Articles: emergency-department.
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Multicenter Study
The impact of alternate level of care on access block and operational strategies to reduce emergency wait times: a multi-center simulation study.
Lengthy emergency department (ED) wait times caused by hospital access block is a growing concern for the Canadian health care system. Our objective was to quantify the impact of alternate-level-of-care on hospital access block and evaluate the likely effects of multiple interventions on ED wait times. ⋯ A moderate reduction in alternate-level-of-care hospital days for medical patients could alleviate access block and reduce ED wait times, although the magnitude of reduction varies by site. Increasing ED physician staffing and aligning physician capacity with inflow demand could also decrease wait time. Operational strategies for reducing ED wait times should prioritize resolving output and throughput factors rather than input factors.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Analysis of effectiveness and outcome of traumatic brain injury treatment in ED during COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter in Taiwan.
The coronavirus disease 2019 has become a threat to global healthcare because of its rapid spread and evolution. In severe cases, the initial management of the disease is mainly supportive therapy and mechanical ventilation. Therefore, we investigated whether a modified emergency department workflow affects the efficacy will influence the efficacy and patient outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Taiwan. ⋯ The "Door to the operating room (OR)," with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, was on average 109.7 minutes slower than without the PCR testing in the reference period 2019. TBI treatment efficiency was delayed because of the PCR test. However, the surgical volume and functional outcome during these 2 periods were statistically insignificant compared to the pre-pandemic period because the spread of the virus was well controlled and hospital capacity was increased.
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Currently, there is no consensus on the number of defibrillation attempts that should be made before transfer to a hospital in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study aimed to evaluate the association between the number of defibrillations and a sustained prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ⋯ We observed no significant increase in ROSC after five defibrillations, and no absolute increase in ROSC after seven defibrillations. These data provide a starting point for determination of the optimal defibrillation strategy prior to consideration for prehospital extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) or conveyance to a hospital with an ECPR capability.
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Multicenter Study
Comparison of seven prehospital early warning scores to predict long-term mortality: a prospective, multicenter, ambulance-based study.
A prospective, multicenter, ambulance-based study of adult patients with an acute illness involving six advanced life support units and 38 basic life support units, referring to five emergency departments in Spain. ⋯ Among seven tested EWS, the use of the MREMS presented better characteristics to predict 1-year mortality; however, all these scores present moderate performances.