Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Adherence to Referrals From the Pediatric Emergency Department

BackgroundOutpatient referrals constitute a critical component of emergency medical care. However, barriers to care after emergency department (ED) visits have not been investigated thoroughly.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sociodemographic variables on referral attendance after ED visits.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was designed. Patients aged 0–17 years who visited the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital ED in 2016 and received a referral were included. Multiple referrals for 1 patient were counted as independent encounters for statistical analysis.ResultsChart review was performed on 6120 pediatric ED encounters, producing a total of 822 referrals to University of Michigan Health System outpatient clinics. Referral attendance did not differ by race, ethnicity, language, or religion. Older age was associated with decreased attendance at referrals (p = 0.043). Patients who were black and female (p = 0.019), patients with public health insurance (p = 0.004), and patients residing in areas with either high rates of unemployment (p = 0.003), or lower high school education rates (p = 0.006) demonstrated decreased attendance. Patients referred to pediatric neurology had lower attendance rates (p < 0.001), and those referred to pediatric orthopedic surgery attended referrals more often (p = 0.006).ConclusionsThis study provides an overview of the impact of sociodemographic and departmental factors on attendance at outpatient follow-up referrals. Significant disparities exist with respect to referral attendance after emergency medical care. Informed resource allocation may be utilized to improve care for these at-risk patient populations.     

Active Shooter Training in the Emergency Department: A Safety Initiative

Problem

Active shooter incidents are becoming more common, and although they are still rare compared with other shooting sites, incidents have increased in health care facilities. Agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Joint Commission, and the Emergency Nurses Association have emphasized that an action plan and training are essential for hospital preparedness.

Hourly Rounding in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Patient and Family Safety and Satisfaction Rounds

Background

Methods of increasing patient and family involvement in and understanding of their medical care are plentiful, and hourly rounding specifically has shown benefit in several clinical settings. Although the approach has shown a variety of advantages in other areas, its use in urgent care pediatric settings is not well described.

Objectives

This study evaluates the institution of patient satisfaction and safety rounding (“hourly rounding”) in the pediatric emergency department (ED) setting.

Methods

Hourly rounding was instituted in a tertiary care, urban pediatric ED using a formal mnemonic, after staff education, training, and observation to ensure standardization of approach. Pre- and postintervention data were collected, including frequency and type of nursing call bell usage, family discharge opinion survey, and vendor-collected survey results.

Results

Two weeks of nursing call bell activation data and 200 pre- and postintervention family discharge opinion surveys were collected, evenly divided between pre- and postimplementation data. Call bell activations prior to and after hourly rounding institution were 102 and 150 respectively, with accidental activations comprising the majority. Additionally, vendor-collected patient satisfaction data were analyzed. There were no changes in patient scoring when pre- and postimplementation data were compared.

Conclusions

This model of hourly rounding shows no measurable improvement in patient satisfaction or provider–patient communication using call bell data, family discharge opinion surveys, or vendor-collected patient satisfaction data. Further studies may be indicated to identify different methods of analyzing the effects of this method, and to examine alternative methods of improving these outcomes in the pediatric ED setting.     

Learning from Patient Safety Incidents in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review

BackgroundPatient safety incidents are commonly observed in critical and high demanding care settings, including the emergency department. There is a need to understand what causes patient safety incidents in emergency departments and determine the implications for excellence in practice.ObjectiveOur aim was to systematically review the international literature on patient safety incidents in emergency departments and determine what can be learned from reported incidents to inform and improve practice.DiscussionPatient safety incidents in emergency departments have a number of recognized contributing factors. These can be used as groundwork for the development of effective tools to systematically identify incident risk. Participation in efforts to diminish risk and improve patient safety through appropriate incident reporting is critical for removing barriers to safe care.ConclusionsThis review enhances our awareness of contributing factors to patient safety incidents within emergency departments and encourages researchers from different disciplines to investigate the causes of practice errors and formulate safety improvement strategies.     

Profiles in Patient Safety: Medication Errors in the Emergency Department

Medication errors are frequent in the emergency department (ED). The unique operating characteristics of the ED may exacerbate their rate and severity. They are associated with variable clinical outcomes that range from inconsequential to death. Fifteen adult and pediatric cases are described here to illustrate a variety of errors. They may occur at any of the previously described five stages, from ordering a medication to its delivery. A sixth stage has been added to emphasize the final part of the medication administration process in the ED, drawing attention to considerations that should be made for patients being discharged home. The capability for dispensing medication, without surveillance by a pharmacist, provides an error-producing condition to which physicians and nurses should be especially vigilant. Except in very limited and defined situations, physicians should not administer medications. Adherence to defined roles would reduce the team communication errors that are a common theme in the cases described here.     

Small Rare Earth Magnets Adhered to Pharyngeal Tissue in a Pediatric Emergency Department Patient

BackgroundSmall rare earth magnets pose a known health risk to children and many cases of ingestion and aspiration with associated complications have been described. More unusual, but also seen in children, are retained foreign bodies in the oropharynx that require extraction.Case ReportWe present the case of a 3-year-old boy with persistent left-sided sore throat 1 h after ingestion of several 3-mm spherical rare earth magnets. No foreign bodies were visible in the oropharynx on examination; however, a chest radiograph revealed two adjacent magnets within the lower pharyngeal space, as well as four magnets linearly clumped within the small intestine. The patient was taken to the operating room, where visual inspection under general anesthesia revealed two magnets adhered to the pharyngoepiglottic folds (one on the laryngeal surface and one on the glottic surface). They were removed in full without issue, preventing aspiration.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Given the recent increase in incidence of rare earth magnet ingestion, emergency providers ought to be aware of the risks and complications associated with magnetic foreign body ingestion in children and the workup and considerations involved in their removal. Providers should also advocate for improved safety controls of these products, which have been found to be effective in the past.     

Profiles in Patient Safety: A "Perfect Storm" in the Emergency Department

Correct and rapid diagnosis is pivotal to the practice of emergency medicine, yet the chaotic and ill-structured emergency department environment is fertile ground for the commission of diagnostic error. Errors may result from specific error-producing conditions (EPCs) or, more frequently, from an interaction between such conditions. These EPCs are often expedient and serve to shorten the decision making process in a high-pressure environment. Recognizing that they will inevitably exist, it is important for clinicians to understand and manage their dangers. The authors present a case of delayed diagnosis resulting from the interaction of a number of EPCs that produced a "perfect" situation to produce a missed or delayed diagnosis. They offer practical suggestions whereby clinicians may decrease their chances of becoming victims of these influences.     

Quality Improvement: Using Teach-Back to Improve Patient Satisfaction during Discharge in the Emergency Department

IntroductionPatients discharged in the emergency department often have poor understanding of their discharge instructions. Teach-back is a communication method that involves asking patients to explain in their own words what a health care provider just told them. The purpose of this project was to determine whether nurse-led teach-back at discharge could improve patient satisfaction with discharge information.MethodsA teach-back method was used to educate patients on what to do if they do not feel better after leaving, using a single site quality improvement design. Patient satisfaction was measured using a standardized benchmark question on whether providers explained what to do if they did not feel better after leaving. The department goal for this question was established as achieving a response of “Yes, definitely” for 64.4% or more of the satisfaction surveys. Patient satisfaction data were collected before and after intervention through a survey given to patients within 24 hours after their visit. A statistical process chart was used to analyze whether the observed improvements coincided with implementation of the teach-back intervention.ResultsAlthough there was an overall increase in post-intervention scores (61%) from baseline scores (59%), there were no special cause variations signaling that the intervention had a significant impact.DiscussionTeach-back may improve patient satisfaction with discharge information. Future implementation with measures of intervention adoption, fidelity, accountability, and sustainability are needed.     

Fast Track and the Pediatric Emergency Department: Resource Utilization and Patient Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in the evaluation, management, and outcomes for patients seen in an on-site "fast track" (FT) vs the main ED. METHODS: Over a three-month period, patients presenting to an urban pediatric ED were prospectively assessed. Patients included were: triaged as "nonurgent"; aged 2 months to 10 years; not chronically ill; and had fever, or complaint of vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased oral intake. Evening and weekend care was provided in the FT; at all other times these low-acuity patients were seen in the ED. Seven days after the visit, families were interviewed by telephone. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy-nine and 557 patients were seen in the FT and ED, respectively. The patients in the two settings did not differ in age, clinical condition, race, or commercial insurance status. Patient mean test charges were $27 and $52 for the FT and ED, respectively (p < 0.01). Twenty-four percent of the FT patients vs 41% of the ED patients had tests performed (p < 0.01). Average length of stay was 28 minutes shorter in the FT (95% CI = 19 to 36, p < 0.01). Follow-up was completed for 480 of 755 families with telephones (64%). The FT and ED patients did not differ at follow-up: 90% vs 88% had improved conditions (p = 0.53), 18% vs 15% had received unscheduled follow-up care (p = 0.44), and 94% of the families in both groups were satisfied with the visit (p = 0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with those in the main ED, the study patients seen in the FT had fewer tests ordered and had briefer lengths of stay. These findings were not explained by differences in patient ages, vital signs, or demographic characteristics. No difference in final outcomes or satisfaction was detected among the families contacted for follow-up.     

Decreasing Pediatric PACU Noise Level and Alarm Fatigue: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Safety and Satisfaction

PurposeTo describe how a pediatric postanesthesia care unit used a two-phased approach of bundled interventions to reduce unit noise levels and improve staff perceptions of their work environment.DesignPre/post design.MethodsPostanesthesia care unit sound levels and monitor alarms were measured at baseline and after implementing both project phases. Nursing staff members were surveyed at baseline and after completion of the project.FindingsMonitor alarms were reduced by more than 50% after Phase I. However, noise measurement data did not reflect a difference in sound levels between baseline and intervention phases. Despite this, staff perceived the unit as much quieter.ConclusionsThe reduction in monitor alarms did not cause an appreciable change in sound levels as measured by noise dosimeters in either intervention phase. Despite these findings, nurses perceived a quieter and more pleasant workplace. These impressions might have resulted from subjective expectations versus actual volume levels, or they might owe to the reduction in incidence of alarms themselves, which they had viewed as nuisance sounds.