bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MP35: Targeting the opioid crisis by influencing opioid prescribing in the emergency department
Authors: Shelton D. , Teo V. , Ding K. , Hefferon D. 
Published: May 2020

Background: Liberal prescribing of opioids is a major contributing factor to the opioid crisis. Patients who take opioids for >5 consecutive days are at greater risk of long-term use. Evidence shows that significantly more opioids are prescribed for emergency department (ED) patients with acute pain compared to amounts consumed. Guidelines recommend prescribing a 3-day supply or 10-15 tablets of opioids for patients with acute pain Aim Statement: By January 2020, >70% of opioid prescriptions from our ED will be for <15 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents. Measures & Design: Emergency physicians were educated on best practice of prescribing opioids for discharged patients. An electronic prescription writer was built for discharged ED patients with a pop-up reminder for quantities >15 tablets (indicating a recommended quantity of 10-15 tablets) and a pop-up reminder for quantities >30 tablets (indicating a maximum quantity of 30 tablets and recommended quantity). A feature was built to auto-populate a prescription for morphine 5 mg po q4h prn x 10 tablets to facilitate adherence to guidelines. Outcome Measure % opioid prescriptions for <15 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents Process Measure Amount of opioids prescribed for discharged ED patients, measured as morphine 5 mg equivalents Number of opioid prescriptions for >30 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents Balancing Measure Number of patients that return to ED within 7 days and receive a repeat opioid prescription. Evaluation/Results: Prior to implementation of the electronic prescription writer a sample audit revealed that 50% of opioid prescriptions were written for <15 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents. For the first three quarters of 2019, 62%, 61% and 69% of opioid prescriptions were written for <15 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents. Only two prescriptions during the study period were for >30 tablets of morphine 5 mg equivalents. An average number of 7 patients per quarter were given a repeat opioid prescription during a return ED visit. Discussion/Impact: We were successful in influencing emergency physicians to prescribe fewer opioids to discharged patients. This has the potential to avoid converting ED patients with acute pain into long-term opioid users and to avoid the diversion of unused opioid tablets.
MP43: Evaluating factors related to quality of audio transmission during mandatory paramedic patches and technical barriers to efficient communication in the prehospital setting
Authors: Kelton D. , Doran S. , Davis M. , Van Aarsen K. , Momic J. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Delegation of controlled medical acts by physicians to paramedics is an important component of the prehospital care framework. Where directives indicate that physician input is needed before proceeding with certain interventions, online medical control (a “patch”) exists to facilitate communication between a paramedic and a Base Hospital Physician (BHP) to request an order to proceed with that intervention. The quality and clarity of audio transmission is paramount for effective and efficient communication. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of audio transmission quality on the results of paramedic patch calls. Methods: Prehospital paramedic calls that included a mandatory patch point (excluding requests exclusively for termination of resuscitation and those records which were unavailable) were identified through review of all patch records from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017 for Paramedic Services in our region. Written Ambulance Call Reports (ACRs) and audio recordings of paramedic patches were obtained and reviewed. Pre-specified patch audio quality metrics, markers of transmission quality and comprehension as well as the resulting orders from the BHP were extracted. Differences between groups was compared using chi-square analyses. Results: 214 records were identified and screened initially. 91 ACRs and audio records were included in the analysis. At least one explicit reference to poor or inadequate call audio quality was made in 55/91 (60.4%) of calls and on average, 1.4 times per call. Of the 91 audited call records, 48 of 91 (52.7%) patches experienced an interruption of the call. Each time a call was interrupted, re-initiation of the call was required, introducing a mean [IQR] delay of 81 [33-68] seconds to re-establish verbal communication. Order requests made by paramedics in calls with no interruptions were approved in 30 of 43 patches (70%) while those requests made in calls with one or more interruptions were approved in only 21 of 48 cases (44%) (Δ26.0%; 95%CI 5.6-43.5%, p = 0.01). Conclusion: This retrospective review suggests that audio quality and interruptions of patch calls may impact a physician's ability to approve orders for interventions in the prehospital setting. Focus on infrastructure and technology underlying this important mode of communication may be a fruitful avenue for future improvements in systems where this may be an issue.
MP49: Does reduced cough capacity in minor thoracic trauma leads to more atelectasis development?
Authors: Emond M. , Hegg S. , Thériault E. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Minor thoracic trauma (MTI) accounts for approximately 15% of all injuries treated in the emergency department (ED). Many of which are minor and will be handle on an outpatient basis. MTI and rib fractures especially cause non-negligible pain. The pain experienced by patients can lead to reduce pulmonary function, decrease mucous clearance and decrease cough capacity leading in infectious problems and atelectasis. To our knowledge, there is no study of atelectasis development caused by reduced cough capacity in the setting of MTI. Objective: Evaluate if a variation in cough capacity leads to atelectasis development. Evaluate if there was a difference in cough capacity perception between the nurse, the physician and the patient himself. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study (2006-2012) in 4 ED recruited patients with a chief complaint of MTI, ≥ 16 years old, discharged home from the ED. Exclusion criteria: 1) a confirmed hemothorax, pneumothorax, fail chest, lung contusion or any other important thoracic or abdominal internal injury at the initial visit or unable to attend follow-up visits. Patients were assessed at 7- and 14- days. For each patient, age, sex, mechanism of injury, dyspnea, COPD/asthma and smoking status were collected. Chest x-ray was done at each visit; pulmonary complications were assessed by a blind radiologist. Cough capacity was assessed on a scale of 0 to 10 by a nurse, physician and patient himself at 0, 7- and 14- days. Pain was scored on a scale of 0 to 10. Chi -squared and odds ratio (IC: 95%. p ≤ 0.05) were assessed to determine if the cough capacity variation leads to atelectasis development. A Pearson correlation test was assessed the correlation in cough capacity among participants. Results: 1474 patients were recruited. Initial visit: 9% had atelectasis, 7 days: 7% and 4.6% at 14 days. 1105 patients were retained for analysis after exclusion of missing data. The median initial pain score was 7-8 for all patient categories. At 7 days, the odds ratio of atelectasis development were (score (0-3) 1.18 (0.42-3.34); score (4-7) 1.20 (0.48-3.03); p<=0.05). The Pearson correlation of cough capacity assessment, in patients without atelectasis were (0.53 nurse vs. patient; 0.37 physician vs. patient; 0.51 nurse vs. physician p<=0.05). As for the cough capacity perception correlation in patients with atelectasis were (0.62 nurse vs. patient; 0.40 physician vs. patient; 0.51 nurse vs. physician; p<=0.05). Conclusion: There is no statistically significant difference in atelectasis development depending on cough capacity and there is poor correlation regarding the perception of cough capacity except for the nurse. It would be interesting to develop a patient reported outcome measure questionnaire which targets minor thoracic trauma as it is a common emergency department complaint and it could help us improve medical management and patient quality of life
P025: Checking the pulse in the 21st century: inter-observer reliability of carotid pulse detection by point-of-care ultrasound
Authors: Smith D. , Chenkin J. , Simard R. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Detection of a pulse is crucial to decision-making in the care of patients who are in cardiac arrest, however, the current standard of manual pulse palpation is unreliable. An emerging alternative is the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for direct assessment of the carotid pulse. The primary objective of this study is to determine the inter-observer reliability for healthcare provider interpretation of the carotid pulse by POCUS in patients who are peri-arrest or in cardiac arrest. Methods: We conducted a web-based survey of healthcare providers. Participants were shown a tutorial demonstrating POCUS detection of the carotid pulse and then asked to interpret 15 carotid pulse ultrasound clips from patients who were peri-arrest or in cardiac arrest. The primary outcome was inter-observer reliability for carotid pulse assessment. Secondary outcomes included inter-observer reliability stratified by healthcare provider role and POCUS experience, mean tutorial duration, mean pulse assessment duration, rate of pulse assessments < 10 seconds, and change in participant confidence before and after the study. Inter-observer reliability was determined by Krippendorff's α. Change in participant confidence was determined by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: 68 participants completed our study, with a response rate of 75% (68/91). There was near perfect inter-observer reliability for pulse assessment amongst all study participants (α=0.874, 95% CI 0.869, 0.879). Senior residents (n = 24) and POCUS experts (n = 6) demonstrated the highest rates of inter-observer reliability, α=0.902 (95% CI 0.888, 0.914) and α=0.925 (95% CI 0.869, 0.972), respectively. All sub-groups had α greater than 0.8. Mean tutorial duration was 31 seconds (SD = 17.5) with maximum duration of 55 seconds. Mean pulse assessment duration was 7.7 seconds (SD = 5.2) with 76% of assessments completed within 10 seconds. Participant confidence before and after the study significantly increased from a median of 2 to a median of 4 on a 5-point Likert-type scale (z = 6.3, p < .001). Conclusion: Interpretation of the carotid pulse by POCUS showed near perfect inter-observer reliability for patients who were peri-arrest or in cardiac arrest. Participants required minimal training and indicated improved POCUS pulse assessment confidence after the study. Further work must be done to determine the impact of POCUS pulse assessment on the resuscitation of patients in cardiac arrest.
P032: Perceived versus actual cricothyroid membrane landmarking accuracy by emergency medicine residents and staff physicians
Authors: Schouela N. , Woo M. , Pan A. , Cheung W. , Perry J. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Cricothyrotomy is an intervention performed to salvage “can't intubate, can't ventilate” situations. Studies have shown poor accuracy landmarking the cricothyroid membrane, particularly in female patients by surgeons and anesthesiologists. There is less data available about emergency physician performance. This study examines the perceived versus actual success rate of landmarking the cricothyroid membrane by resident and staff emergency physicians using obese and non-obese models. Methods: Five male and female volunteers were selected as models. Each model was placed supine, and a point-of-care ultrasound expert landmarked the borders of each cricothyroid membrane. 20 residents and 15 staff emergency physicians were given one attempt to landmark five models. Data was gathered on each participant's perceived likelihood of success and attempt difficulty. Overall accuracy and accuracy stratified by sex and obesity status were calculated. Results: Overall landmarking accuracy amongst all participants was 58% (SD 18%). A difference in accuracy was found for obese males (88%) versus obese females (40%) (difference = 48%, 95% CI = 30-65%, p < 0.0001); and non-obese males (77%) versus non-obese females (46%) (difference = 31%, 95% CI = 12-51%, p = 0.004). There was no association between perceived difficulty and success (correlation = 0.07, 95% CI=−0.081-0.214, p = 0.37). Confidence levels overall were higher amongst staff physicians (3.0) than residents (2.7) (difference = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.1-0.6, p = 0.02), but there was no correlation between confidence in an attempt and its success (p = 0.33). Conclusion: We found that physicians demonstrate significantly lower accuracy when landmarking cricothyroid membranes of females. Emergency physicians were unable to predict their own accuracy while landmarking, which can potentially lead to increased failed attempts and longer time to secure the airway. Improved training techniques and a modified approach to cricothyrotomy may reduce failed attempts and improve the time to secure the airway.
P042: Workplace-based assessment in emergency medicine: how do physicians use entrustment anchors?
Authors: Robinson T. , Wagner N. , Szulewski A. , Dudek N. , Cheung W. , Hall A. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Competency based medical education (CBME) has triggered widespread utilization of workplace-based assessment (WBA) tools in postgraduate training programs. These WBAs predominately use rating scales with entrustment anchors, such as the Ottawa Surgical Competency Operating Room Evaluation (O-SCORE). However, little is known about the factors that influence a supervising physician's decision to assign a particular rating on scales using entrustment anchors. This study aimed to identify the factors that influence supervisors’ ratings of trainees using WBA tools with entrustment anchors at the time of assessment and to explore the experiences with and challenges of using entrustment anchors in the emergency department (ED). Methods: A convenience sample of full-time emergency medicine (EM) faculty were recruited from two sites within a single academic Canadian EM hospital system. Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted with EM physicians within two hours of completing a WBA for an EM trainee. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and independently analyzed by two members of the research team. Themes were stratified by trainee level, rating and task. Results: Interviews involved 73% (27/37) of all EM staff and captured assessments completed on 83% (37/50) of EM trainees. The mean WBA rating of studied samples was 4.34 ± 0.77 (2 to 5), which was similar to the mean rating of all WBAs completed during the study period. Overall, six major factors were identified that influenced staff WBA ratings: amount of guidance required, perceived competence through discussion and questioning, trainee experience, clinical context, past experience working with the trainee, and perceived confidence. The majority of staff denied struggling to assign ratings. However, when they did struggle, it involved the interpretation of WBA anchors and their application to the clinical context in the ED. Conclusion: Several factors appear to be taken into account by clinical supervisors when they make decisions regarding the particular rating that they will assign a trainee on a WBA that uses entrustment anchors. Not all of these factors are specific to that particular clinical encounter. The results from this study further our understanding on the use of entrustment anchors within the ED and may facilitate faculty development regarding WBA completion as we move forward in CBME.
P047: Emergency department practice patterns of UTI investigation among the delirious elderly: a retrospective chart review
Authors: Pinnell R. , Joo P. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Delirium is a common emergency department (ED) presentation in elderly patients. Urinary tract infection (UTI) investigation and treatment are often initiated in delirious patients in the absence of specific urinary symptoms, despite a paucity of evidence to support this practice. The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of UTI investigation, diagnosis and treatment in delirious elderly patients in the ED. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of elderly patients presenting to the ED at The Ottawa Hospital between January 15-July 30, 2018 with a chief complaint of confusion or similar. Exclusion criteria were pre-existing and current UTI diagnosis, Glasgow Coma Scale <13, current indwelling catheter or nephrostomy tube, transfers between hospitals, and leaving without being seen. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients for whom urine tests (urinalysis or culture) or antibiotic treatment were ordered. Secondary outcomes were associations between patient characteristics, rates of UTI investigation, and patient outcomes. Descriptive values were reported as proportions with exact binomial confidence intervals for categorical variables and means with standard deviations for continuous variables. Comparisons were conducted with Fischer's exact test for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Results: After analysis of 1039 encounters with 961 distinct patients, 499 encounters were included. Urine tests were conducted in 324 patients (64.9% [60.6-69.1]) and antibiotics were prescribed to 176 (35.2% [31.1-39.6]). Overall 57 patients (11.4% [8.8-14.5]) were diagnosed with UTI, of which only 12 (21.1% [11.4-33.9]) had any specific urinary symptom. For those patients who had no urinary symptoms or other obvious indication for antibiotics (n = 342), 199 (58.2% [52.8-63.5]) received urine tests and 62 (18.1% [14.2-22.6]) received antibiotics. Patients who received urine tests were older (82.4 ± 8.8 vs. 78.3 ± 8.4 years, p < 0.001) but did not differ in sex distribution from those than those who did not. Additionally, patients who received antibiotics were more likely to be admitted (OR = 2.6 [1.48-4.73]) and had higher mortality at 30 days (OR = 4.2 [1.35-12.91]) and 6 months (OR = 3.2 [1.33-7.84]) than those who did not. Conclusion: Delirious patient without urinary symptoms in the ED were frequently investigated and treated for UTI despite a lack of evidence regarding whether this practice is beneficial.
P110: Chest tube thoracostomy in the ED: predictors of complications
Authors: Careau M. , Malo C. , Boucher V. , Émond M. 
Published: May 2020

Background: Chest tube thoracostomy is frequently performed in the emergency department (ED) for patients with traumatic thoracic injuries. However, this procedure is associated with a high complication rate. Aim Statement: The aim of this study was to describe and assess predictors of complications following chest tube thoracostomy. Measures & Design: A retrospective chart review was conducted in a level 1 trauma center. Patients aged ≥16 who required a chest tube for a traumatic injury between 2016 and 2019 were identified. Variables including demographic data, Charlson Comorbidity Index, mechanism of injury, Injury Severity Score (ISS), chest tube insertion and technique (i.e. position, dislodgement, obstruction, organ perforation), complications and interventions were collected using a standardized data collection form. A second reviewer assessed all ambiguous files. Descriptive statistics and adjusted odds ratios were calculated. Evaluation/Results: 179 patients were included in the study, of which 141 were male (79%). Mean age was 54 18 and median ISS was 17 (Q1-Q3: 9-27). 207 chest tube thoracostomies were performed for pneumothorax (81%) or a hemothorax (38%) mainly after a blunt injury (92%). 183 standard chest tube (88%) and 24 pigtail catheters (12%) were installed. Overall, emergency medicine physicians/residents performed 70% of these procedures and 54% were performed by residents. Sixty-one patients (34%) suffered a total of 73 complications: 45 were infectious (62%) and 28 were technique-related (38%). Pneumonia was the most frequent complication (19%) followed by reintroduced or replaced chest tube (12%). After adjusting for the ISS, there was no statistically significant association between the type of tube (OR 0.36 95% CI: 0.08-1.68), the medical specialty (OR 1.19 95% CI: 0.55-2.58) or the level of training (OR 1.29 95% CI: 0.63-2.64) of the clinician and the incidence of at least one complication. Discussion/Impact: Our results show that one out of three patients experienced at least one complication following a chest tube thoracostomy in the ED, which confirmed existing literature (5%- 38%). After adjustment, the type of tube used, the specialty and level of training of the health professional who performed the procedure was not associated with the incidence of at least one complication.
P125: Low dose intravenous ketorolac in renal colic, a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Chao J. , Brasher P. , Cheung K. , Sharma R. , Badke K. , Hohl C. 
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are first-line analgesics for emergency department (ED) patients with renal colic. Lower doses of intravenous (IV) ketorolac may provide similar pain relief to standard dosing in patients with acute pain. Patients with renal colic may be at increased risk of acute kidney injury; exposing them to lower doses of NSAIDs may put them at lower risk while providing equally effective analgesia. We conducted a pilot study to determine the feasibility of a randomized trial comparing the effectiveness and safety of low with standard ketorolac dosing in ED patients with suspected renal colic. The primary objective was to demonstrate the ability to achieve an enrolment target of 2 patients per week. Methods: We enrolled a convenience sample of adults presenting to an academic urban ED with unilateral flank pain suspected to be renal colic. We randomized patients to 10 mg (low dose, intervention) or 30 mg (standard dose, control). Participants, treating physicians and nurses, and researchers were blinded to treatment allocation. Our main feasibility outcome was the recruitment rate. Secondary outcomes were changes in pain scores (0-10) at 30 and 120 minutes post-ketorolac administration, vital signs, adverse events and ED length of stay. Results: We approached 82 patients, of whom 47 (57.3%) were eligible. Of these, 36 consented to participating and 30 were randomized. The proportion of screened patients who were enrolled was 36.6% (30/82). We completed enrolment over a 21-week period, with an average recruitment rate of 1.5 patients/week (range 0-4). The average baseline pain score for all participants was 6.9 (SD = 2.1). At 30 minutes post-ketorolac administration, the low dose group had a mean pain reduction of 2.0 points compared to a pain reduction of 1.7 in standard dose group (difference = 0.3, 90% CI: -0.7 to 1.4). Conclusion: These preliminary results support the possibility that low dose ketorolac may be efficacious in this patient population. We did not meet our target recruitment of 2 patients per week as this was primarily due to restricted recruitment hours. To successfully conduct a larger trial, we would need to expand both recruitment hours and the number of sites.