Presence of undertriage and overtriage in simple triage and rapid treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Hong, MEd ◽  
Gerard Carroll, MD ◽  
Rick Hong, MD
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Treatment Start ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Rapid Treatment

Objective: We evaluated the use of the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) method by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and hypothesized that EMS can categorize patients using the START algorithm accurately.Design: Retrospective Chart Review.Setting: Inner-city Tertiary-Care Institutional Emergency Department (ED).Participants: Patients ≥ 18 years transported by EMS with a START color of Red, Yellow, or Green during the state triage tag exercise, October 9-15, 2011.Interventions: EMS assigned each patient a START triage tag. Chart review of the electronic EMS run sheets was performed by investigators to determine a START color.Main Outcome Measures: START triage colors were re-categorized as Red = 1, Yellow = 2, and Green = 3. The difference between the investigators’ color and EMS color were coded as: 0 for agreement in triage, -1 for undertriage by one category, -2 for undertriage by two categories, 1 for overtriage by one category, 2 for overtriage by two categories.Results: Of 224 participants, START triage colors were: Red = 7.1 percent, Yellow = 19.2 percent, Green = 73.7 percent. The mean difference in triage categories was 0.228 (95% CI: 0.114-0.311, p.001). 71.0 percent of patients were triaged to the same category, 5.8 percent undertriaged by one category, 0 percent undertriaged by two categories, 17.9 percent overtriaged by one category, and 5.4 percent overtriaged by two categories.Conclusion: EMS was more likely to overtriage using START. All patients who were overtriaged by two categories were ambulatory at the scene, which implies other findings not in START may affect triage.

scholarly journals Revisits within 48 Hours to a Thai Emergency Department

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiraporn Sri-on ◽  
Adisak Nithimathachoke ◽  
Gregory Philip Tirrell ◽  
Sataporn Surawongwattana ◽  
Shan Woo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Chief Complaints ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Patient Related Factor

Objective. Emergency department (ED) revisits are a common ED quality measure. This study was undertaken to ascertain the contributing factors of revisits within 48 hours to a Thai ED and to explore physician-related, illness-related, and patient-related factors behind those revisits.Methods. This study was a chart review from one tertiary care, urban Thai hospital from October 1, 2009, to September 31, 2010. We identified patients who returned to the ED within 48 hours for the same or related complaints after their initial discharge. Three physicians classified revisit as physician-related, illness-related, and patient-related factors.Results. Our study included 172 ED patients’ charts. 86/172 (50%) were male and the mean age was38 ± 5.6(SD) years. The ED revisits contributing factors were physician-related factors [86/172 (50.0%)], illness-related factors [61/172 (35.5%)], and patient-related factor [25/172 (14.5%)], respectively. Among revisits classified as physician-related factors, 40/86 (46.5%) revisits were due to misdiagnosis and 36/86 (41.9%) were due to suboptimal management. Abdominal pain [27/86 (31.4%)] was the majority of physician-related chief complaints, followed by fever [16/86 (18.6%)] and dyspnea [15/86 (17.4%)].Conclusion. Misdiagnosis and suboptimal management contributed to half of the 48-hour repeat ED visits in this Thai hospital.

Abstract 14721: Impact of Covid-19 on Cardiology Consultation in Tertiary Care Hospital of a Developing Country

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
ghufran adnan ◽  
Osman Faheem ◽  
Maria Khan ◽  
Pirbhat Shams ◽  
Jamshed Ali
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Drastic Increase ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
The Difference

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the healthcare system of Pakistan. There has been observation regarding changes in pattern of patient presentation to emergency department (ED) for all diseases particularly cardiovascular. The aim of the study is to investigate these changes in cardiology consultations and compare pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference in cardiology consultations during COVID era as compared to non-COVID era. Method: We collected data retrospectively of consecutive patients who visited emergency department (ED) during March-April 2019 (non-COVID era) and March-April 2020 (COVID era). Comparison has been made to quantify the differences in clinical characteristics, locality, admission, type, number, and reason of Cardiology consults generated. Results: We calculated the difference of 1351 patients between COVID and non-COVID era in terms of cardiology consults generated from Emergency department, using Chi-square test. Out of which 880 (59%) are male with mean age of 61(SD=15). Analysis shows pronounced augmentation in number of comorbidities [Hypertension(6%), Chronic kidney disease (6%), Diabetes (5%)] but there was 36% drop in total cardiology consultations and 43% reduction rate in patient’s ED visit from other cities during COVID era. There was 60% decrease in acute coronary syndrome presentation in COVID era, but fortuitously drastic increase (30%) in type II myocardial injury has been noted. Conclusion: There is a remarkable decline observed in patients presenting with cardiac manifestations during COVID era. Lack in timely care could have a pernicious impact on outcomes, global health care organizations should issue directions to adopt telemedicine services in underprivileged areas to provide timely care to cardiac patients.

scholarly journals P139: The impact of a pancreatitis admission algorithm on emergency department length of stay in a tertiary care academic hospital

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S114-S115
Author(s):  
A. Albina ◽  
F. Kegel ◽  
F. Dankoff ◽  
G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Physician Satisfaction ◽  
Academic Hospital ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Potential Applicability ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Algorithm Implementation ◽  
The Impact

Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is associated with a broad spectrum of poor medical outcomes, including medical errors, mortality, higher rates of leaving without being seen, and reduced patient and physician satisfaction. The largest contributor to overcrowding is access block – the inability of admitted patients to access in-patient beds from the ED. One component to addressing access block involves streamlining the decision process to rapidly determine which hospital service will admit the patient. Aim Statement: As of Sep 2011, admission algorithms at our institution were supported and formalised. The pancreatitis algorithm clarified whether general surgery or internal medicine would admit ED patients with pancreatitis. We hypothesize that this prior uncertainty delayed the admission decision and prolonged ED length of stay (LOS) for patients with pancreatitis. Our project evaluates whether implementing a pancreatitis admission algorithm at our institution reduced ED time to disposition (TTD) and LOS. Measures & Design: A retrospective review was conducted in a tertiary care academic hospital in Montreal for all adult ED patients diagnosed with pancreatitis from Apr 2010 to Mar 2014. The data was used to plot separate run charts for ED TTD and LOS. Serial measurements of each outcome were used to monitor change and evaluate for special cause variation. The mean ED LOS and TTD before and after algorithm implementation were also compared using the Student's t test. Evaluation/Results: Over four years, a total of 365 ED patients were diagnosed with pancreatitis and 287 (79%) were admitted. The mean ED LOS for patients with pancreatitis decreased following the implementation of an admission algorithm (1616 vs. 1418 mins, p = 0.05). The mean ED TTD was also reduced (1171 vs. 899 mins, p = 0.0006). A non-random signal of change was suggested by a shift above the median prior to algorithm implementation and one below the median following. Discussion/Impact: This project demonstrates that in a busy tertiary care academic hospital, an admission algorithm helped reduce ED TTD and LOS for patients with pancreatitis. This proves especially valuable when considering the potential applicability of such algorithms to other disease processes, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and congestive heart failure, among others. Future studies demonstrating this external applicability, and the impact of such decision algorithms on physician decision fatigue and within non-academic institutions, proves warranted.

scholarly journals P108: Characterizing use of next-day ultrasound from the emergency department

CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S103
Author(s):  
C. Roberts ◽  
T. Oyedokun ◽  
B. Cload ◽  
L. Witt
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Additional Stress ◽  
Start Date ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospitals ◽  
Improve Patient

Introduction: Formal ultrasound imaging, with use of ultrasound technicians and radiologists, provides a valuable diagnostic component to patient care in the Emergency Department (ED). Outside of regular weekday hours, ordering formal ultrasounds can produce logistical difficulties. EDs have developed protocols for next-day ultrasounds, where the patient returns the following day for imaging and reassessment by an ED physician. This creates additional stress on ED resources – personnel, bed space, finances – that are already strained. There is a dearth of literature regarding the use of next-day ultrasounds or guidelines to direct efficient use. This study sought to accumulate data on the use of ED next-day ultrasounds and patient oriented clinical outcomes. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of 150 patients, 75 from each of two different tertiary care hospitals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. After a predetermined start date, convenience samples were collected of all patients who had undergone a next-day ultrasound ordered from the ED until the quota was satisfied. Patients were identified by an electronic medical record search for specific triage note phrases indicating use of next-day ultrasounds. Different demographic, clinical, and administrative parameters were collected and analyzed. Results: Of the 150 patients, the mean age was 35.9 years and 75.3% were female. Median length of stay for the first visit was 4.1 hours, and 2.2 hours for the return visit. Most common ultrasound scans performed were abdomen and pelvis/gyne (34.7%), complete abdomen (30.0%), duplex extremity venous (10.0%). Most common indications on the ultrasound requisition were nonspecific abdominal pain (18.7%), vaginal bleeding with or without pregnancy (17.3%), and hepatobiliary pathology (15.3%). Ultrasounds results reported a relevant finding 56% of the time, and 34% were completely normal. After the next-day ultrasound 5.3% of patients had a CT scan, 10.7% had specialist consultation, 8.2% were admitted, and 7.3% underwent surgery. Conclusion: Information was gathered to close gaps in knowledge about the use of next-day ultrasounds from the ED. A large proportion of patients are discharged home without further interventions. Additional research and the development of next-day ultrasound guidelines or outpatient pathways may improve patient care and ED resource utilization.

scholarly journals A comparative study of tapentadol versus tramadol in the treatment of low back pain

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1064
Author(s):  
Laxman Verma ◽  
Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary ◽  
Chandresh Gupta ◽  
Umesh Saroj
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Medical Assessment ◽  
Group I ◽  
Parallel Group ◽  
Reduction Of Pain ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
The Difference

Background: Nontraumatic musculoskeletal disorders are the main reason for presentation to the emergency department with Rachialgia being the most common reason to request medical assessment among them. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, parallel group open labelled study conducted in a district level tertiary care hospital attached to a medical teaching institute. Patients were randomized into two groups. Group I (63 patients) received tablet tramadol 50 mg twice daily orally and group II (63 patients) received tablet tapentadol 50 mg twice daily orally.Results: The mean age of the patients of group I was 40.6±9.6 years and in the group II was 42.7±10.6 years. A total of 61 males participated in the study of which 31 males were enrolled in group I and 30 in group II while 65 females participated in the study of which 32 females were enrolled in group I and 33 in group II. The mean reduction of pain intensity VAS score at the end of 4 weeks from baseline in group I and group II were 34.57 and 37.55 respectively. The difference in the mean reduction of pain intensity VAS between the two groups was not statistically significant.Conclusions: We conclude that both the drugs show significant reduction in the pain intensity in moderate to severe CLBP patients. Tapentadol is as efficacious as tramadol in moderate to severe CLBP. However, tapentadol is better tolerated than tramadol.

scholarly journals Subgemmal Neurogenous Plaque: A Clinical and Pathologic Review With Comparison to Common Head and Neck Neural Tumors

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 2632010X1983018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein Alnajar ◽  
Thomas R O’Toole ◽  
Diana Murro Lin ◽  
Samer Al-Khudari ◽  
Paolo Gattuso
Keyword(s):  
Head And Neck ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Taste Buds ◽  
Nerve Bundles ◽  
Diagnostic Confusion ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mucosal Lesions

Objective: In humans, subgemmal neurogenous plaques (SNPs) are normally found associated with taste buds. On histology, SNP may be mistaken for a neural neoplasm. The objective of this study was to correctly differentiate SNP among head and neck neural lesions and provide clinical and pathologic information that may assist in avoiding misdiagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide an estimate of the degree of overdiagnoses of mucosal lesions in the head and neck mucosal area. Study design: Retrospective pathology and chart review. Methods: All cases of head and neck mucosal neural lesions only in the mucosa of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or larynx from the pathology archives of a single urban tertiary care center between 3/2000 and 6/2017 were obtained. The pathologic and clinical data were reviewed. Results: Twenty-six cases were identified: 9 neuromas, 9 neurofibromas, 2 ganglioneuromas and 6 cases of hyperplastic subepithelial nerve bundles. The mean greatest dimension of SNPs was 2.0 mm (range 1-3 mm) and most were subjacent to taste buds (13 cases). The 20 cases of SNP involved 15 women and 5 men. Their median age was 60 years (range 30-85 years). Clinical data were available in 19 cases. The most common presenting complaint was of a painless lesion (8 patients). Conclusions: This review confirmed the rarity of true neural neoplasms in the head and neck mucosa and estimates the risk of their over diagnosis given the possible diagnostic confusion with SNP.

scholarly journals Impact of Age, Sex and Route of Administration on Adverse Events after Opioid Treatment in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raoul Daoust ◽  
Jean Paquet ◽  
Gilles Lavigne ◽  
Éric Piette ◽  
Jean-Marc Chauny
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Respiration Rate ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Route Of Administration ◽  
Urban Hospital ◽  
Opioid Administration ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of opioids for acute pain relief in the emergency department (ED) is well recognized, but treatment with opioids is associated with adverse events ranging from minor discomforts to life-threatening events.OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of age, sex and route of administration on the incidence of adverse events due to opioid administration in the ED.METHODS: Real-time archived data were analyzed retrospectively in a tertiary care urban hospital. All consecutive patients (≥16 years of age) who were assigned to an ED bed and received an opioid between March 2008 and December 2012 were included. Adverse events were defined as: nausea/vomiting (minor); systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mmHg, oxygen saturation (Sat) < 92% and respiration rate < 10 breaths/min (major) within 2 h of the first opioid doses.RESULTS: In the study period, 31,742 patients were treated with opioids. The mean (± SD) age was 55.8± 20.5 years, and 53% were female. The overall incidence of adverse events was 12.0% (95% CI 11.6% to 12.4%): 5.9% (95% CI 5.6% to 6.2%) experienced nausea/vomiting, 2.4% (95% CI 2.2% to 2.6%) SBP < 90 mmHg, 4.7% (95% CI 4.5% to 4.9%) Sat that dropped to < 92% and 0.09% respiration rate < 10 breaths/min. After controlling for confounding factors, these adverse events were associated with: female sex (more nausea/vomiting, more SBP < 90 mmHg, less Sat < 92%); age ≥65 years (less nausea/vomiting, more SBP < 90 mmHg, more Sat < 92%); and route of administration (intravenous > subcutaneous > oral).CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of adverse events associated with opioid administration in the ED is generally low and is associated with age, sex and route of administration.

Ectopic pregnancy outcomes in patients discharged from the emergency department

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-74
Author(s):  
Krista Hawrylyshyn ◽  
Shelley L. McLeod ◽  
Jackie Thomas ◽  
Catherine Varner
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Ectopic Pregnancy ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Transvaginal Ultrasound ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Expectant Management ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Missed Abortion ◽  
Ectopic Pregnancies ◽  
Rule Out

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the proportion of women who had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy after being discharged from the emergency department (ED) where ectopic pregnancy had not yet been excluded.MethodsThis was a retrospective chart review of pregnant (<12-week gestational age) women discharged home from an academic tertiary care ED with a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, rule-out ectopic pregnancy, or pregnancy of unknown location over a 7-year period.ResultsOf the 550 included patients, 83 (15.1%) had a viable pregnancy, 94 (17.1%) had a spontaneous or missed abortion, 230 (41.8%) had an ectopic pregnancy, 72 (13.1%) had unknown outcomes, and 71 (12.9%) had other outcomes that included therapeutic abortion, molar pregnancy, or resolution of βHCG with no location documented. Of the 230 ectopic pregnancies, 42 (7.6%) underwent expectant management, 131 (23.8%) were managed medically with methotrexate, 29 (5.3%) were managed with surgical intervention, and 28 (5.1%) patients had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy after their index ED visit. Of the 550 included patients, 221 (40.2%) did not have a transvaginal ultrasound during their index ED visit, and 73 (33.0%) were subsequently diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy.ConclusionThese results may be useful for ED physicians counselling women with symptomatic early pregnancies about the risk of ectopic pregnancy after they are discharged from the ED.

scholarly journals Inappropriateness of Repeated Laboratory and Radiological Tests for Transferred Emergency Department Patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Bertrand ◽  
Christophe Fehlmann ◽  
Olivier Grosgurin ◽  
François Sarasin ◽  
Omar Kherad
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Emergency Department Patients ◽  
Radiological Procedures

Background: Laboratory and radiographic tests are often repeated during inter-hospital transfers from secondary to tertiary emergency departments (ED), despite available data from the sending structure. The aim of this study was to identify the proportion of repeated tests in patients transferred to a tertiary care ED, and to estimate their inappropriateness and their costs. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all adult patients transferred from one secondary care ED to a tertiary care ED during the year 2016 was carried out. The primary outcome was the redundancy (proportion of procedure repeated in the 8 h following the transfer, despite the availability of the previous results). Factors predicting the repetition of procedures were identified through a logistic regression analysis. Two authors independently assessed inappropriateness. Results: In 2016, 432 patients were transferred from the secondary to the tertiary ED, and 251 procedures were repeated: 179 patients (77.2%) had a repeated laboratory test, 34 (14.7%) a repeated radiological procedure and 19 (8.2%) both. Repeated procedures were judged as inappropriate for 197 (99.5%) laboratory tests and for 39 (73.6%) radiological procedures. Conclusion: Over half of the patients transferred from another emergency department had a repeated procedure. In most cases, these repeated procedures were considered inappropriate.

scholarly journals P063: Identification of emergency department patients for referral to rapid-access addiction services: A retrospective chart review

CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S86
Author(s):  
J. Hann ◽  
H. Wu ◽  
A. Gauri ◽  
K. Dong ◽  
N. Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Care Team ◽  
Addiction Medicine ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Extract Information

Introduction: Emergency Department (ED) visits related to substance use are rapidly increasing. Despite this, few Canadian EDs have immediate access to addiction medicine specialists or on-site addiction medicine clinics. This study characterized substance-related ED presentations to an urban tertiary care ED and assessed need for an on-site rapid-access addiction clinic (RAAC). Methods: This prospective enrollment, retrospective chart review was conducted from June to August 2018. Adult patients presenting to the ED with a known or suspected substance use disorder were enrolled by any member of their ED care team using a 1-page form. Retrospective chart review of the index ED visit was conducted and the Emergency Department Information System was used to extract information related to the visit. A multivariable logistic regression model was fit to examine factors associated with recommendation for referral to a hypothetical on-site RAAC.This prospective enrollment, retrospective chart review was conducted from June to August 2018. Adult patients presenting to the ED with a known or suspected substance use disorder were enrolled by any member of their ED care team using a 1-page form. Retrospective chart review of the index ED visit was conducted and the Emergency Department Information System was used to extract information related to the visit. A multivariable logistic regression model was fit to examine factors associated with recommendation for referral to a hypothetical on-site RAAC. Results: Of the 557 enrolment forms received, 458 were included in the analysis. 64% of included patients were male and 36% were female, with a median age of 35.0 years. Polysubstance use was seen in 23% of patients, and alcohol was the most common substance indicated (60%), followed by stimulants (32%) and opioids (16%). The median ED length of stay for included patients was 483 minutes, compared to 354 minutes for all-comers discharged from the ED during the study period. 28% of patients had a previous ED visit within 7 days of the index visit, and an additional 17% had a visit in the preceding 30 days. The ED care team indicated ‘Yes’ for RAAC referral from the ED for 66% of patients, for a mean of 4.3 patients referred per day during the study period. Multivariable analysis showed that all substances (except cannabis) correlated to a statistically significant increase in likelihood for indicating ‘Yes’ for RAAC referral from the ED (alcohol, stimulants, opioids, polysubstance; p &lt; 0.05). Patients presenting to the ED with a chief complaint related to substance use were also more likely to be referred (p = 0.01). Conclusion: This retrospective chart review characterized substance-related presentations at a Canadian urban tertiary care ED. Approximately four patients per day would have been referred to an on-site RAAC had one been available. The RAAC model has been implemented in other Canadian hospitals, and collaborating with these sites to begin developing this service would be an important next step.

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