Articles: emergency-services.
-
This study aimed to assess emergency nurses' perceived barriers toward engaging patients in serious illness conversations. ⋯ Emergency nurses may encounter barriers while engaging in serious illness conversations. Institutional-level policies may be required in creating a palliative care-friendly emergency department work environment.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Pharmacological agents for procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department and intensive care unit: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials.
We aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of various i.v. pharmacologic agents used for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in the emergency department (ED) and ICU. We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis to enable direct and indirect comparisons between available medications. ⋯ When considering procedural sedation and analgesia in the ED and ICU, compared with midazolam-opioids, sedation recovery time is shorter with propofol, patient satisfaction is better with ketamine-propofol, and respiratory adverse events are less common with ketamine.
-
Review
Overcoming Stagnant Flow - A Scoping Review of Vertical Movement in the Emergency Department.
Improving emergency department (ED) patient flow has plagued many hospitals worldwide. "Vertical" flow improves throughput by maximizing use of chairs and waiting areas instead of beds. This process, however, is inconsistently described in the literature. The objective of this study was to collate existing evidence of successful vertical care programs. ⋯ The findings of this scoping review provide the first summative report of existing literature on vertical flow processes within the ED setting. Despite different measurable outcomes and varied processes, most articles support the use of vertical flow to improve throughput.
-
To determine the incidence, characteristics, disposition, and economic burden of emergency department (ED) visits for ophthalmic trauma in the United States (US). ⋯ Ophthalmic trauma represents an increasingly significant burden to EDs in the US. Preventive efforts should target young males from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Strategies to improve outpatient access and redirect non-urgent injuries may help alleviate costs.
-
Accurate estimation of ambulance transport time from the scene of incident to arrival at the emergency department (ED) is important for effective resource management and emergency care system planning. Further, differences in transport times between different urgency levels highlight the benefits of ambulance transports with highest urgency level in a setting where ambulances are allowed to not follow standard traffic rules. The objective of the study is to compare ambulance urgency level on the differences in estimates of ambulance transport times generated by Google Maps and the observed transport times in a prehospital setting where emergency vehicles have their own traffic laws. ⋯ Contrary, Google Maps significantly underestimated the duration of transports operating at lowest level of urgency (Level B) by -1.8 min/10 km (95% CI -2.1; -1.5) in average and -4.4 min/10 km (95% CI -5.4; -3.5) for the first driven 10 km. Google Maps systematically overestimates transport times of ambulance transports driven with Level A, the highest level of urgency in a setting where ambulances are allowed to not follow standard traffic rules. The results highlight the benefit of using urgency Level A and provide valuable information for emergency care management.