Emergency Department Triage of Patients Infected with HIV

OBJECTIVE: The emergency department (ED) and HIV specialty clinics are primary sources of care for persons infected with HIV. HIV disease may be complicated by vague and complex symptomatology, and determining the degree of illness at triage is often difficult. The goals of this project were to characterize the ED presentation of HIV-related conditions, to develop a clinical decision rule to triage HIV-infected patients, and to validate the rule in clinical practice. METHODS: The study population consisted of ambulatory patients with self-reported HIV infection who presented for care to the ED of a 553-bed public hospital that serves a medically indigent, minority population. An Illness Severity Instrument was developed by an expert panel to serve as the criterion standard for defining medical urgency for HIV-infected patients presenting to the ED for care. Two phases of the study were conducted. Data from the first phase, a noninterventional cohort study, were used to develop a clinical decision rule for the ED triage of HIV-infected patients. The second phase was a prospective validation of the clinical decision rule. RESULTS: During phase I, data from 542 patient visits were collected. Data from 441 (81%) patient visits were used in a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to produce a decision rule, the Clinical Triage Instrument. During phase II, the prospective validation of the Clinical Triage Instrument, 156 patient visits occurred. Of these, 88 (56%) patient visits were triaged using the Clinical Triage Instrument and could be scored using the Illness Severity Instrument. The Clinical Triage Instrument accurately triaged 45 [51%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 40% to 62%] patient visits, undertriaged 11 (13%; 95% CI = 6% to 21%) patient visits, and overtriaged 32 (36%; 95% CI = 26% to 47%) patient visits. Sensitivities and specificities for determining emergent, urgent, and nonurgent medical conditions by the Clinical Triage Instrument were 56% (95% CI = 31% to 75%) and 84% (95% CI = 74% to 92%), 71% (95% CI = 55% to 84%) and 39% (95% CI = 25% to 55%), and 18% (95% CI = 6% to 37%) and 93% (95% CI = 84% to 98%), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for determining an emergent medical condition using the Clinical Triage Instrument were 48% (95% CI = 26% to 70%) and 88% (95% CI = 78% to 95%), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for determining a nonurgent medical condition using the Clinical Triage Instrument were 56% (95% CI = 21% to 86%) and 71% (95% CI = 60% to 81%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Clinical Triage Instrument was not sufficiently accurate for clinical use. Until accurate and reliable triage methods are developed, all patients infected with HIV who present to the ED for care should receive timely evaluation and care.     

Accuracy of ED triage of psychiatric patients

The study objective was to determine the accuracy of initial triage assessment (ITA) in directing behavioral emergency patients to appropriate medical or psychiatric care, and to identify variables that enhance triage accuracy. A cohort study of 436 adult patients with 1 of 10 behavioral-related complaints was conducted. ITA compared with the final ED diagnosis, both of which were classified as either "medical" or "psychiatric." Patient triage characteristics correlated with the final ED diagnosis using logistic regression. Sensitivity of ITA for predicting a medical final ED diagnosis was 70% (95% CI 60.1, 78.5) and specificity 85% (95% CI 80.6, 88.7). ITA agreed with final ED diagnosis in 344 (81.3%) and these patients had a significantly shorter ED length of stay (4.50 v 5.90 hours, p=0.03). Dementia, past psychiatric history, family history of psychiatric illness, and ITA were significant predictors of final ED diagnosis. ITA is a fair predictor of the final ED diagnosis, but could be enhanced by screening for dementia and past psychiatric history. Improved triage accuracy could reduce length of stay for such patients.     

Impact of Ambulance Transportation on Resource Use in the Emergency Department

OBJECTIVE: To determine how ambulance transportation is associated with resource use in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A retrospective administrative database review of patient visits to a Montreal tertiary care hospital ED in one year (April 2000-March 2001). Measures of resource use included ED length of stay, admission to the hospital, and whether consultations and radiology/imaging tests (excluding plain-film x-rays) were ordered from the ED. RESULTS: During the study period, 39,674 patients made 59,142 visits to the ED. Ambulance transportation was used for 15.6% of these ED visits. Compared with non-ambulance visits, ambulance visits were more likely to be made by older patients (mean age: 68 vs. 47 years), to be made by females (59% vs. 55%), to have a greater triage urgency score (mean on 1-5 scale, with 1 most urgent: 2.7 vs. 3.9), and to occur after office hours, 5 PM to 9 AM (47% vs. 43%). Ambulance visits were also more likely than non-ambulance visits to result in: a longer length of stay (mean: 13.3 hours [95% CI = 13.0 to 13.6] vs. 5.9 [95% CI = 5.8 to 6.0]), hospital admission (40% vs. 10%) (odds ratio [OR]: 5.94 [95% CI = 5.59 to 6.33]), consultations (56% vs. 20%) (OR: 5.15 [95% = 4.86 to 5.45]), and radiology/imaging tests (20% vs. 12%) (OR: 1.93 [95% CI = 1.81 to 2.07]). In multivariate models that adjusted for the effects of age, gender, triage urgency, and temporal factors, ambulance transportation maintained its association with greater resource use. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study indicates that patients arriving at the ED by ambulance use significantly more resources than their walk-in counterparts.     

Association between access to primary care and unplanned emergency department return visits among patients 75 years and older

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with unplanned return visits to the emergency department (ED) among the population aged 75 years and older. Moreover, it aims to determine the association between patients’ access to primary care and unplanned return visits.DesignData were collected from structured interviews, administrative databases, and medical charts at the index visits, and follow-up telephone calls were made at 3 months.SettingEmergency departments of the 3 tertiary care hospitals in Montréal, Que.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling patients aged 75 years and older.Main outcome measuresZero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis was conducted of unplanned return visits within 3 months. Rate ratios (RRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs are presented.ResultsDuring the study period, 4577 patients were identified, 2303 were recruited, and 1998 were retained for the analysis. Among the analysis sample, 33% were 85 and older, 34% lived alone, and 91% had a family physician. Before their ED visits, 16% of patients attempted to contact their family physicians. More than half of the patients reported having difficulty seeing their physicians for urgent problems, more than 40% had difficulty speaking with their family physicians by telephone, and more than one-third had difficulty booking appointments for new health problems. Within 3 months, 562 patients (28%) had made 894 return visits. Factors associated with a lower return visit rate included age 85 years and older (RR=0.80; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.96), less severe triage score (RR=0.83; 95% CI 0.74 to 0.92), and hospitalization at the index visit (RR=0.76; 95% CI 0.64 to 0.90). Factors that resulted in a higher return visit rate were difficulty booking appointments for new problems with their family physicians (RR=1.19; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.41), having had ED visits within the previous 6 months (RR=1.47; 95% CI 1.28 to 1.68), and higher Charlson comorbidity index scores (RR=1.06; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.11). Having had ED visits within the previous 6 months (OR=2.11; 95% CI 1.27 to 3.49), having a higher Charlson comorbidity index score (OR=1.41; 95% CI 1.19 to 1.68), and having received community care services (OR=3.00; 95% CI 0.95 to 9.53) also increased the odds of return visits.ConclusionAlthough most people 75 years and older have a family physician, problems still exist in terms of timely access. Unplanned return visits to the ED are associated with having more comorbidities, having had previous ED visits, having already received community services, and having difficulty booking appointments with family physicians for new problems.     

The Validity of Chief Complaint and Discharge Diagnosis in Emergency Department–based Syndromic Surveillance

OBJECTIVE: Emergency department (ED)-based syndromic surveillance systems are being used by public health departments to monitor for outbreaks of infectious diseases, including bioterrorism; however, few systems have been validated. The authors evaluated a "drop-in" syndromic surveillance system by comparing syndrome categorization in the ED with chief complaints and ED discharge diagnoses from medical record review. METHODS: A surveillance form was completed for each ED visit at 15 participating Arizona hospitals between October 27 and November 18, 2001. Each patient visit was assigned one of ten clinical syndromes or "none." For six of 15 EDs, kappa statistics were used to compare syndrome agreement between surveillance forms and syndrome categorization with chief complaint and ED discharge diagnosis from medical record review. RESULTS: Overall, agreement between surveillance forms and ED discharge diagnoses (kappa = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52 to 0.59) was significantly higher than between surveillance forms and chief complaints (kappa = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.52). Agreement between chief complaints and ED discharge diagnoses was poor for respiratory tract infection with fever (kappa = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.27 to 0.39). Furthermore, pediatric chief complaints showed lower agreement for respiratory tract infection with fever when compared with adults (kappa = 0.34 [95% CI = 0.20 to 0.47] vs. kappa = 0.44 [95% CI = 0.28 to 0.59], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In general, this syndromic surveillance system classified patients into appropriate syndrome categories with fair to good agreement compared with chief complaints and discharge diagnoses. The present findings suggest that use of ED discharge diagnoses, in addition to or instead of chief complaints, may increase surveillance validity for both automated and drop-in syndromic surveillance systems.     

The diagnostic accuracy of tuberculosis real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of computed tomography-guided bronchial wash samples

We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of bronchoscopic wash specimens obtained using computed tomography (CT) guidance for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients who were unable to produce sputum samples or were sputum smear-negative. Data from patients who had lesions likely to be pulmonary TB on CT images were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-seven patients (23.1%) were diagnosed with definite pulmonary TB, and 72 patients (61.5%) were classified as not having TB. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of RT-PCR were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.57-0.91), 0.93 (95% CI, 0.84-0.97), 0.81 (95% CI, 0.60-0.93), and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.82-0.97), respectively. We concluded that most of the sputum-smear negative TB cases could be diagnosed microbiologically or ruled out rapidly and accurately by RT-PCR analysis of bronchial wash fluid.     

Epidemiology of Alcohol-related Emergency Department Visits

Abstract. Objective : To examine the population and geographic patterns, patient characteristics, and clinical presentations and outcomes of alcohol-related ED visits at a national level. Methods : Cross-sectional data on a probability sample of 21,886 ED visits from the 1995 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed with consideration of the individual patient visit weight. The annual number and rates of alcohol-related ED visits were computed based on weighted analysis in relation to demographic characteristics and geographic region. Specific variables of alcohol-related ED visits examined included demographic and medical characteristics, patient-reported reasons for visit, and physicians' principal diagnoses. Results : Of the 96.5 million ED visits in 1995, an estimated 2.6 million (2.7%) were related to alcohol abuse. The overall annual rate of alcohol-related ED visits was 10.0 visits per 1,000 population [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.7–11.3]. Higher rates were found for men (14.7 per 1,000, 95% CI 12.5–16.9), adults aged 25 to 44 years (17.8 per 1,000, 95% CI 15.0–20.6), blacks (18.1 per 1,000, 95% CI 14.0–22.1), and residents living in the northeast region (15.2 per 1,000, 95% CI 12.1–18.2). Patients whose visits were alcohol-related were more likely than other patients to be uninsured, smokers, or depressive. Alcohol-related ED visits were 1.6 times as likely as other visits to be injury-related, and 1.8 times as likely to be rated as "urgent" or "emergent." The leading principal reasons for alcohol-related ED visits were complaints of pain, injury, and drinking problems. Alcohol abuse/dependence was the principal diagnosis for 20% of the alcohol-related visits. Conclusion : Alcohol abuse poses a major burden on the emergency medical care system. The age, gender, and geographic characteristics of alcohol-related ED visits are consistent with drinking patterns in the general population.     

National estimates of severe sepsis in United States emergency departments

OBJECTIVE: The emergency department (ED) often serves as the first site for the recognition and treatment of patients with suspected severe sepsis. However, few evaluations of the national epidemiology and distribution of severe sepsis in the ED exist. We sought to determine national estimates of the number, timing, ED length of stay, and case distribution of patients presenting to the ED with suspected severe sepsis. DESIGN: Analysis of 2001-2004 ED data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. SETTING: National multistage probability sample of United States ED data. PATIENTS: Adult (age, >or=18 yrs) patients with suspected severe sepsis, defined as the concurrent presence of an infec-tion (ED International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision; ICD-9) diagnosis of infection, or a triage temperature <96.8 degrees F or >or=100.4 degrees F) and organ dysfunction (ED ICD-9) diagnosis of organ dysfunction, intubation, or a triage systolic blood pressure 6 hrs in the ED. Of suspected severe sepsis patients, 20.6% presented to a low-volume ED (相似文献   

Emergency Triage: Comparing a Novel Computer Triage Program with Standard Triage

Background: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients based on urgency of care; however, little previous testing of triage tools in a live ED environment has been performed. Objectives: To determine the agreement between a computer decision tool and memory‐based triage. Methods: Consecutive patients presenting to a large, urban, tertiary care ED were assessed in the usual fashion and by a blinded study nurse using a computerized decision support tool. Triage score distribution and agreement between the two triage methods were reported. A random subset of patients was selected and reviewed by a blinded expert panel as a consensus standard. Results: Over five weeks, 722 ED patients were assessed; complete data were available from 693 (96%) score pairs. Agreement between the two methods was poor (κ= 0.202; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.150 to 0.254); however, agreement improved when using weighted κ (0.360; 95% CI = 0.305 to 0.415) or “within one” level κ (0.732; 95% CI = 0.644 to 0.821). When compared with the expert panel, the nurse triage scores showed lower agreement (0.263; 95% CI = 0.133 to 0.394) than the tool (κ= 0.426; 95% CI = 0.289 to 0.564). There was a significant down‐triaging of patients when patients were triaged without the computerized tool. Admission rates also differed between the triage systems. Conclusions: There was significant discrepancy by nurses using memory‐based triage when compared with a computer tool. Triage decision support tools can mitigate this drift, which has administrative implications for EDs.     

Epidemiology of Emergency Department Visits for Opioid Overdose: A Population-Based Study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the rate of emergency department (ED) visits for opioid overdose and to examine whether frequent ED visits for opioid overdose are associated with more hospitalizations, near-fatal events, and health care spending.Patients and MethodsRetrospective cohort study of adults with at least 1 ED visit for opioid overdose between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011, derived from population-based data of State Emergency Department Databases and State Inpatient Databases for 2 large and diverse states: California and Florida. Main outcome measures were hospitalizations for opioid overdose, near-fatal events (overdose involving mechanical ventilation), and hospital charges during the year after the first ED visit.ResultsThe analytic cohort comprised 19,831 unique patients with 21,609 ED visits for opioid overdose. During a 1-year period, 7% (95% CI, 7%-7%; n=1389 patients) of the patients had frequent (2 or more) ED visits, accounting for 15% (95% CI, 14%-15%; n=3167) of all opioid overdose ED visits. Middle age, male sex, public insurance, lower household income, and comorbidities (such as chronic pulmonary disease and neurological diseases) were associated with frequent ED visits (all P<.01). Overall, 53% (95% CI, 52%-54%; n=11,412) of the ED visits for opioid overdose resulted in hospitalizations; patients with frequent ED visits for opioid overdose had a higher likelihood of hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 3.98; 95% CI, 3.38-4.69). In addition, 10.0% (95% CI, 10%-10%; n=2161) of the ED visits led to near-fatal events; patients with frequent ED visits had a higher likelihood of a near-fatal event (adjusted odds ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.96-2.66). Total charges in Florida were $208 million (95% CI, $200-$219 million).ConclusionIn this population-based cohort, we found that frequent ED visits for opioid overdose were associated with a higher likelihood of future hospitalizations and near-fatal events.     

Standard nurse phone triage versus tele–emergency care pilot on Veteran use of in-person acute care: An instrumental variable analysis

Objectives

Use of acute care telemedicine is growing, but data on quality, utilization, and cost are limited. We evaluated a Veterans Affairs (VA) tele–emergency care (tele-EC) pilot aimed at reducing reliance on out-of-network (OON) emergency department (ED) care, a growing portion of VA spending. With this service, an emergency physician virtually evaluated selected Veterans calling a nurse triage line.

Methods

Calls to the triage line occurring January–December 2021 and advised to seek care acutely within 24 h were included. We described tele-EC user characteristics, common triage complaints, and patterns in referral to and management by tele-EC. The primary outcome was acute care visits (ED, urgent care, and hospitalizations at VA and OON sites) within 7 days of the index call. Secondary outcomes included mortality, OON acute care spending, and the effect of tele-EC visit modality (phone vs. video). We used both standard regression and instrumental variable (IV) analysis, using the tele-EC physician schedule as the instrument.

Results

Of 7845 eligible calls, 15.5% had a tele-EC visit, with case resolution documented in 57%. Compared to standard nurse triage, tele-EC users were less likely to be Black, had more prior ED visits, and were triaged as higher acuity. Calls concerning dizziness/syncope, blood in stool, and chest pain were most likely to have a tele-EC visit. Tele-EC was associated with fewer ED visits than standard nurse triage in both regression (average marginal effect [AME] −16.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] −19.2 to −14.4) and IV analyses (AME −17.5%, 95% CI −25.1 to −9.8), lower hospitalization rate (AME −3.1%, 95% CI −6.2 to −0.0), and lower OON spending (AME –$248, 95% CI −$458 to −$38).

Conclusions

Among Veterans initially advised to seek care within 24 h, use of tele-EC compared to standard phone triage led to decreased ED visits, hospitalizations, and OON spending within 7 days.     

National Study of Patient, Visit, and Hospital Characteristics Associated With Leaving an Emergency Department Without Being Seen: Predicting LWBS

Objectives: The objective was to estimate the national left‐without‐being‐seen (LWBS) rate and to identify patient, visit, and institutional characteristics that predict LWBS. Methods: This was a retrospective cross‐sectional analysis using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 1998 to 2006. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of LWBS. Results: The national LWBS rate was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6 to 1.9) patients per 100 emergency department (ED) visits each year. In multivariate analysis, patients at extremes of age (<18 years, odds ratio [OR] = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.96; and ≥65 years, OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.64) and nursing home residents (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.08 to 1.00) were associated with lower LWBS rates. Nonwhites (black or African American (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.22 to 1.63) and Hispanic (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.49), Medicaid (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.27 to 1.70), self‐pay (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.32), or other insurance (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.74 to 2.52) patients were more likely to LWBS. Visit characteristics associated with LWBS included visits for musculoskeletal (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.85), injury/poisoning/adverse event (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.80), and miscellaneous (OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.05) complaints. Visits with low triage acuity were more likely to LWBS (OR = 3.59, 95% CI = 2.81 to 4.58), whereas visits that were work‐related were less likely to LWBS (OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.29). Institutional characteristics associated with LWBS were visits in metropolitan areas (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.66 to 2.70) and teaching institutions (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.67). Conclusions: Several patient, visit, and hospital characteristics are independently associated with LWBS. Prediction and benchmarking of LWBS rates should adjust for these factors.     

Differences in Long-term Mortality for Different Emergency Department Presenting Complaints

Objectives: To characterize long‐term mortality based on previous emergency department (ED) presenting complaints. Methods: The authors followed, for 10 years, all of the 12,667 nonsurgical patients visiting an ED during 1995/1996. Differences in standardized mortality ratio (SMR) depending on presenting complaints were then investigated. Results: During follow‐up, 5,324 deaths occurred (mortality rate 6.6 per 100 person‐years at risk), giving a SMR of 1.33 (95% CI = 1.30 to 1.37, p < 0.001) when compared with the expected mortality in the catchment area. Different presenting complaints were associated with different long‐term mortality rates, independent of age and gender (p < 0.0001). The subjects with seizures had the highest SMR (2.62, 95% CI = 2.13 to 3.22) followed by intoxications (2.51, 95% CI = 2.11 to 2.98), asthmalike symptoms (1.84, 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.06), and hyperglycemia (1.67, 95% CI = 1.42 to 1.95). The largest complaint group, chest pain, had a 20% higher mortality rate than the background population (95% CI = 1.13 to 1.26). Patients with a discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction, but without chest pain as the presenting complaint, had an increased long‐term mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.70, 95% CI = 1.15 to 2.42) compared to the group with chest pain. In contrast, stroke patients without strokelike symptoms had a reduced mortality (HR 0.74, 95% CI = 0.65 to 0.84) compared to patients with strokelike symptoms. Conclusions: Long‐term age‐ and gender‐adjusted mortality is the highest with seizures out of 33 presenting complaints and differs markedly between different ED admission complaints. Furthermore, depending on the admission complaint, long‐term mortality differs within the same discharge diagnosis. Hence, the presenting complaint adds unique information to the discharge diagnosis regarding long‐term mortality in nonsurgical patients.     

Reliability and Validity of the Emergency Severity Index for Pediatric Triage

Objectives: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage algorithm is a five‐level triage acuity tool used by emergency department (ED) triage nurses to rate patients from Level 1 (most acute) to Level 5 (least acute). ESI has established reliability and validity in an all‐age population, but has not been well studied for pediatric triage. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the ESI for pediatric triage at five sites. Methods: Interrater reliability was measured with weighted kappa for 40 written pediatric case scenarios and 100 actual patient triages at each of five research sites (independently rated by both a triage nurse and a research nurse). Validity was evaluated with a sample of 200 patients per site. The ESI ratings were compared with outcomes, including hospital admission, resource consumption, and ED length of stay. Results: Interrater reliability was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76 to 0.78) for the scenarios (n = 155 nurses) and 0.57 (95% CI = 0.52 to 0.62) for actual patients (n = 498 patients). Inconsistencies in triage were noted for the most acute and least acute patients, as well as those less than 1 year of age and those with medical (rather than trauma) chief complaints. For the validity cohort (n = 1,173 patients), outcomes differed by ESI level, including hospital admission, which went from 83% for Level 1 patients to 0% for Level 5 (chi‐square, p < 0.0001). Nurses from dedicated pediatric EDs were 31% less likely to undertriage patients than nurses in general EDs (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.67). Conclusions: Reliability of the ESI for pediatric triage is moderate. The ESI provides a valid stratification of pediatric patients into five distinct groups. We found several areas in which nurses have difficulty triaging pediatric patients consistently. The study results are being used to develop pediatric‐specific ESI educational materials to strengthen reliability and validity for pediatric triage.     

Significant changes in emergency department length of stay and case mix over eight years at a large Swedish University Hospital

ObjectiveDescribe the longitudinal development of crowding and patient/emergency department (ED) characteristics at a Swedish University Hospital.MethodsA retrospective longitudinal registry study based on all ED visits with adult patients during 2009–2016 (N = 1,063,806). Patient characteristics and measures of ED crowding (ED occupancy ratio, length-of-stay [LOS], patients/clinician’s ratios) were extracted from the hospital’s electronic health record. Non-parametric analyses were conducted.ResultsThe proportion of unstable patients (triage level 1–2) increased while the proportion of admitted patients decreased. All crowding variables were stable, except for LOS, which increased by 9 min/visit/year (95% CI: 8.8–9.1). LOS for visits by patients ≥ 80 years increased more compared to those 18–79 (248 min vs. 190 min, p < 0.001). Unstable patients increased their median LOS compared to stable patients (triage level 3–5). LOS for discharged patients increased with an average of 7.7 min/year (95% CI: 7.5–7.9) compared to 15.5 min/year (95% CI: 15.2–15.8) for those being admitted.ConclusionFewer admissions, despite an increase of unstable patients, is likely related to lack of in-hospital beds and contributes to ED crowding. The increase in median ED LOS, especially for patients in the subgroups unstable, ≥80 years and admitted to in-hospital care reflects this problem.     

Impact of a qSOFA-based triage procedure on antibiotic timing in ED patients with sepsis: A prospective interventional study

BackgroundIt has not been investigated whether the quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment score (qSOFA), a new bedside tool for early sepsis detection, may help accelerating antibiotic initiation in ED patients with sepsis.MethodsIn this prospective pre/post quasi-experimental single-ED study, patients admitted with a suspected bacterial infection were managed using standard triage procedures only (baseline) or in association with qSOFA (intervention, with prioritization of patients with a qSOFA ≥ 2).ResultsA total of 151/328 (46.0%) and 185/350 (52.8%) patients with definite bacterial infection met the criteria for sepsis in the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a qSOFA ≥ 2 for sepsis prediction were 17.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.6%–21.7%) and 98.8% (95% CI, 97.0%–99.5%). Eleven (7.3%) and 28 (13.5%) patients with sepsis in the baseline and intervention periods received a first antibiotic dose within one hour following triage (primary endpoint, absolute difference 6.2%, 95% CI [−0.5%, 12.7%], P = 0.08). The proportions of patients with sepsis receiving a first antibiotic dose within three hours following triage (39.7% [50/151] versus 36.8% [68/185], absolute difference − 2.9%, 95% CI [−13.3%, 7.3%], P = 0.65), requiring ICU admission, or dying in the hospital were similar in both periods. The median ED occupation rate at triage was 104.3% (interquartile range [IQR], 80.4%–128.3%), with a median number of 157 ED visits per day (IQR, 147–169).ConclusionsA qSOFA-based triage procedure does not improve antibiotic timing and outcomes in patients with sepsis admitted to a high-volume ED. The qSOFA value at triage was poorly sensitive for early sepsis detection.Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT03299894.     

福建省成功治疗的肺结核患者10年复发情况及影响因素分析

  目的  分析福建省成功治疗的肺结核患者在10年内的复发情况及其影响因素,为结核病防控工作提供参考。  方法  通过“中国疾病预防控制信息系统”收集2010 — 2020年福建省登记的肺结核患者资料,计算2010年登记并成功治疗的肺结核患者10年复发率,采用多因素Cox比例风险回归模型分析复发的影响因素。  结果  纳入的18 367例成功治疗肺结核患者中,10年内复发219例,复发率为0.12/100人年。 中位复发间隔时间为47.40个月。 多因素Cox比例风险回归分析结果显示,男性［风险比（HR）=1.87,95%置信区间（CI）:1.31～2.68］、户籍地为本地（HR=1.60,95%CI:1.07～2.39）、就诊延误>14 d（HR=1.37,95%CI:1.03～1.82）、首诊单位为结核专科医院及其他医院（HR=3.06,95%CI:2.13～4.39;HR=1.66,95%CI:1.09～2.53）和复治（HR=1.76,95%CI:1.17～2.65）是成功治疗的肺结核患者复发的危险因素。  结论  福建省成功治疗的肺结核患者10年内复发率为0.12/100人年,男性、户籍地为本地、涂片阳性、就诊延误>14 d、首诊单位为结核专科医院或其他医院和复治的成功治疗肺结核患者复发风险较高。     

ED visits by males with hemophilia

Hemophilia is a rare disorder affecting 1 in 5,000 males. Because hemophilia-associated hemorrhage may occur at anytime, affected males frequently seek care in the ED. We studied the epidemiology of ED visits by males with hemophilia. The medical records of all identified Coloradan males with hemophilia who sought care in Colorado EDs in 1998 were reviewed. Fifty-one males with hemophilia had a total of 125 ED visits; hemorrhage accounted for 64.8% of visits (95% CI=55.6, 73.1). On 13.0% (95% CI=6.4, 22.6) of visits for hemorrhage, treatment was warranted, but not given. On 12.3% (95% CI=5.5, 22.8) of visits when treatment was given, there were errors in product choice or dose. Documentation of factor concentrate brand and lot number was present for just 13.9% (95% CI=6.5, 24.7) and 24.6% (95% CI=14.8, 36.9) of visits, respectively. There is substantial room for improvement in the prescribing practices and documentation related to hemophilia care in the ED. Available resources should be utilized by ED physicians.     

Early versus delayed administration of intravenous magnesium sulfate for pediatric asthma

ObjectiveThis study aims to describe and examine the factors associated with the early administration of intravenous magnesium sulfate (IV Mg) in children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (ED) for an asthma exacerbation.MethodsRetrospective cohort study of children aged 5–11 years who received IV Mg in the pediatric ED between September 1, 2018 and August 31, 2019 for management of an asthma exacerbation. Primary outcome was administration of IV Mg in ≤60 min from ED triage (‘early administration’). Comparison of clinical management and therapies in children who received early versus delayed IV Mg and the factors associated with early administration of IV Mg were examined.ResultsEarly (n = 90; 31.6%) IV Mg was associated with more timely bronchodilators (47 versus 68 min; p ≤ 0.001) and systemic corticosteroids (36 versus 46.5 min; p ≤ 0.001). There was no difference between the two cohorts in returns to the ED within 72 h (1.1% versus 2.1%; p = .99) or readmissions within 1 week one week (2.2% versus 0.5%; p = .2). Hypoxia (aOR = 3.76; 95% CI = 2.02–7.1), respiratory rate (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.02–1.07), retractions (aOR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.25–3.94), and prior hospital use for asthma-related complaints (aOR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.16–3.84) were significantly associated with early IV Mg.ConclusionsEarly administration of IV Mg was associated with more timely delivery of first-line asthma therapies, was safe, and improved ED throughput without increasing return ED visits or hospitalizations for asthma.     

Health Status Disparities among Public and Private Emergency Department Patients

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether patients in a public ED had poorer health than patients in a private ED, the authors compared the physical and mental health statuses of patients seeking emergency care. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study of all adult patients, regardless of acuity, seen during two 24-hour periods in spring 1997 in an urban county trauma center (68,000 annual visits) and a private community ED (35,000 annual visits). Scores on the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS) scales of the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were compared between sites, with published national norms, and with hospital admission. RESULTS: Of 571 eligible patients, 392 (69%) completed the SF-12. Patients in the public ED had a mean PCS score of 40.1, compared with 43.7 for patients in the private ED, for a difference of 3.6 points (p < 0.01; 95% CI = 0.9 to 6.1). After controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, triage acuity, ambulance arrival, and insurance status, this difference increased to 3.9 points (p = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.7 to 7.0). The mean MCS score among public ED patients was 44.1, compared with 46.5 in the private ED population, for a difference of 2.4 (p = 0.08; 95% CI = -0.3 to 5.0); after adjustment this difference increased to 2.5 (p = 0.15; 95% CI = -0.9 to 5.8), but remained statistically not significant. While all scores were significantly lower than national norms (mean PCS 50.1, mean MCS 50.0), patients in the public ED scored consistently lowest. PCS score was significantly inversely correlated with admission, with each point decrease in PCS score increasing the odds of admission by 0.05 (95% CI = 0.01 to 0.08), and conferring an odds ratio of 5.1 (95% CI = 1.2 to 21.1) for admission among the 25th percentile for PCS scores. CONCLUSIONS: Patients seeking care in the public ED had lower adjusted physical health status scores than comparable patients obtaining care in a private ED. The SF-12 is sufficiently responsive to detect hypothesized differences between ED populations, and correlates well with admission decisions.