Articles: emergency-department.
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Observational Study
Emergency department crowding increases 10-day mortality for non-critical patients: a retrospective observational study.
The current evidence suggests that higher levels of crowding in the Emergency Department (ED) have a negative impact on patient outcomes, including mortality. However, only limited data are available about the association between crowding and mortality, especially for patients discharged from the ED. The primary objective of this study was to establish the association between ED crowding and overall 10-day mortality for non-critical patients. ⋯ A more precise, mortality-associated threshold of crowding was identified at EDOR 0.9. The subgroup analysis did not yield any statistically significant findings. The risk for 10-day mortality increased among non-critical ED patients treated during the highest EDOR quartile.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2024
Hydrocephalus in the emergency department: descriptive nationwide data and analysis of transfer.
Hydrocephalus is a chronic, treatable, but in most cases incurable condition characterized by long periods of stability punctuated by crises. Patients in crisis usually seek care in an emergency department (ED). How patients with hydrocephalus use EDs has received almost no epidemiological study. ⋯ Patients with hydrocephalus make heavy use of EDs, and they make more visits for reasons unrelated to their hydrocephalus than for neurosurgical reasons. Transfer to another acute care facility is an adverse clinical outcome that is much more common after neurosurgical visits. It is a system inefficiency that might be minimized by proactive case management and coordination of care.
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Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) represent a common postdischarge destination for hospitalized older adults. The goals of SNF care include the completion of extended skilled nursing care and physical rehabilitation to enable patients to safely return home. However, nearly one in four older adults discharged to SNF are rehospitalized and one in five seek care in the emergency department (ED) but are discharged back to SNF. ⋯ Of the 1,551,703 Medicare beneficiaries discharged to SNF in 2019, 16.3% had an ED visit within 14 days (n = 253,104). Of those ED visits, 25.5% resulted in a same-day discharge back to SNF (n = 64,472), costing Medicare $24.6 million. Novel care models that can leverage SNF staff and resources while providing rapid diagnostic services are urgently needed.
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According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, unfractionated heparin is a high-risk medication due to the potential for medication errors and adverse events. Unfractionated heparin is often started in the emergency department for patients with acute coronary syndromes or coagulopathies. Risk-mitigation strategies should be implemented to ensure appropriate initiation and monitoring of this high-risk medication. In 2019, an unfractionated heparin calculator was built into the electronic health record at a community medical center. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the calculator as a risk-mitigation strategy. ⋯ The use of the unfractionated heparin infusion calculator in the emergency department led to decrease in medication administration errors. This is the first study to evaluate the integration of an unfractionated heparin calculator into the electronic health record.
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In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its strongest safety warning ("Black Box Warning") for concomitant use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines due to overdose deaths. ⋯ Our study found that between 2012 and 2019, there was no overall reduction in co-prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines across EDs nationwide, but a decrease after the 2016 Black Box Warning.