The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
Same provider, different location: Variation in patient satisfaction scores between freestanding and hospital-based emergency departments.
Patient satisfaction scores have become quality benchmarks for hospitals, are publicly reported, and are often tied to financial incentives. We determined whether patient satisfaction scores for individual emergency medicine providers varied according to the clinical setting. ⋯ Individual providers, who practice at both types of facilities, consistently received higher satisfaction ratings from patients at FEDs compared to HBEDs.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
External validation of the CHOKAI score for the prediction of ureteral stones: A multicenter prospective observational study.
The CHOKAI and STONE scores are clinical prediction rules to predict ureteral stones in patients presenting with renal colic. Both systems contribute to reducing diagnostic radiation exposure; however, few studies have compared the two scoring systems. Therefore, we aimed to compare these systems and assess their diagnostic accuracy for ureteral stones. ⋯ The CHOKAI score has a diagnostic performance superior to that of the STONE score in this population.
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Multicenter Study
Combining qSOFA criteria with initial lactate levels: Improved screening of septic patients for critical illness.
To determine if the addition of lactate to Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scoring improves emergency department (ED) screening of septic patients for critical illness. ⋯ The combination of qSOFA ≥1 OR Lactate ≥2 provides substantially improved sensitivity for the screening of critical illness compared to isolated lactate and qSOFA thresholds.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Interleukin-6 improves infection identification when added to physician judgment during evaluation of potentially septic patients.
Identifying infection is critical in early sepsis screening. This study assessed whether biomarkers of endothelial activation and/or inflammation could improve identification of infection among Emergency Department (ED) patients with organ dysfunction. ⋯ In ED patients with organ dysfunction, plasma interleukin-6 may improve infection discrimination when added to physician judgment.