CJEM
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Review
Emergency department opioid discharge instructions: a multidisciplinary national Delphi study.
Currently, there are no Canadian guidelines for discharge instruction to be given to patients receiving an opioid prescription in the ED. This likely contributes to inadequate discharge instructions for these potentially dangerous medications. The principal goal of this study was to develop an interdisciplinary Canadian consensus regarding important concepts to be included in written opioid discharge instructions within the ED setting. ⋯ This Delphi study with a national, multidisciplinary panel achieved consensus on 21 concepts that should be included in written discharge instructions to patients receiving an opioid prescription upon discharge from the ED.
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Pain and bleeding complicate 30% of pregnancies, raising concerns for viability. The objective is to evaluate the diagnostic characteristics of a single serum progesterone level in assessing pregnancy viability among symptomatic patients. ⋯ A single progesterone level provides a clinically useful prognostic information on pregnancy viability. More than nine out of ten patients with a level < 6.3 ng/mL (< 20.034 nmol/L) will be diagnosed with a non-viable pregnancy, and more than 90% of patients with a level ≥ 20-25 ng/mL (63.6-79.5 nmol/L) will have a viable pregnancy confirmed.
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Review
About time! A scoping review of public-facing emergency department wait time displays in Canada.
Waiting is a common experience for patients during an emergency department (ED) visit. While high acuity patients are seen with little delay, low acuity patients may experience dissatisfaction from prolonged wait times. One strategy to improve patient experience involves changing the perception of the wait by providing realistic expectations of wait times using public-facing wait time displays. The primary objective of this study is to quantify the number of Canadian EDs with online wait time displays and describe the features and type of information provided. ⋯ Currently, there is emerging use of wait time displays in Canada with considerable variability in the information communicated through these tools. Effectiveness of these displays and their content needs to be determined.
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Review
About time! A scoping review of public-facing emergency department wait time displays in Canada.
Waiting is a common experience for patients during an emergency department (ED) visit. While high acuity patients are seen with little delay, low acuity patients may experience dissatisfaction from prolonged wait times. One strategy to improve patient experience involves changing the perception of the wait by providing realistic expectations of wait times using public-facing wait time displays. The primary objective of this study is to quantify the number of Canadian EDs with online wait time displays and describe the features and type of information provided. ⋯ Currently, there is emerging use of wait time displays in Canada with considerable variability in the information communicated through these tools. Effectiveness of these displays and their content needs to be determined.