Key High‐efficiency Practices of Emergency Department Providers: A Mixed‐methods Study

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine specific provider practices associated with high provider efficiency in community emergency departments (EDs).

Methods

A mixed‐methods study design was utilized to identify key behaviors associated with efficiency. Stage 1 was a convenience sample of 16 participants (ED medical directors, nurses, advanced practice providers, and physicians) identified provider efficiency behaviors during semistructured interviews. Ninety‐nine behaviors were identified and distilled by a group of three ED clinicians into 18 themes. Stage 2 was an observational study of 35 providers was performed in four (30,000‐ to 55,000‐visit) community EDs during two 4‐hour periods and recorded in minute‐by‐minute observation logs. In Stage 3, each behavior or practice from Stage 1 was assigned a score within each observation period. Behaviors were tested for association with provider efficiency (relative value units/hour) using linear univariate generalized estimating equations with an identity link, clustered on ED site.

Results

Five ED provider practices were found to be positively associated with efficiency: average patient load, using name of team member, conversations with health care team, visits to patient rooms, and running the board. Two behaviors, “inefficiency practices,” demonstrated significant negative correlations: non–work‐related tasks and documentation on patients no longer in the ED.

Conclusions

Average patient load, running the board, conversations with team member, and using names of team members are associated with enhanced provider productivity. Identification of behaviors associated with efficiency can be utilized by medical directors, clinicians, and trainees to improve personal efficiency or counsel team members.

     

2009—2020年合肥市肺结核空间特征分析

目的: 分析2009—2020年合肥市肺结核疫情特征及空间聚集性。方法: 通过收集“中国疾病预防控制信息系统”的子系统“结核病管理信息系统”中合肥市2009—2020年肺结核数据,筛选出肺结核患者42681例,利用GeoDa和Arcgis 10.8空间分析软件进行分析,在街道/乡镇水平上绘制空间分布地图,探索空间分布规律及肺结核发病冷热点地区。结果: 2009—2020年合肥市肺结核共报告42681例,报告发病率从2009年57.96/10万(4195/7237966)下降到2020年31.04/10万(2908/9369881),整体呈现波动下降趋势($\chi _{趋势}^{2}$=12.531,P<0.001);全局空间自相关结果显示2009—2014年合肥市肺结核发病呈现空间自相关性(Moran’s I值均>0,P值均<0.05);2015—2020年空间分布偏向随机性。局部自相关分析显示高-高聚集发病街道/乡镇主要集中在长丰县、肥东县;低-低聚集区主要集中在老城区(庐阳区、包河区)。冷热点分析发现,热点区域有2个,分布在长丰县义井乡和肥西县严店乡。结论: 合肥市肺结核疫情存在一定的聚集性,后续应针对不同的县(区)街道/乡镇特点采取不同的防控措施,加大高-高聚集区的街道和热点区域的防控力度。     

“It Makes Me a Better Person and Doctor”: A Qualitative Study of Residents’ Perceptions of a Curriculum Addressing Racism

ObjectiveExplore how pediatric residents perceive the impact of a curriculum addressing racism on their knowledge, motivation, skills and behaviors, and investigate the contextual factors that promote or impede the curriculum's effectiveness.MethodsOpen-ended, semistructured interviews were conducted at 2 academic medical centers between August 2019 and 2020 among pediatric residents who participated in the curriculum. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using inductive content analysis.ResultsPediatric residents (n = 16) were predominantly white (66.7%), female (86.7%) interns (60%) from the Midwest (40%). Six major themes emerged describing the perceived impact of the curriculum on: knowledge – (1) Understanding of race and racism as structural forces in a historical context; motivation – (2) Owning the issue of racism, (3) Having the curriculum makes a statement; skills – (4) Critical self-reflection, (5) Perceived development of skills to mitigate biases; and action-planning – (6) Turning insight into strategies to combat racism and improve patient care. Two additional themes emerged describing contextual factors that promoted or impeded the curriculum such as the content of the curriculum itself, the racial demographics of the participants, the implementation infrastructure and environmental factors such as the culture of the training program.ConclusionsMedical education addressing racism can facilitate the perceived acquisition of foundational knowledge regarding race and racism; motivation and skill-building to combat racism; and action planning aimed at improving patient care. Contextual factors should be considered when developing and implementing such curricula to not only promote racial equity but avoid unintended harms.     

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Parent Activation: Implications for Developing Interventions Addressing Early Childhood Obesity

ObjectiveExamine racial/ethnic differences in parent activation and associations with child obesity risk behaviors in low-income families.MethodsCross-sectional survey study of 300 low-income Black, Latinx, and White parents of patients aged 2 to 5 years receiving primary care within 2 health care systems (Systems 1 & 2). In-person and phone surveys were conducted. Parent activation, defined as parents’ knowledge, confidence, and willingness to act concerning their child's health, was measured using the standardized 13-item Parent Patient Activation Measure (P-PAM). Differences in parent activation by race/ethnicity were assessed using analysis of variance. Multivariate regression analyses were used to test associations between parent activation and child obesity risk behaviors.ResultsIn pooled unadjusted analyses, Latinx parents had significantly lower activation compared to Black parents (P = .023), but these differences were no longer statistically significant after adjusting for other sociodemographic characteristics (P = .06). Higher activation was associated with slightly greater odds of consuming ≥ 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables for System 2 only (odds ratio: 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.07). Associations between parental activation and child screen time or physical activity were not significant.ConclusionsFindings highlight potential measurement limitations of the P-PAM including the inability of the measure to capture barriers to health system navigation and cultural and linguistic considerations. Further attention to the nuanced interplay between parental activation and contextual and sociodemographic risk factors (eg, food availability, immigrant status, economic opportunity, language proficiency) should be considered in the development of early childhood obesity interventions in primary care settings.     

Clarifying values: an updated review

Background

Consensus guidelines have recommended that decision aids include a process for helping patients clarify their values. We sought to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence related to the use of values clarification methods in patient decision aids.

Methods

Building on the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration’s 2005 review of values clarification methods in decision aids, we convened a multi-disciplinary expert group to examine key definitions, decision-making process theories, and empirical evidence about the effects of values clarification methods in decision aids. To summarize the current state of theory and evidence about the role of values clarification methods in decision aids, we undertook a process of evidence review and summary.

Results

Values clarification methods (VCMs) are best defined as methods to help patients think about the desirability of options or attributes of options within a specific decision context, in order to identify which option he/she prefers. Several decision making process theories were identified that can inform the design of values clarification methods, but no single “best” practice for how such methods should be constructed was determined. Our evidence review found that existing VCMs were used for a variety of different decisions, rarely referenced underlying theory for their design, but generally were well described in regard to their development process. Listing the pros and cons of a decision was the most common method used. The 13 trials that compared decision support with or without VCMs reached mixed results: some found that VCMs improved some decision-making processes, while others found no effect.

Conclusions

Values clarification methods may improve decision-making processes and potentially more distal outcomes. However, the small number of evaluations of VCMs and, where evaluations exist, the heterogeneity in outcome measures makes it difficult to determine their overall effectiveness or the specific characteristics that increase effectiveness.

     

Newly diagnosed iron deficiency anemia and subsequent autoimmune disease: a matched cohort study in Taiwan

Abstract

Objective: To explore whether newly diagnosed iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is associated with subsequent systemic autoimmune disease onset.

Methods: The study identified 22,440 patients who received a diagnosis of IDA between 2000 and 2012 from a random sample of 1 million people from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. The patients with IDA were randomly matched with 89,528 patients with no IDA by age, gender, and index year. We followed the 2 groups until systemic autoimmune disease onset. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to determine autoimmune disease risk by age, gender, and comorbidities, in terms of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Adjusted HR (95% CI) of autoimmune disease in the IDA group was 2.37 (1.92–2.92) compared with the non-IDA group. The subgroup analysis indicated that a patient with IDA had a significantly greater risk of autoimmune disease if they were female or had the comorbidities of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cancer, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or chronic liver disease. The autoimmune disease was significantly more likely to occur within 2?years after a new diagnosis of IDA.

Conclusions: IDA significantly increases autoimmune disease risk, particularly in female patients and patients with certain comorbidities. Clinicians should conduct further clinical evaluations and laboratory tests of autoimmune disease in patients with IDA.     

Psychotropic Medication Use in United States Pediatric Emergency Department Visits

Objective and BackgroundLittle is known about pediatric psychotropic medication use in the emergency department (ED), despite a rise in mental and behavioral health visits. This study describes psychotropic medication use in a nationally representative sample of pediatric mental and behavioral health ED visits over a 14-year period.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of pediatric (6–17 years) mental and behavioral health ED visits using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2006–2019. We describe administration of psychotropic medications by medication type, diagnosis, and over time. Using multivariable survey-weighted logistic regression, we examine associations between medication administration and sociodemographics.ResultsA psychotropic medication was administered in 11.4% of the estimated 11,792,860 pediatric mental and behavioral health ED visits in our sample. Benzodiazepines were administered most frequently (4.9% of visits). Visits with anxiety disorders had the highest frequency of psychotropic medication use (26.7%). Visits by Black non-Hispanic patients had a 60% decreased odds of medication administration compared to visits for White non-Hispanic patients. Visits with public compared to private insurance had a 3.5 times increased odds of psychotropic polypharmacy. The proportion of visits in which a psychotropic medication was administered did not change statistically over time.ConclusionsA psychotropic medication was administered in 1 in 10 pediatric mental and behavioral health ED visits. Use differed by sociodemographics but did not change over time. As more youth seek mental and behavioral health care in the ED, we must better understand appropriate medication use to ensure quality and equitable care.     

新型冠状病毒疫情在线防控的“华西项目化工作模式”探索与实践

目的探索"华西项目化工作模式"在新型冠状病毒(2019-nCoV)疫情在线防控工作中的应用价值。方法基于四川大学华西医院丰富的抗震救灾和项目管理经验,依托PDCA循环持续优化"华西项目化工作模式"。结果"华西项目化工作模式"可运用于新型冠状病毒(2019-nCoV)突发公共卫生事件,已建立快速反应工作闭环,整个项目组运行良好、系统运维稳定。结论"华西项目化工作模式"为疫情在线防控工作提供了工作路径,采用互联网+方式远程协作办公方式,有效促进疫情应急管理科学化,在疫情在线干预防控工作中起到了积极作用。