain injury was defined based on the Abbreviated Injury Scale code and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3–8 on admission. Multivariable analysis and propensity score matching were performed. Statistical significance was assessed using 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsIn total, 10 284 patients were eligible for analysis, with 650 patients (6.32%) included in the vasopressor group and 9634 patients (93.68%) included in the non-vasopressor group. The proportion of deaths on hospital discharge was higher in the vasopressor group than in the non-vasopressor group (81.69% [531/650] vs. 40.21% [3,874/9,634]). This finding was confirmed by multivariable logistic regression analysis (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 5.71; 95% CI: 4.56–7.16). Regarding propensity score-matched patients, the proportion of deaths on hospital discharge remained higher in the vasopressor group than in the non-vasopressor group (81.66% [530/649] vs. 50.69% [329/649]) (OR, 4.33; 95% CI: 3.37–5.57). The vasopressor group had a higher emergency department mortality rate than the non-vasopressor group (8.01% [52/649] vs. 2.77% [18/649]) (OR, 3.05; 95% CI: 1.77–5.28). There was no reduction in complications of cognitive disorders in the vasopressor group (5.39% [35/649] vs. 5.55% [36/649]) (OR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.60–1.57).ConclusionsIn this population, the use of vasopressors for severe traumatic brain injury was associated with higher mortality on hospital discharge. Our results suggest that vasopressors should be avoided in most cases of severe traumatic brain injury.


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