Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pre-hospital freeze-dried plasma for critical bleeding after trauma: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Transfusion of a high ratio of plasma to packed red blood cells (PRBCs), to treat or prevent acute traumatic coagulopathy, has been associated with survival after major trauma. However, the effect of prehospital plasma on patient outcomes has been inconsistent. The aim of this pilot trial was to assess the feasibility of transfusing freeze-dried plasma with red blood cells (RBCs) using a randomized controlled design in an Australian aeromedical prehospital setting. ⋯ This first reported experience of freeze-dried plasma use in Australia suggests prehospital administration is feasible. Given longer prehospital times typically associated with HEMS attendance, there is potential clinical benefit from this intervention and rationale for a definitive trial.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Survival by Time-to-Administration of Amiodarone, Lidocaine, or Placebo in Shock-Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.
Amiodarone and lidocaine have not been shown to have a clear survival benefit compared to placebo for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, randomized trials may have been impacted by delayed administration of the study drugs. We sought to evaluate how timing from emergency medical services (EMS) arrival on scene to drug administration affects the efficacy of amiodarone and lidocaine compared to placebo. ⋯ The early administration of amiodarone, particularly within 8 min, is associated with greater survival to admission, survival to discharge, and functional survival compared to placebo in patients with an initial shockable rhythm.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Disparities in Emergency Department and Urgent Care Opioid Prescribing Before and After Randomized Clinician Feedback Interventions.
Racial and ethnic minorities receive opioid prescriptions at lower rates and dosages than White patients. Though opioid stewardship interventions can improve or exacerbate these disparities, there is little evidence about these effects. We conducted a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted among 438 clinicians from 21 emergency departments and 27 urgent care clinics. Our objective was to determine whether randomly allocated opioid stewardship clinician feedback interventions that were designed to reduce opioid prescriptions had unintended effects on disparities in prescribing by patient race and ethnicity. ⋯ Combined individual audit and peer comparison feedback was associated with fewer opioid pills per prescription equally by patient race and ethnicity. However, the intervention did not significantly close the baseline disparity in prescribing by race.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Personalized Risk Communication and Opioid Prescribing In Association With Non-Prescribed Opioid Use: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
To determine the impact of personalized risk communication and opioid prescribing on nonprescribed opioid use, we conducted a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trial participants followed prospectively for 90 days after an emergency department (ED) visit for acute back or kidney stone pain. ⋯ Among Black but not White participants, personalized opioid risk communication and opioid prescribing were associated with lower odds of nonprescribed opioid use. Our findings suggest that racial disparities in opioid prescribing-which have been previously described within the context of this trial-may paradoxically increase nonprescribed opioid use. Personalized risk communication may effectively reduce nonprescribed opioid use, and future research should be designed specifically to explore this possibility in a larger cohort.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Patient Experiences of a Care Transition Intervention for Veterans to Reduce Emergency Department Visits.
Care transition interventions (CTIs) are used to improve outcomes after an emergency department (ED) visit. A recent randomized controlled trial of a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) CTI titled Discharge Information and Support for Patients receiving Outpatient care in the ED (DISPO ED) demonstrated no difference in repeat ED visits. However, changes in health care utilization are not the only measures of a CTI worth evaluation, and there is interest in using patient-centered outcomes to assess CTIs as well. To inform future CTI design and outcome measure selection, the study aims were to understand how patients experienced the CTI and what elements they valued. ⋯ Intervention users described assistance with care coordination as well as clinical concerns. We identified aspects that were highly valued by the participants, such as interpersonal support and empathy from the interventionist. These findings suggest the need for more comprehensive nonutilization outcome measures for CTIs to capture the patient's perspective.