Annals of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Interrater Reliability, Accuracy, and Triage Time Pre- and Post-implementation of a Real-Time Electronic Triage Decision-Support Tool.
The electronic Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (eCTAS) is a real-time electronic triage decision-support tool designed to improve patient safety and quality of care by standardizing the application of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS). The objective of this study is to determine interrater agreement of triage scores pre- and post-implementation of eCTAS. ⋯ A standardized, electronic approach to performing triage assessments improves both interrater agreement and data accuracy without substantially increasing triage time.
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Sport-related concussion refers to the subset of concussive injuries occurring during sport activities. Similar to concussion from nonsport mechanisms, sport-related concussion is associated with significant morbidity, including migrainous headaches, disruption in normal daily activities, and long-term depression and cognitive deficits. Unlike nonsport concussions, sport-related concussion may be uniquely amenable to prevention efforts to mitigate these problems. ⋯ This article provides recommendations to reduce sport-related concussion disability through primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive strategies enacted during the ED visit. Although many recommendations have a solid evidence base, several research gaps remain. The overarching goal of improving sport-related concussion outcome through enactment of ED-based prevention strategies needs to be explicitly studied.
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Observational Study
The Utility of Midline Intravenous Catheters in Critically Ill Emergency Department Patients.
Midline catheters are an alternative to more invasive types of vascular access in patients in whom obtaining peripheral access has proven difficult. Little is known of the safety and utility of midline catheters when used more broadly in critically ill patients in the emergency department (ED). These are long peripheral catheter, ranging from 10 to 25 cm in length, typically placed with assistance of ultrasound and the Seldinger's technique. We describe our experience with the use of midline catheters in the ED. ⋯ Midline catheters may present a feasible alternative to central venous access in certain critically ill ED patients.