Quantification and risk analysis of occupational burns: Oregon workers' compensation claims, 1990 to 1997

This study examined all accepted Oregon workers' compensation claims for occupational burn injuries during the period of 1990 to 1997 (N = 3,158). The Current Population Survey was used to derive employee population baselines for establishing rate estimates. It was estimated that the average occupational burn claim rate was 2.89 per 10,000 workers (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.76, 3.02). The majority of claimants (71.7%) were males, the largest proportion (32.6%) was aged 25 years or less, and almost half (48.7%) had less than 1 year of job tenure. The most frequent burn type cited was heat/scald burns (78.9%) followed by chemical burns (19.3%). Costs averaged over 1.6 million dollars annually. The average indemnity period was 16 days. Higher relative risks were found for evening workers (2.97, 95% CI 2.96, 2.98) and night workers (2.13, 95% CI 2.12, 2.13) compared with dayshift workers. Kitchen workers had the highest burn rate of all occupations, with 62.5 claims per 10,000 workers.     

Subsequent Suicide Mortality among Emergency Department Patients Seen for Suicidal Behavior

Objectives: To determine whether suicide mortality rates for a cohort of patients seen and subsequently discharged from the ED for a suicide-related complaint were higher than for ED comparison groups.
Methods: This was a nonconcurrent cohort study set at a university-affiliated urban ED and Level 1 trauma center. All ED patients 10 years and older, with at least one ED visit between February 1994 and November 2004, were eligible. ED visit characteristics defined the cohort exposure. Patients with visits for suicide attempt or ideation, self-harm, or overdose (exposed) were compared with patients without these visits (unexposed). Exposure classification was determined from billing diagnoses, E-codes (E950–E959), and free-text searching of the ED tracking system data for suicide, overdose , and spelling variants. Emergency department patient data were probabilistically linked to state mortality records. The principal outcome was suicide death. Suicide mortality rates were calculated by using person-year (py) analyses. Relative rates (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated from Cox proportional hazards models.
Results: Among the 218,304 patients, the average follow-up was 6.0 years; there were 408 suicide deaths (incidence rate [IR]: 31.2 per 100,000 py). Males (IR: 48.3) had a higher rate than females (IR: 13.5; RR: 3.6; 95% CI = 2.8 to 4.6). A single ED visit for overdose (RR: 5.7; 95% CI = 4.5 to 7.4), suicidal ideation (RR: 6.7; 95% CI = 5.0 to 9.1), or self-harm (RR: 5.8; 95% CI = 5.1 to 10.6) was strongly associated with increased suicide risk, relative to other patients.
Conclusions: The suicide rate among these ED patients is higher than population-based estimates. Rates among patients with suicidal ideation, overdose, or self-harm are especially high, supporting policies that mandate psychiatric interventions in all cases.     

The effect of expanded insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act on emergency department utilization in New York

BackgroundOne of the proposed benefits of expanding insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a reduction in emergency department (ED) utilization for non-urgent visits related to lack of health insurance coverage and access to primary care providers. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of the 2014 ACA implementation on ED use in New York.MethodsWe used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Emergency Department and State Inpatient Databases for all outpatient and all inpatient visits for patients admitted through an ED from 2011 to 2016. We focused on in-state residents aged 18 to 64, who were covered under Medicaid, private insurance, or were uninsured prior to the 2014 expansion. We estimated the effect of the expanded insurance coverage on average monthly ED visits volumes and visits per 1000 residents (rates) using interrupted time-series regression analyses.ResultsAfter ACA implementation, overall average monthly ED visits increased by around 3.0%, both in volume (9362; 95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 1681–17,522) and in rates (0.80, 95% CI:0.12–1.49). Medicaid covered ED visits volume increased by 23,972 visits (95% CI: 16,240 –31,704) while ED visits by the uninsured declined by 13,297 (95% CI:−15,856 – −10,737), and by 1453 (95% CI:-4027–1121) for the privately insured. Medicaid ED visits rates per 1000 residents increased by 0.77 (95% CI:-1.96–3.51) and by 2.18 (95% CI:-0.55–4.92) for those remaining uninsured, while private insurance visits rates decreased by 0.48 (95% CI:-0.79 – -0.18). We observed increases in primary-care treatable ED visits and in visits related to mental health and alcohol disorders, substance use, diabetes, and hypertension. All estimated changes in monthly ED visits after the expansion were statistically significant, except for ED visit rates among Medicaid beneficiaries.ConclusionNet ED visits by adults 18 to 64 years of age increased in New York after the implementation of the ACA. Large increases in ED use by Medicaid beneficiaries were partially offset by reductions among the uninsured and those with private coverage. Our results suggest that efforts to expand health insurance coverage only will be unlikely to reverse the increase in ED use.     

Association of injury visits in children and child maltreatment reports

Injuries are a leading cause of childhood morbidity and are also common manifestations of child maltreatment, especially among young children. In an effort to determine whether injury-related Emergency Department (ED) visits among children aged 0 to 4 years were associated with child maltreatment reports, we identified all children with at least one injury-related ED visit in Missouri during 2000. Data on these injured children were linked to Missouri Child Protective Services (CPS) child abuse and neglect reports for 2000 and 2001. There were 50,068 children with at least one injury-related ED visit. Using children with one injury-related ED visit as the reference category, we calculated the relative risk of having a CPS report (or a substantiated report) for children with two, three, and four or more ED visits before a CPS report (or substantiated report). Compared to children with one visit, children with two visits were more likely to have a CPS report (relative risk [RR] 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-2.0) and a substantiated report (RR 2.5; 95% CI 2.1-2.9). For children with four or more visits, the relative risk of a report and substantiated report was 3.8 (95% CI 3.0-4.7) and 4.7 (95% CI 2.4-9.2), respectively. Children with two or more injury-related ED visits in 1 year are more likely to be reported for child maltreatment and to have a substantiated report.     

Standardising surveillance of nosocomial infections: the HISS program. Hospital Infection Standardised Surveillance

Standardised surveillance of nosocomial infections in Australia had not been addressed until June 1998 when the New South Wales Health Department funded the development and implementation of the first standardised surveillance system for hospital infection: the Hospital Infection Standardised Surveillance program (HISS). The introduction of a standardised surveillance system needs to balance the requirements of a Health Department and the needs of hospitals. The Health Department requires data to develop aggregated rates for the setting of thresholds for all nosocomial infections while hospitals require rates to reflect the quality of clinical care and provide data for evidence-based infection control practices. The Hospital Infection Epidemiology and Surveillance (HIES) Unit has attempted to balance these requirements using a 'sentinel surveillance' approach with standardised definitions and methodology. The HISS program utilizes eICAT software modified for its standardised requirements of data collection. To date, 10 hospitals surveyed sentinel multiple resistant organisms (MRO), eight also elected sentinel surgical procedures (SSP) and intravascular device-related bacteraemia (IVDRB) modules, and two the seasonal respiratory syncytial (RSV) and rota-virus modules in paediatric patients. The surgical site infection rates in three commonly monitored SSP were 1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-3.9%) for coronary artery bypass (CABG), 3.3% (95% CI 1.4-6.8%) lower segment Caesarean section (LSCS) and 7.7% (95% CI 3.4-14.6%) colorectal surgery. The rate of IVDRB was 4.7 per 1000 central venous catheter days (95% CI 2.2-8.6) and 1.1 per 1000 peripheral line-days (95% CI 0.1-3.9). Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounted for 99% of all new infections diagnosed with an endemic MRO.     

Epidemiology of Adult Psychiatric Visits to U.S. Emergency Departments

OBJECTIVES: To characterize psychiatric-related emergency department visits (PREDVs) among adults in the United States for the year 2000 and to analyze PREDV trends from 1992 to 2000. METHODS: Emergency department (ED) visit data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to estimate the number of PREDVs for adults aged 18 years and older. A PREDV was defined as any visit with a psychiatric discharge diagnosis (ICD N290- N312) or a suicide attempt (ICD E950-E959). RESULTS: Approximately 4.3 million PREDVs occurred in the United States in the year 2000, yielding an annual rate of 21 visits per 1000 adults. The PREDV rates increased 15% between 1992 and 2000. The PREDVs accounted for 5.4% of all ED visits. Substance abuse (27%), neuroses (26%), and psychoses (21%) were the most common conditions. African Americans had significantly higher visit rates (29/1000; 95% CI = 27/1000 to 31/1000) compared with whites (23/1000; 95% CI = 22/1000 to 25/1000). Persons with Medicaid (66/1000; 95% CI = 64/1000 to 68/1000) had double the rate of PREDVs than the uninsured (33/1000; 95% CI = 31/1000 to 35/1000) and almost eight times the rate of those privately insured (8/1000; 95% CI = 7/1000 to 10/1000). Patients with psychiatric diagnoses had a higher admission rate (22%) than those with nonpsychiatric diagnoses (15%). The uninsured were the least likely to be admitted for all major psychiatric conditions except suicide (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric-related ED visits represent a substantial and growing number of ED visits each year. Patient characteristics influence the likelihood of a PREDV. Further research is needed to better understand the role that hospital EDs play in the delivery of health care services to those with mental illness.     

Opioid prescriptions by U.S. primary care physicians from 1992 to 2001.

Little is known about primary care physicians' (PCPs) prescribing of opioids. We describe trends and factors associated with opioid prescribing during PCP visits over the past decade. Using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, we found an opioid prescribed in 2,206 (5%) PCP visits from 1992 to 2001. The prevalence of visits where an opioid was prescribed increased from a low of 41 per 1000 visits in 1992-1993 to a peak of 63 per 1000 in 1998-1999 (P < .0001 for trend) and then stabilized (59 per 1000 in 2000-2001). Several factors increased the odds of receiving an opioid: having Medicaid (odds ratio [OR] 2.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.82-2.40]) or Medicare (OR 2.00 [95% CI 1.68-2.39]); having a visit between 15 and 35 minutes (OR 1.16 [95% CI 1.05-1.27]); and receiving an NSAID (OR 2.27 [95% CI 2.04-2.53]). Patients of hispanic (OR .67 [95% CI .56-.81]) or other race/ethnicity (OR .68 [95% CI .52-.90]), patients in health maintenance organizations (OR .74 [95% CI .66-.84]), and those living in the northeast (OR .60 [95% CI .51-.69]) or midwest (OR .75 [95% CI .66-.85]) had lower odds of receiving an opioid. Substantial variation exists in opioid prescribing by PCPs. Now that pain management standards are advocated, understanding the dynamics of opioid prescribing is necessary. PERSPECTIVE: This study describes a decade-long increase in opioid prescribing by U.S. primary care physicians and identifies important geographic-, racial/ethnic-, and insurance-related differences in who receives these medications. Several underlying factors, including regulatory and legal pressures, attitudes and knowledge of opioids, and publicized opioid-related events, may contribute to these differences.     

Trends in United States emergency department visits and associated charges from 2010 to 2016

BackgroundDemographic shifts and care delivery system evolution affect the number of Emergency Department (ED) visits and associated costs. Recent aggregate trends in ED visit rates and charges between 2010 and 2016 have not been evaluated.MethodsData from the National Emergency Department Sample, comprising approximately 30 million annual patient visits, were used to estimate the ED visit rate and charges per visit from 2010 to 2016. ED visits were grouped into 144 mutually exclusive clinical categories. Visit rates, compound annual growth rates (CAGRs), and per visit charges were estimated.ResultsFrom 2010 to 2016, the number of ED visits increased from 128.97 million to 144.82 million; the cumulative growth was 12.29% and the CAGR was 1.95%, while the population grew at a CAGR of 0.73%. Expressed as a population rate, ED visits per 1000 persons increased from 416.92 in 2010 to 448.19 in 2016 (p value <0.001). The mean charges per visit increased from $2061 (standard deviation $2962) in 2010 to $3516 (standard deviation $2962) in 2016; the CAGR was 9.31% (p value <0.001). Of 144 clinical categories, 140 categories had a CAGR for mean charges per visit of at least 5%.ConclusionThe rate of ED visits per 1000 persons and the mean charge per ED visit increased significantly between 2010 and 2016. Mean charges increased for both high- and low-acuity clinical categories. Visits for the 5 most common clinical categories comprise about 30% of ED visits, and may represent focus areas for increasing the value of ED care.     

Occupational Injuries among Emergency Medical Services Personnel

Background. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel treat 22 million patients a year in the United States, yet little is known of their injury risks. Objectives. To describe the epidemiology of occupational injuries among EMS personnel, calculate injury rates, andcompare the findings with those for other occupational groups. Methods. This was a retrospective review of injury records kept by two urban agencies. The agencies submitted all 617 case reports for three periods between January 1, 1998, andJuly 15, 2002. The agency personnel worked an estimated 2,829,906 hours during the study periods. Cases were coded according to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) criteria. Results. Four hundred eighty-nine cases met the DOL inclusion criteria. The overall injury rate was 34.6 per 100 full-time (FT) workers per year (95% confidence interval [CI] 31.5–37.6). “Sprains, strains, andtears” was the leading category of injury; the back was the body part most often injured. Of the 489 cases, 277 (57%) resulted in lost workdays, resulting in a rate of 19.6 (95% CI 17.3–21.9) per 100 FT workers; in comparison, the relative risks for EMS workers were 1.5 (95% CI 1.35–1.72) compared with firefighters, 5.8 (95% CI 5.12–6.49) compared with health services personnel, and7.0 (95% CI 6.22–7.87) compared with the national average. Conclusions. The injury rates for EMS workers are higher than rates reported by DOL for any industry in 2000. Funding andadditional research are critical to further defining the high risks to EMS workers anddeveloping interventions to mitigate this serious problem.     

A descriptive summary of New Jersey's 1985 burn population

Data obtained from the New Jersey State Department of Health on the 1985 hospitalized patients with burns and data collected from the National Burn Victim Foundation's standard burn reporting form were analyzed to gather information about the epidemiology of burns. Children (0 to 4 years of age) continue to be the largest percentage of the 0- to 18-year-old age group who sustain burn injuries, and 67% of those injuries are sustained by children under the age of 5. Males accounted for 69% of the total burn population; 58% of admissions were white; 69% of patients were admitted for partial-thickness burns, and 31% were admitted for full-thickness burns; the largest primary payer was third-party payers; and 92% of patients with burns were discharged to home or self-care. Data were also analyzed by examination of selected age groups to determine individual needs of specific groups. An analysis of burn injuries reported to the National Burn Victim Foundation confirmed previous reports that the home is the most likely place for a burn injury to occur and that flame and scald injuries predominate; scald injuries comprise 50% of all sustained burns. Gasoline vapors accounted for 54% of burn injuries caused by flames. The data supported efforts to develop programs that address the needs of the urban child, the 17- to 19-year-old age groups, and the elderly. The information that was collected served to redefine objectives for burn prevention programs.     

Knife-Related Injuries Treated in United States Emergency Departments, 1990–2008

Background

Knives cause more disabling injuries than any other type of hand tool.

Study Objectives

This study investigates knife-related injuries requiring Emergency Department (ED) treatment among children and adults in the United States (US) from 1990 through 2008.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the Consumer Product Safety Commission was conducted.

Results

An estimated 8,250,914 (95% confidence interval [CI] 7,149,074–9,352,755) knife-related injuries were treated in US EDs from 1990 to 2008, averaging 434,259 (95% CI 427,198–441,322) injuries annually, or 1190 per day. The injury rate was 1.56 injuries per 1000 US resident population per year. Fingers/thumbs (66%; 5,447,467 of 8,249,410) were injured most often, and lacerations (94%; 7,793,487 of 8,249,553) were the most common type of injury. Pocket/utility knives were associated with injury most often (47%; 1,169,960 of 2,481,994), followed by cooking/kitchen knives (36%; 900,812 of 2,481,994). Children were more likely than adults to be injured while playing with a knife or during horseplay (p < 0.01; odds ratio 9.57; 95% CI 8.10–11.30). One percent of patients were admitted to the hospital, and altercation-related stabbings to the trunk accounted for 52% of these admissions.

Conclusions

Knives represent an important source of morbidity and mortality to people of all ages. Manufacturers should develop safer knife designs that incorporate features, such as improved opening and closing mechanisms on pocket knives, to prevent these injuries. Other potential safety efforts include targeted educational interventions and changes in voluntary product safety standards and public policy.     

Characteristics and Trends of Emergency Department Visits in the United States (2010–2014)

Background

It is important that policy makers, health administrators, and emergency physicians have up-to-date statistics on the most common diagnoses of patients seen in the emergency department (ED).

Device-associated infection rates and extra length of stay in an intensive care unit of a university hospital in Wroclaw, Poland: International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium's (INICC) findings

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine device-associated health care–associated infections (DA-HAI) rates, microbiologic profile, bacterial resistance, and length of stay in one intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital member of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in Poland.

Materials and Methods

A prospective DA-HAI surveillance study was conducted on an adult ICU from January 2007 to May 2010. Data were collected by implementing the methodology developed by INICC and applying the definitions of DA-HAI provided by the National Healthcare Safety Network at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Results

A total of 847 patients hospitalized for 9386 days acquired 206 DA-HAIs, an overall rate of 24.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.5-27.4), and 21.9 (95% CI, 19.0-25.1) DA-HAIs per 1000 ICU-days. Central line–associated bloodstream infection rate was 4.01 (95% CI, 2.8-5.6) per 1000 catheter-days, ventilator-associated pneumonia rate was 18.2 (95% CI, 15.5-21.6) per 1000 ventilator-days, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection rate was 4.8 (95% CI, 3.5-6.5) per 1000 catheter-days. Length of stay was 6.9 days for those patients without DA-HAI, 10.0 days for those with central line–associated bloodstream infection, 15.5 days for those with ventilator-associated pneumonia, and 15.0 for those with catheter-associated urinary tract infection.

Conclusions

Most DA-HAI rates are lower in Poland than in INICC, but higher than in the National Healthcare Safety Network, expressing the feasibility of lowering infection rates and increasing patient safety.     

Attempted Suicide by Self-Immolation is a Powerful Predictive Variable for Survival of Burn Injuries

Up to 9% of all burn victims in western countries are reported to have been caused by self-immolation with suicidal intent and usually involve extensive injuries. The authors sought to identify differences between suicide burn victims as opposed to those who sustained their injuries accidentally with regard to injury severity and mortality and determine the possible impact of suicide as a prognostic variable in the context of a scoring system such as the Abbreviated Burns Severity Index (ABSI). The data of all burns patients treated at the Specialist Burns Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital Zürich, between 1968 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 2813 patients included in the study, 191 were identified as attempted suicides, most commonly involving the use of accelerants. Thirty percent of all suicide victims had preexisting psychiatric diagnoses. Suicide victims presented with significantly more extensive burns (53.7%, ±0.98 SEM vs 21.4 %, ±0.36 SEM, P < .0001), had higher total ABSI scores (8.4, ±0.23 SEM vs 6.6, ±0.05 SEM, P < .0001), and had higher mortality rates (42.9% [83/191] vs 16.3% [426/2622]) than accident victims. Furthermore, logistic regression revealed suicide to be a significant predictor of mortality as inhalation injury (odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.4-3.5, P < .0003 and odds ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.4-4.0, P < .0009, respectively). The odds of dying from an attempted suicide are twice as high compared with those of accident patients in the same ABSI category, making suicide a powerful predictor of mortality. The authors therefore suggest including it as a fixed variable in scoring systems for estimating a patient's mortality after burn injuries such as the widely used ABSI.     

Incidence and costs of falls and fall injuries among elderly in institutional care

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and costs of falls among the elderly in institutional care. DESIGN: A prospective study during the course of 1 year. SETTING: Four institutions in Finland. SUBJECTS: A total of 554 falls and 211 fall injuries among patients over 60 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Falls and fall injuries were recorded prospectively. Treatment and the costs of injuries were analysed retrospectively. The incidence of falls and fall injuries was expressed per 1000 person years. Costs of fall injuries treated outside the patient's own ward were calculated. RESULTS: The total incidence of falls was 1398/1000 person years. The incidence of fractures per 1000 person years was 54 (95% CI; 25-83) in women and 10 (95% CI; 1-54) in men. Women fell on their hips or buttocks more often than men did (p < 0.01). Incidence of head injuries per 1000 person years was 214 (95% CI; 160-267) in women and 433 (95% CI; 302-565) in men. The average costs were Euro 944 per fall. CONCLUSION: One-third of all falls resulted in an injury and every fifth injurious fall resulted in treatment outside the patient's own ward. The type of fall and the injury profile differed between men and women.     

Injuries occurring in hospital staff attending medical emergency team (MET) calls—A prospective,observational study

Background

Clinical emergency response systems such as medical emergency teams (MET) have been implemented in many hospitals worldwide, but the effect that these systems have on injuries to hospital staff is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the rate and nature of injuries occurring in hospital staff attending MET calls.

Methods

This study was a prospective, observational study, using a structured interview, of 1265 MET call participants, in a 650 bed urban, teaching hospital. Data was collected on the number and the nature of injuries occurring in hospital staff attending MET calls.

Results

Over 131 days, 248 MET calls were made. An average of 8.1 staff participated in each MET call. The overall injury rate was 13 (95% confidence interval (CI) 7–20) per 1000 MET participant attendances, and 70 (95% CI 38–102) per 1000 MET calls. One injured participant required time off-work, an injury requiring time off-work rate of 1 (95% CI 0–4) per 1000 MET participant attendances, or 4 (95% CI 0–27) per 1000 MET calls. The relative risk of sustaining an injury if the MET participant performed chest compressions, contacted patient body fluids on clothing or protective equipment, without direct contact to skin or mucosa, or lifted the patient or a patient body part was 11.0 (95% CI 4.2–28.6), 8.7 (95% CI 3.4–22.0) and 5.5 (95% CI 2.1–14.2), respectively.

Conclusion

The rate of injuries occurring to hospital staff attending MET calls is relatively low, and many injuries could be considered relatively minor.     

Follow-up of discrepancies in X-ray and electrocardiogram interpretations, and positive laboratory results

This article describes the 1-year follow-up program implemented at Baystate Medical Center Emergency Department during 1999. Our previous system used staff who worked clinically, which led to prolonged delays in follow-up. Before initiating the program, 57% [95% confidence interval (CI): 55-59%] of all follow-up cases were done within 3 days. After program implementation, 69% (95% CI: 67-72%) of all follow-up cases were completed in the same time frame. We reduced our "delayed" follow-up cases from 20% (95% CI: 18-22%) to 4% (95% CI: 3-5%) of all cases. Critical to the new system is the assignment of nurse-physician pairing to do follow-up when they are not doing direct patient care.     

Epidemiology of strain/sprain injuries among cheerleaders in the United States

Objective

The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of cheerleading-related strain/sprain injuries by type of cheerleading team and type of event.

Methods

Athlete exposure (AE) and injury data were collected from 412 United States cheerleading teams via the Cheerleading Reporting Information Online surveillance tool, and injury rates were calculated.

Results

Strains/Sprains were the most common injury (53%; 0.5 injuries per 1000 AEs) sustained by cheerleaders during our 1-year study. The lower extremities (42%), particularly the ankles (28%), were injured most often. Most injuries occurred during practice (82%); however, the rate of injury was higher during competition (0.8 injuries per 1000 AEs; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6-1.0) than during practice (0.6 injuries per 1000 AEs; 95% CI, 0.5-0.6) for all team types. Injuries were sustained most frequently by high school cheerleaders (51%), although college cheerleaders had the highest injury rate (1.2 injuries per 1000 AEs). Strains/Sprains occurred most frequently while attempting a stunt (34%) or while tumbling (32%). Spotting/Basing other cheerleaders (19%) was the most common mechanism of injury and was more likely to result in a lower back strain/sprain than other mechanisms of injury (odds ratio, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.41-8.09; P < .01).

Conclusions

Cheerleaders should increase their focus on conditioning and strength-building training, which may help to prevent strain/sprain injuries. Spotters and bases should additionally focus on proper lifting technique to help avoid back injury. Guidelines may need to be developed for return-to-play after cheerleading-related strain/sprain injuries.     

Effects of a fast-track area on emergency department performance

To determine if a fast-track area (FTA) would improve Emergency Department (ED) performance, a historical cohort study was performed in the ED of a tertiary care adult hospital in the United States. Two 1-year consecutive periods, pre fast track area (FTA) opening-from February 1, 2001 to January 31, 2002 and after FTA opening-from February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2003 were studied. Daily values of the following variables were obtained from the ED patient tracking system: 1) To assess ED effectiveness: waiting time to be seen (WT), length of stay (LOS); 2) To assess ED care quality: rate of patients left without being seen (LWBS), mortality, and revisits; 3) To assess determinants of patient homogeneity between periods: daily census, age, acuity index, admission rate and emergent patient rate. For comparisons, the Wilcoxon test and the Student's t-test were used to analyze the data. Results showed that despite an increase in the daily census (difference [diff] 8.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6 to 11.41), FTA was associated with a decrease in WT (diff -51 min, 95% CI [-56 to -46]), LOS (diff -28 min, 95% CI [-31 to -23]) and LWBS (diff -4.06, 95% CI [-4.48 to -3.46]), without change in the rates of mortality or revisits. In conclusion, the opening of a FTA improved ED effectiveness, measured by decreased WT and LOS, without deterioration in the quality of care provided, measured by rates of mortality and revisits.