scholarly journals Impact of volunteers in the emergency department

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (16) ◽  
pp. 940-946
Author(s):  
Freya Mehta ◽  
Peter Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rate Difference ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Hospital Volunteers

Background: Fundamental aspects of patient experience have been reported as substandard in emergency departments. Hospital volunteers can improve the patient experience in inpatient settings. However, evidence is limited on their impact in emergency departments. Aims: To determine whether emergency department volunteers could enhance patient experience through assisting with the psychological aspect of patient care and patients' nutritional needs. Methods: Patients attending an emergency department responded to a questionnaire as part of a cross-sectional study. Comparisons were made between when the volunteer scheme was running and when there were no volunteers. Outcomes included patient experience of emotional support from staff and access to food and drink. Results: Patients present when the volunteer scheme was running reported obtaining food and drink more often (96/124 vs 20/39, % rate difference 26, 95% CI 10–42, P=0.002) and that a member of staff offered them something to eat and drink more frequently (96/146 vs 19/52, % rate difference 29, 95% CI 14–45, P<0.001). There was no difference between patient responses when the volunteer scheme was running and not for emotional support from staff (49/68 vs 14/21, % rate difference 5, 95% CI -17-28, P=0.63). Conclusions: Hospital volunteers made a substantial contribution to providing food and drink to patients in the emergency department. Emotional support from volunteers was limited.

scholarly journals 104 Management of sports-related concussion in UK emergency departments: a multi-centre study

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 822.2-822
Author(s):  
Haroon Rashid ◽  
Nick Dobbin ◽  
Smarak Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Multi Centre Study ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Consensus Statements

Aims/Objectives/BackgroundIt is necessary for those working in emergency departments to have adequate knowledge and delivery of current sport-related concussion (SRC) management protocols including identifying patients with concussion, managing their symptoms, giving appropriate advice with regards to return to play and referring those at risk of further injuries to an appropriate service.This study aimed to establish the current practice, knowledge base and views towards SRC management of emergency department clinicians who have trained or are currently training in emergency medicine in the North West of England.Methods/DesignThis study was a multi centre, cross sectional study of 111 emergency department clinicians (EDCs) working across 15 centres in the North West of England A 21 item online survey was issued. The key questions focused on the advice given to patients on discharge, the importance of cognitive and physical rest, and knowledge of GRTP.Results/ConclusionsApproximately, 37% of the population responded to the invitation, with 111 responses included in this study. Only 27% of total respondents were aware of the Consensus Statements of Concussion in Sport guidelines, whilst 45% were unaware of any SRC guidelines. 57% of respondents had heard of a graded return to play (GRTP) protocol. Physical rest following an SRC was advised by 95% of respondents with 61% advising concomitant cognitive rest and 42% of respondents providing specific written advice. 90% of clinicians had not received any SRC training.There is a lack of knowledge amongst EDCs in the North West of England in managing and providing discharge advice according to recommendations for patients with SRC. This is likely a consequence of the limited training that these clinicians have received in managing SRC and suggests further work needs to be undertaken to educate EDCs on current SRC management guidance to ensure appropriate care and discharge advice is given to patients.

scholarly journals The Quebec emergency department guide: A cross-sectional study to evaluate its use, perceived usefulness, and implementation in rural emergency departments

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
Richard Fleet ◽  
Sandrine Hegg-Deloye ◽  
Julie Maltais-Giguère ◽  
France Légaré ◽  
Mathieu Ouimet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nursing Services ◽  
Emergency Department Management ◽  
Department Directors

AbstractObjectivesThe Quebec Emergency Department Management Guide (QEDMG) is a unique document with 78 recommendations designed to improve the organization of emergency departments (EDs) in the province of Quebec. However, no study has examined how this guide is perceived or used by rural health care management.MethodsWe invited all directors of professional services (DPS), directors of nursing services (DNS), head nurses (HN), and emergency department directors (EDD) working in Quebec’s rural hospitals to complete an online survey (144 questions). Simple frequency analyses (percentage [%] and 95% confidence interval) were conducted to establish general familiarity and use of the QEDMG, as well as perceived usefulness and implementation of its recommendations.ResultsSeventy-three percent (19/26) of Quebec’s rural EDs participated in the study. A total of 82% (62/76) of the targeted stakeholders participated. Sixty-one percent of respondents reported being “moderately or a lot” familiar with the QEDMG, whereas 77% reported “almost never or sometimes” refer to this guide. Physician management (DPS, EDD) were more likely than nursing management (DNS and especially HN) to report “not at all” or “little” familiarity on use of the guide. Finally, 98% of the QEDMG recommendations were considered useful.ConclusionsAlthough the QEDMG is considered a useful guide for rural EDs, it is not optimally known or used in rural EDs, especially by physician management. Stakeholders should consider these findings before implementing the revised versions of the QEDMG.

Rates of Presentation, Treatments and Serious Neurologic Disorders Among Children and Young Adults Presenting to US Emergency Departments With Headache

2020 ◽  
pp. 088307382097913
Author(s):  
Sriram Ramgopal ◽  
Amy Z. Zhou ◽  
Robert W. Hickey ◽  
Jennifer R. Marin
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Chief Complaint ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neurologic Disorders ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objective: To evaluate rates of presentation, neuroimaging, therapies, and serious neurologic disorders (SNDs) among children and young adults presenting to the emergency department with headache. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample survey of visits to US emergency departments between 2002 and 2017. We identified encounters of patients ≤25 years old with chief complaint of headache. We report the rates of presentation, imaging, and treatments and report proportions having concomitant diagnoses of serious neurologic disorders. Results: Among encounters ≤25 years, 2.0% had a chief complaint of headache, with no change in the yearly rates of encounters ( P = .98). Overall, 20.8% had a head computed tomography (CT), with a reduction in performance between 2007 and 2016 ( P < .01). One-quarter (25.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 22.2%-28.3%) were given narcotics and 2.5% (95% CI 1.7%-3.2%) had serious neurologic disorders. Conclusion: Overall, 2.0% of emergency department encounters among patients ≤25 years were for headache, with low rates of serious neurologic disorders. CT use appeared to be declining.

Visits to the Emergency Department during the 2020 COVID-19 Outbreak in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. S1-S4
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Patient Age ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Front Door ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ed Visits

Background: The emergency department (ED) can be thought of as the “front door” to the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there have yet been no studies conducted examining ED patients in this situation. Objective: To determine the numbers of ED visits by level urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of patients who presented at the Srinagarind Hospital ED from January 13 to April 21, 2020 (the date of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Thailand according to the Ministry of Public Health and day 100). We compared these data with those from the same period over the past three years. Results: In 2020, the total number of ED visits was 13,263, with a mean patient age of 50.14+6.40 years. Over half of these patients (56.2%; n = 7,467) were female. Most visits (50.6%) occurred between 4.00 PM to 0.00 AM (afternoon shift). The majority of were walk-ins (84.2%) and ESI 3 (non-urgent; 79.9%). The average numbers of ESI 3 patients who visited the ED over the same period in 2017 to 2020 were 152.3, 171.5, 153.0 and 105.9 per day, respectively (p<0.001). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of ED visits, specifically those of ESI 3 patients, was significantly lower than during the same period in previous years. Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency departments, Pandemics, Triage

scholarly journals Improving the patient's experience in the emergency department during COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based analysis from Western Saudi Arabia.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9
Author(s):  
Khadijah Banjar ◽  
Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Discharge Instructions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Quality Marker

Background Patient satisfaction is an important measure of the health care encounter. It is challenging to achieve a perfect patient experience during the current COVID-19 pandemic, especially from an emergency department visit. Aim This study aimed to assess the factors that improve patient experience during an emergency department (ED) visit in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, conducted over a month from January to February 2021. Via an electronic survey tool, we used the de en (EQS-H) to measure patients’ satisfaction with their ED encounter. Results The total level of satisfaction was high in 43.66% (n=224) of participants, moderate in 37.04% (n=190), and 19.29% (n=99) were unsatisfied. We noted significant predictors of dissatisfaction, including increasing age, higher educational level, and the existence of chronic diseases. A clear treatment plan and discharge instructions were important determinants for improving patient satisfaction. Conclusion The determinants of patient satisfaction during an ED visit are an important quality marker of the emergency department encounter. Such findings should be used as a benchmark for future programs aiming to improve patients’ experience during ED visits.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional study of patients presenting for hospital-based screening for COVID-19: risk of disease, and healthcare access preferences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Rojek ◽  
Martin Dutch ◽  
Daniel Peyton ◽  
Rachel Pelly ◽  
Mark Putland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractIntroductionEarly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Australian emergency departments (EDs) have experienced an unprecedented surge in patients seeking screening for COVID-19. Understanding what proportion of these patients require screening, who can be safely screened in community based models of care, and who requires an emergency departments to care for them is critical for workforce and infrastructure planning across the healthcare system, as well as public messaging campaigns.MethodssIn this cross sectional survey, we screened patients presenting to a SARS-CoV-2 screening clinic in a tertiary hospital Emergency Department in Melbourne, Australia. We assessed the proportion of patients who met screening criteria; self-reported symptom severity; reasons why they came to the ED for screening; views on community-based models of care; and sources of information accessed about COVID-19.ResultsWe included findings from 1846 patients who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) for COVID-19 screening from 18th to 30th March 2020. Most patients (55.3%) did not meet criteria for screening and most (57.6%) had mild or no (13.4%) symptoms. The main reason for coming to the ED was being referred by a telephone health service (31.3%) and 136 (7.4%) said they tried to contact their GP but could not get an appointment. Only 47 (2.6%) said they thought the disease was too specialized for their GP to manage. Patients accessed numerous information sources, commonly government websites (68.4%) and other websites (51.3%) for COVID-19 information.Conclusionsif we are to ensure that emergency departments can cope with the likely surge in presentations requiring resuscitation or inpatient care COVID-19, we should strengthen access to alternative services to triage patients to prevent unnecessary presentations at health services, and to direct those who are well but require screening away from EDs.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Cameroonian physicians with regards to acute pain management in the emergency department: a multicenter cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Owono Etoundi ◽  
Junette Arlette Metogo Mbengono ◽  
Ferdinand Ndom Ntock ◽  
Joel Noutakdie Tochie ◽  
Dominique Christelle Anaba Ndom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Acute Pain Management ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

scholarly journals Adolescents’ pain and distress during peripheral intravenous cannulation in a paediatric emergency setting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Cozzi ◽  
Marta Cognigni ◽  
Riccardo Busatto ◽  
Veronica Grigoletto ◽  
Manuela Giangreco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Pain Relief ◽  
Local Anaesthesia ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Emergency Setting ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Paediatric Emergency Department ◽  
Paediatric Emergency ◽  
Significant Difference

AbstractThe objective of the study is to investigate pain and distress experienced by a group of adolescents and children during peripheral intravenous cannulation in a paediatric emergency department. This cross-sectional study was performed between November 2019 and June 2020 at the paediatric emergency department of the Institute for Maternal and Child Health of Trieste, Italy. Eligible subjects were patients between 4 and 17 years old undergoing intravenous cannulation, split into three groups based on their age: adolescents (13–17 years), older children (8–12 years), and younger children (4–7 years). Procedural distress and pain scores were recorded through validated scales. Data on the use of topical anaesthesia, distraction techniques, and physical or verbal comfort during procedures were also collected. We recruited 136 patients: 63 adolescents, 48 older children, and 25 younger children. There was no statistically significant difference in the median self-reported procedural pain found in adolescents (4; IQR = 2–6) versus older and younger children (5; IQR = 2–8 and 6; IQR = 2–8, respectively). Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in the rate of distress between adolescents (79.4%), older (89.6%), and younger (92.0%) children. Adolescents received significantly fewer pain relief techniques.Conclusion: This study shows that adolescents experience similar pain and pre-procedural distress as younger children during peripheral intravenous cannulation. What is Known:• Topical and local anaesthesia, physical and verbal comfort, and distraction are useful interventions for pain and anxiety management during intravenous cannulation in paediatric settings. • No data is available on pain and distress experienced by adolescents in the specific setting of the emergency department. What is New:• Adolescents experienced high levels of pre-procedural distress in most cases and similar levels of pain and distress when compared to younger patients• The number of pain relief techniques employed during procedures was inversely proportional to patient’s age, topical or local anaesthesia were rarely used

scholarly journals Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Emergency Department: An Observational Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2475
Author(s):  
Olivier Peyrony ◽  
Danaé Gamelon ◽  
Romain Brune ◽  
Anthony Chauvin ◽  
Daniel Aiham Ghazali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Blood Cell ◽  
Red Blood Cell ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Red Blood Cell Transfusion ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Acute Bleeding ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rbc Transfusion

Background: We aimed to describe red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the emergency department (ED) with a particular focus on the hemoglobin (Hb) level thresholds that are used in this setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 12 EDs including all adult patients that received RBC transfusion in January and February 2018. Descriptive statistics were reported. Logistic regression was performed to assess variables that were independently associated with a pre-transfusion Hb level ≥ 8 g/dL. Results: During the study period, 529 patients received RBC transfusion. The median age was 74 (59–85) years. The patients had a history of cancer or hematological disease in 185 (35.2%) cases. Acute bleeding was observed in the ED for 242 (44.7%) patients, among which 145 (59.9%) were gastrointestinal. Anemia was chronic in 191 (40.2%) cases, mostly due to vitamin or iron deficiency or to malignancy with transfusion support. Pre-transfusion Hb level was 6.9 (6.0–7.8) g/dL. The transfusion motive was not notified in the medical chart in 206 (38.9%) cases. In the multivariable logistic regression, variables that were associated with a higher pre-transfusion Hb level (≥8 g/dL) were a history of coronary artery disease (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.29–3.41), the presence of acute bleeding (OR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.53–3.94), and older age (OR: 1.02/year; 95% CI: 1.01–1.04). Conclusion: RBC transfusion in the ED was an everyday concern and involved patients with heterogeneous medical situations and severity. Pre-transfusion Hb level was rather restrictive. Almost half of transfusions were provided because of acute bleeding which was associated with a higher Hb threshold.

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