Can J Emerg Med
-
The competency-based medical education evolution of Canadian emergency medicine specialist training.
Canadian specialist emergency medicine (EM) residency training is undergoing the most significant transformation in its history. This article describes the rationale, process, and redesign of EM competency-based medical education. The rationale for this evolution in residency education includes 1) improved public trust by increasing transparency of the quality and rigour of residency education, 2) improved fiscal accountability to government and institutions regarding specialist EM training, 3) improved assessment systems to replace poor functioning end-of-rotation assessment reports and overemphasis on high-stakes, end-of-training examinations, and 4) and tailored learning for residents to address individualized needs. ⋯ A consensus process for decision-making was used. Four key design features of the new residency education design include 1) specialty EM-specific outcomes to be achieved in residency; 2) designation of four progressive stages of training, linked to required learning experiences and entrustable professional activities to be achieved at each stage; 3) tailored learning that provides residency programs and learner flexibility to adapt to local resources and learner needs; and 4) programmatic assessment that emphasizes systematic, longitudinal assessments from multiple sources, and sampling sentinel abilities. Required future study includes a program evaluation of this complex education intervention to ensure that intended outcomes are achieved and unintended outcomes are identified.
-
Simulation plays an integral role in the Canadian healthcare system with applications in quality improvement, systems development, and medical education. High-quality, simulation-based research will ensure its effective use. This study sought to summarize simulation-based research activity and its facilitators and barriers, as well as establish priorities for simulation-based research in Canadian emergency medicine (EM). ⋯ This study summarized simulation-based research activity in EM in Canada, identified its perceived facilitators and barriers, and built national consensus on priority research themes. This represents the first step in the development of a simulation-based research agenda specific to Canadian EM.
-
Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown that consultation to decision time, defined as the time when a consultation has been accepted by a specialty service to the time when disposition decision is made, is one important contributor to the overall length of stay in the ED.The primary objective of this review is to evaluate the impact of workflow interventions on consultation to decision time and ED length of stay in patients referred to consultant services in teaching centres, and to identify barriers to reducing consultation to decision time. ⋯ The limited evidence suggests that audit and feedback in the form of SMS messaging, direct consultation to senior physicians, and standardization of the admission process may be the most effective and feasible interventions. Additional high-quality studies are required to explore sustainable interventions aimed at reducing consultation to decision time.
-
The 2016 Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) updates introduced frailty screening within triage to more accurately code frail patients who may deteriorate waiting for care. The relationship between triage acuity and frailty is not well understood, but may help inform which supplemental geriatric assessments are beneficial to support care in the emergency department (ED). Our objectives were to investigate the relationship between triage acuity and frailty, and to compare their associations with a series of patient outcomes. ⋯ Our findings demonstrate that frailty and triage acuity are independent but complementary measures. EDs may benefit from comprehensive frailty screening post-triage, as frailty and its associated geriatric syndromes drive outcomes separate from traditional measures of acuity.
-
Case Reports
Just the Facts: Diagnosis and treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department.
A 21-year-old male with known type 1 diabetes mellitus presented to the emergency department (ED) with two days of vomiting, polyuria, and polydipsia after several days of viral upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Since his symptom onset, his home capillary blood glucose readings have been higher than usual. On the day of presentation, his glucometer read "high," and he could not tolerate oral fluids. ⋯ He was afebrile, and the remaining vital signs were normal. Other than dry mucous membranes, his cardiopulmonary, abdominal, and neurologic exams were unremarkable. Venous blood gas demonstrated a pH of 7.25 mm Hg, pCO2 of 31 mm Hg, HCO3 of 13 mm Hg, anion gap of 18 mmol/L, and laboratory blood glucose of 40 mmol/L, as well as serum ketones measuring "large."