Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Introduction: The emergency department (ED) is a critical service area for patients living with disabilities in the United States. Despite this, there is limited research on best practices from the patient experience regarding accommodation and accessibility for those with disabilities. In this study we investigate the ED experience from the perspective of patients living with physical and cognitive disability, as well as visual impairment and blindness, to better understand the barriers to accessibility in the ED for these populations.

Methods: Twelve individuals with either physical or cognitive disabilities, visual impairments or blindness were interviewed regarding their ED experiences, particularly related to accessibility. Interviews were transcribed and coded for qualitative analysis with generation of significant themes relating to accessibility in the ED.

Results: Major themes from coded analysis were as follows: 1) inadequate communication between staff and  patients with visual impairments and physical disabilities; 2) the need for electronic delivery for after-visit summaries for individuals with cognitive and visual disabilities; 3) the importance of mindful listening and patience by healthcare staff; 4) the role of increased hospital support including greeters and volunteers; and 5) comprehensive training with both prehospital and hospital staff around assistive devices and services.

Conclusion: This study serves as an important first step toward improving the ED environment to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for patients presenting with various types of disabilities. Implementing specific training, policies, and infrastructure changes may improve the experiences and healthcare of this population.

Introduction: A robust body of literature supports the use of fascia iliaca compartment blocks (FICB) for improving outcomes in hip fractures, especially in the geriatric population. Our objective in this project was to implement consistent pre-surgical, emergency department (ED) FICB for hip fracture patients and to address barriers to implementation.

Methods: With the support of a multidisciplinary team, including orthopedic surgery and anesthesia, a core team of emergency physicians developed and implemented a departmentwide FICB training and credentialing program. The goal was to have 80% of all emergency physicians credentialed to provide pre-surgical FICB to all hip fracture patients seen in the ED who met the criteria. Following implementation, we assessed approximately one year of data on hip fracture patients presenting to the ED. We evaluated whether or not they were eligible for FICB and, if so, whether or not they received it.

Results: Emergency physician education has resulted in 86% of clinicians credentialed to perform FICB. Of 486 patients presenting for hip fracture, 295 (61%) were considered eligible for a block. Of those eligible, (54%) consented and underwent a FICB in the ED.

Conclusion: A collaborative, multidisciplinary effort is vital for success. The primary barrier to achieving a higher percentage of eligible patients receiving blocks was the deficit of emergency physicians initially credentialed. Continuing education is ongoing, including credentialing and early identification of patients eligible for the fascia iliaca compartment block.

Introduction: The number of emergency department observation units (EDOU) and observation stays has continued to increase. Despite this, there is limited data on the characteristics of patients who return unexpectedly to the ED after EDOU discharge.

Methods: We identified the charts of all patients who were admitted to the EDOU of an academic medical center between January 2018–June 2020 and had a return to the ED within 14 days of discharge from the EDOU. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the hospital from the EDOU, left against medical advice, or died in the EDOU. We manually extracted selected demographic factors, comorbidities, and healthcare utilization data from the charts. Physician reviewers identified return visits thought to be related to the index visit or potentially avoidable.

Results: During the study period, there were 176,471 ED visits, 4,179 admissions to the EDOU, and 333 return visits to the ED within 14 days from discharge from the EDOU, representing 9.4% of all patients discharged from the EDOU. We identified a higher rate of return for patients treated for asthma and lower rates of return for patients treated for chest pain or syncope than the overall return rate. Physician reviewers determined that 64.6% of unplanned returns were related to the index visit, and 4.5% were potentially avoidable. Of potentially avoidable visits, 53.3% occurred within 48 hours of discharge, supporting the use of this period as a potential quality metric. While there was no significant difference in the percentage of related return visits between males and females, there was a higher rate of potentially avoidable visits for male patients.

Conclusion: This study adds to the limited body of literature on EDOU returns, finding an overall return rate of under 10%, with about two-thirds of returns determined to be related to the index visit and <5% considered to be potentially avoidable.

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common reason for an emergency department (ED) visit. The majority of these patients are discharged directly home without a hospital admission.  After discharge, emergency physicians have traditionally managed the care of the patient if a change is warranted (as a result of urine culture results). However, in recent years clinical pharmacists in the ED have largely incorporated this task into their standard practice. In our study, we aimed to 1) describe our unique process in having a pharmacist-led, urinary culture follow-up, and 2) compare it to our previous, more traditional process.

Methods: In our retrospective study, we evaluated the impact of a pharmacist-led, urinary culture follow-up program after discharge from the ED. We included patients prior to and after the implementation of our new protocol to compare the differences. The primary outcome was time to intervention after urine culture result was released. Secondary outcomes included rate of documentation of intervention, appropriate interventions made, and repeat ED visits within 30 days.

Results: We included a total of 265 unique urine cultures from 264 patients in the study: 129 cultures were from the period prior to implementation of the protocol, and 136 were from the post-implementation period. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-implementation groups for the primary outcome. Appropriate therapeutic intervention based on positive urine culture results was 16.3% in the pre-implementation group vs 14.7% in the post-implementation group (P=0.72). Secondary outcomes of time to intervention, documentation rates, and readmissions were similar between both groups.

Conclusion: Implementation of a pharmacist-led, urinary culture follow-up program after discharge from the ED led to similar outcomes as a physician-run program.  An ED pharmacist can successfully run a urinary culture follow-up program in an ED without physician involvement.

Introduction: Recent reports suggest rising intensity of emergency department (ED) billing practices, sparking concerns that this may represent up-coding. However, it may reflect increasing severity and complexity of care in the ED population. We hypothesize that this in part may be reflected in more severe manifestations of illness as indicated by vital sign abnormalities.

Methods: Using 18 years of data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, we conducted a retrospective secondary analysis of adults (>18 years). We assessed standard vital signs using weighted descriptive statistics (heart rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and systolic blood pressure [SBP]), as well as hypotension and tachycardia. Finally, we evaluated for differing effects stratifying by subpopulations of interest, including age (<65 vs ≥65), payer type, arrival by ambulance, and high-risk diagnoses.

Results: In total there were 418,849 observations representing 1,745,368,303 ED visits. We found only minimal variations in vital signs over the study period: heart rate (median 85, interquartile range [IQR] 74-97); oxygen saturation (median 98, IQR 97-99); temperature (median 98.1, IQR 97.6-98.6); and SBP (median 134, IQR 120-149). Similar results were found among the subpopulations tested. The proportion of visits with hypotension decreased (first/last year difference 0.5% [95% CI 0.2%-0.7%]) while there was no difference in the proportion of patients with tachycardia.

Conclusions: Arrival vital signs in the ED have largely remained unchanged or improved over the most recent 18 years of nationally representative data, even for key subpopulations. Greater intensity in ED billing practices is not explained by changes in arrival vital signs.

Introduction: Limited information exists on patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who return to the emergency department (ED) during the first wave. In this study we aimed to identify predictors of ED return within 72 hours for patients with suspected COVID-19.

Methods: Incorporating data from 14 EDs within an integrated healthcare network in the New York metropolitan region from March 2–April 27, 2020, we analyzed this data on predictors for a return ED visit—including demographics, comorbidities, vital signs, and laboratory results.

Results: In total, 18,599 patients were included in the study. The median age was 46 years old [interquartile range 34-58]), 50.74% were female, and 49.26% were male. Overall, 532 (2.86%) returned to the ED within 72 hours, and 95.49% were admitted at the return visit. Of those tested for COVID-19, 59.24% (4704/ 7941) tested positive. Patients with chief complaints of “fever” or “flu” or a history of diabetes or renal disease were more likely to return at 72 hours. Risk of return increased with persistently abnormal temperature (odds ratio [OR] 2.43, 95% CI 1.8-3.2), respiratory rate (2.17, 95% CI 1.6-3.0), and chest radiograph (OR 2.54, 95% CI 2.0-3.2). Abnormally high neutrophil counts, low platelet counts, high bicarbonate values, and high aspartate aminotransferase levels were associated with a higher rate of return. Risk of return decreased when discharged on antibiotics (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.0-0.3) or corticosteroids (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.0-0.9).

Conclusion: The low overall return rate of patients during the first COVID-19 wave indicates that physicians’ clinical decision-making successfully identified those acceptable for discharge.

Background: Metabolic derangements in sepsis influence phosphate levels, which may predict mortality outcomes. We investigated the association between initial phosphate levels and 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with sepsis. Initial (first 24 hours) phosphate levels were divided into phosphate quartile groups for comparisons. We used repeated-measures mixed-models to assess differences in 28-day mortality across the phosphate groups, adjusting for other predictors identified by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator variable selection technique.

Results: A total of 1,855 patients were included with 13% overall 28-day mortality (n=237). The highest phosphate quartile (>4.0 milligrams per deciliter [mg/dL]) had a higher mortality rate (28%) than the three lower quartiles (P<0.001). After adjustment (age, organ failure, vasopressor administration, liver disease), the highest initial phosphate was associated with increased odds of 28-day mortality. Patients in the highest phosphate quartile had 2.4 times higher odds of death than the lowest (≤2.6 mg/dL) quartile (P<0.01), 2.6 times higher than the second (2.6-3.2 mg/dL) quartile (P<0.01), and 2.0 times higher than the third (3.2-4.0 mg/dL) quartile (P=0.04).

Conclusion: Septic patients with the highest phosphate levels had increased odds of mortality. Hyperphosphatemia may be an early indicator of disease severity and risk of adverse outcomes from sepsis.

Introduction: Syndromic surveillance (SyS) is an important public health tool using de-identified healthcare discharge data from emergency department (ED) and urgent care settings to rapidly identify new health threats and provide insight into current community well-being. While SyS is directly fed by clinical documentation such as chief complaint or discharge diagnosis, the degree to which clinicians are aware their documentation directly influences public health investigations is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the degree to which clinicians practicing in Kansas EDs or urgent care settings were aware that certain de-identified aspects of their documentation are used in public health surveillance and to identify barriers to improved data representation.

Methods: We distributed an anonymous survey August–November 2021 to clinicians practicing at least part time in emergency or urgent care settings in Kansas. We then compared responses from emergency medicine (EM)-trained physicians to non-EM trained physicians. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.

Results: A total of 189 respondents across 41 Kansas counties responded to the survey. Of those surveyed, 132 (83%) were unaware of SyS. Knowledge did not differ significantly by specialty, practice setting, urban region, age, nor by experience level. Respondents were unaware of which aspects of their documentation were visible to public health entities, or how quickly records were retrievable. When asked about improving documentation for SyS, lack of clinician awareness (71.5%) was perceived as a greater barrier than electronic health record platform usability or time available to document (61% and 59%, respectively).

Conclusion: This survey suggests that most practitioners in EM have not heard of SyS and are unaware of the invaluable role certain aspects of their documentation play in public health. Critical information that would be captured and coded into a key syndrome is often missing, but clinicians are unaware of what types of information may be most useful in their documentation, and where to document that information. Lack of knowledge or awareness was identified by clinicians as the single greatest barrier to enhancing surveillance data quality. Increased awareness of this important tool may lead to enhanced utility for timely and impactful surveillance through improved data quality and collaboration between EM practitioners and public health.

Introduction: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented various unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally, prompting society to adopt new preventative strategies to curb spread of the disease. Those experiencing homelessness have been particularly impacted because of barriers to practicing social distancing, inability to isolate, and poor access to care. Project Roomkey was established in California as a statewide measure to provide non-congregate shelter options for individuals experiencing homelessness to properly quarantine. On goal in this study was to analyze the effectiveness of hotel rooms as a safe disposition alternative to hospital admission for patients experiencing homelessness and who were also positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study that included chart review of patients who were discharged to the hotel from March 2020–December 2021. We recorded demographic information, index visit details, number of emergency department (ED) visits both a month prior to and following the index visit, admission rates, and number of deaths.

Results: During this 21-month study period, a total of 2,015 patients who identified as undomiciled were tested for SARS-COV-2 in the ED for various reasons. Of those patients, 83 were discharged from the ED to the hotel. Of the 83 patients, 40 (48.2%) ultimately tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their index visit. Two patients returned to the ED within seven days with COVID-19-related symptoms, and 10 patients within 30 days. Two patients required subsequent admission with COVID-19 pneumonia. No deaths were recorded within the 30-day follow-up period.

Conclusion: The availability of a hotel served as a safe alternative to hospital admission for patients experiencing homelessness and who were either suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. It is reasonable to consider similar measures in the management of other transmissible diseases for patients experiencing homelessness who require isolation.

Introduction: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic not only exacerbated barriers to healthcare but has also highlighted the trend toward increased vaccine hesitancy. Our goal was to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake through a student-led, emergency department-based (ED) vaccination program.

Methods: This prospective, quality-improvement pilot program used medical and pharmacy student volunteers as COVID-19 vaccine screeners in a southern, urban, academic ED. Patients eligible for vaccination were offered either the Janssen-Johnson & Johnson or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and were educated about vaccine concerns. Vaccine acceptance rates were recorded, as well as reasons for vaccine hesitancy, vaccine brand preferences, and demographics. The primary and secondary quantitative outcomes were overall vaccine acceptance and change in vaccine acceptance after student-provided education, respectively. We performed logistic regression to identify potential variables that correlated with vaccine acceptance. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, focus group interviews with four key stakeholder groups explored implementation facilitators and barriers.

Results: We screened 406 patients for COVID-19 vaccination eligibility and current vaccine status, the majority of whom were unvaccinated. Of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated patients, vaccine acceptance before education was 28.3% (81/286), and vaccine acceptance after education was 31.5% (90/286) (% difference, 3.1% [95% CI 0.3%-5.9%], P=0.03). The most common hesitancy factors cited were concerns about side effects and safety. Results from the regression analysis indicated that increasing age and Black race were associated with an increased odds of vaccine acceptance. Focus groups revealed implementation barriers, including patient resistance and workflow issues, and facilitators, including student involvement and public health promotion.

Conclusion: Using medical and pharmacy student volunteers as COVID-19 vaccine screeners was successful, and brief education provided by the students led to a modest increase in vaccine acceptance, with overall acceptance of 31.5%. Numerous educational benefits are described.

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) utilization for psychiatric disease is increasing, and a lack of health insurance has been identified as a potential cause of preventable or avoidable ED use. Through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more uninsured individuals gained health insurance; however, the effects of increased health insurance coverage on ED utilization for psychiatric disease have not been examined.

Methods: We performed a longitudinal, cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, the largest all-payer ED database in the US, which contains data on over 25 million ED visits each year. We examined ED utilization for psychiatric disease as the primary reason for visit among adults aged 18-64. We compared the proportion of ED visits with a psychiatric diagnosis during post-ACA years (2011-2016) to pre-ACA (2009) using logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, payer, and hospital region.

Results: The proportion of ED visits with psychiatric diagnosis increased from pre-ACA (4.9%) to post-ACA years (ranging from 5.0-5.5%). There was a significant difference in the proportion of ED visits with a psychiatric diagnosis when comparing each post-ACA year with pre-ACA, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 1.01-1.09. Among ED visits with a psychiatric diagnosis, the most common age group was 26-49 years, and patients were more likely to be male than female and to have visited urban rather than rural hospitals. During post-ACA years (2014-2016), private and uninsured payers decreased, Medicaid payers increased, and Medicare payers increased in 2014 and decreased in 2015-2016 compared to pre-ACA.

Conclusion: With the ACA more people gained health insurance, yet ED visits for psychiatric disease continued to increase. These results suggest that increasing access to health insurance alone is not sufficient to reduce ED utilization for patients with a psychiatric disease.

Introduction: Agitation is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and can range from psychomotor restlessness to overt aggression and violent behavior. Among all ED patients, 2.6% present with agitation or become agitated during their ED visit. We aimed to determine ED disposition for patients requiring agitation management with physical restraints.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of all adult patients who presented to one of 19 EDs in a large integrated healthcare system and received agitation management with physical restraints between January 1, 2018–December 31, 2020. Categorical variables are presented as frequency and percentages, and continuous variables are presented as medians and interquartile range.

Results: There were 3,539 patients who had agitation management with physical restraints included in this study. In total 2,076 (58.8%) were admitted to the hospital (95% CI [confidence interval] 0.572-0.605), and of those 81.4% were admitted to a primary medical floor and 18.6% were medically cleared and admitted to a psychiatric unit. Overall, 41.2% were able to be medically cleared and discharged from the ED. Mean age was 40.9 years, 2,140 were male (59.1%), 1,736 were White (50.3%), and 1,527 (43%) were Black. We found 26% had abnormal ethanol, (95% CI 0.245-0.274) and 54.6% had an abnormal toxicology screen (95% CI 0.529-0.562). A significant number were administered a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic in the ED (88.44%) (95% CI 0.874-0.895).

Conclusion: The majority of patients who had agitation management with physical restraints were admitted to the hospital; of those patients, 81.4% were admitted to a primary medical floor and 18.6% were admitted to a psychiatric unit.

Winter Walk is a photo essay meant to be an inspirational commentary on emergency medicine’s role in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable patients. Oftentimes, the social determinants of health, now well reviewed in the modern medical school curriculum, become intangible concepts that get lost amongst the busy environment of the emergency department. The photos within this commentary are striking and will move readers in various ways. The authors hope that these powerful images generate a mix of emotion that ultimately motivates emergency physicians to embrace the emerging role in addressing the social needs of our patients both inside and outside the emergency department.

Human trafficking is an ongoing, global human rights crisis and one of the largest illicit industries worldwide. Although there are thousands of victims identified each year within the United States, the true extent of this problem remains unknown due to the paucity of data. Many victims seek care in the emergency department (ED) while being trafficked but are often not identified by clinicians due to lack of knowledge or misconceptions about trafficking. We present a case of an ED patient being trafficked in Appalachia as an educational stimulus and discuss several unique aspects of trafficking in rural communities, including lack of awareness, prevalence of familial trafficking, high rates of poverty and substance use, cultural differences, and a complex highway network system. The lack of data, appropriate resources, and training for healthcare professionals also poses distinct issues. We propose an approach to identify and treat victims of human trafficking in the ED, with a focus on rural EDs. This approach includes improving data collection and availability on local patterns of trafficking, improving clinician training in identification, and care of victims using trauma-informed techniques. While this case illustrates unique features of human trafficking in the Appalachian region, many of these themes are common to rural areas across the US. Our recommendations emphasize strategies to adapt evidence-based protocols, largely designed in and for urban EDs, to rural settings where clinicians may be less familiar with human trafficking.

Introduction: Medicine is increasingly influenced by politics, but physicians have historically had lower voter turnout than the general public. Turnout is even lower for younger voters. Little is known about the political interests, voting activity, or political action committee (PAC) involvement of emergency physicians in training. We evaluated EM trainees’ political priorities, use of and barriers to voting, and engagement with an emergency medicine (EM) PAC.

Methods: Resident/medical student Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association members were emailed a survey between October–November 2018. Questions involved political priorities, perspective on single-payer healthcare, voting knowledge/behavior, and EM PACs participation. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics. 

Results: Survey participants included 1,241 fully responding medical students and residents, with a calculated response rate of 20%. The top three healthcare priorities were as follows: 1) high cost of healthcare/price transparency; 2) decreasing the number of uninsured; and 3) quality of health insurance. The top EM-specific issue was ED crowding and boarding. Most trainees (70%) were supportive of single-payer healthcare: “somewhat favor” (36%) and “strongly favor” (34%). Trainees had high rates of voting in presidential elections (89%) but less frequent use of other voting options: 54% absentee ballots; 56% voting in state primary races; and 38% early voting. Over half (66%) missed voting in prior elections, with work cited as the most frequent (70%) barrier. While overall, half of respondents (62%) reported awareness of EM PACs, only 4% of respondents had contributed. 

Conclusion: The high cost of healthcare was the top concern among EM trainees. Survey respondents had a high level of knowledge of absentee and early voting but less frequently used these options. Encouragement of early and absentee voting can improve voter turnout of EM trainees. Concerning EM PACs, there is significant room for membership growth. With improved knowledge of the political priorities of EM trainees, physician organizations and PACs can better engage future physicians.

Within medical education, feedback is an invaluable tool to facilitate learning and growth throughout a physician’s training and beyond. Despite the importance of feedback, variations in practice indicate the need for evidence-based guidelines to inform best practices. Additionally, time constraints, variable acuity, and workflow in the emergency department (ED) pose unique challenges to providing effective feedback. This paper outlines expert guidelines for feedback in the ED setting from members of the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine Best Practices Subcommittee, based on the best evidence available through a critical review of the literature. We provide guidance on the use of feedback in medical education, with a focus on instructor strategies for giving feedback and learner strategies for receiving feedback, and we offer suggestions for fostering a culture of feedback.

Introduction: Emergency physicians are in a unique position to impact both individual and population health needs. Despite this, emergency medicine (EM) residency training lacks formalized education n the social determinants of health (SDoH) and integration of patient social risk and need, which are core components of social EM (SEM). The need for such a SEM-based residency curriculum has been previously recognized; however, there is a gap in the literature related to demonstration and feasibility. In this study we sought to address this need by implementing and evaluating a replicable, multifaceted introductory SEM curriculum for EM residents. This curriculum is designed to increase general awareness related to SEM and to increase ability to identify and intervene upon SDoH in clinical practice.

Methods: A taskforce of EM clinician-educators with expertise in SEM developed a 4.5-hour educational curriculum for use during a single, half-day didactic session for EM residents. The curriculum consisted of asynchronous learning via a podcast, four SEM subtopic lecture didactics, guest speakers from the emergency department (ED) social work team and a community outreach partner, and a poverty simulation with interdisciplinary debrief. We obtained pre- and post- intervention surveys.

Results: A total of 35 residents and faculty attended the conference day, with 18 participants completing the immediate post-conference survey and 10 participants completing the two-month delayed, post-conference survey. Post-survey results demonstrated improved awareness of SEM concepts and increased confidence in participants’ knowledge of community resources and ability to connect patients to these resources following the curricular intervention (25% pre-conference to 83% post-conference). In addition, post-survey assessment demonstrated significantly heightened awareness and clinical consideration of SDoH among participants (31% pre-conference to 78% post-conference) and increased comfort in identifying social risk in the ED (75% pre-conference to 94% post-conference). Overall, all components of the curriculum were evaluated as meaningful and specifically beneficial for EM training. The ED care coordination, poverty simulation, and the subtopic lectures were rated most meaningful.

Conclusion: This pilot curricular integration study demonstrates feasibility and the perceived participant value of incorporating a social EM curriculum into EM residency training.

Introduction: Low tidal-volume ventilation (LTVV), defined as a maximum tidal volume of 8 milliliters per kilogram (mL/kg) of ideal body weight, is a key component of lung protective ventilation. Although emergency department (ED) initiation of LTVV has been associated with improved outcomes, disparities in LTVV application exist. In this study our aim was to evaluate whether rates of LTVV are associated with demographic and physical characteristics in the ED.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using a dataset of patients who underwent mechanical ventilation at three EDs in two health systems from January 2016–June 2019. Demographic, mechanical ventilation, and outcome data including mortality and hospital-free days were abstracted by automatic query. A LTVV approach was defined as a tidal volume ≤8 mL/kg ideal body weight. We performed descriptive statistics and univariate analysis as indicated, and created a multivariate logistic regression model.

Results: Of 1,029 patients included in the study, 79.5% received LTVV. Tidal volumes of 400-500 mL were used in 81.9% of patients. Approximately 18% of patients had tidal volumes changed in the ED. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.17, P< 0.001), obesity (aOR 2.27, P< 0.001), and first-quartile height (aOR 12.2, P < 0.001) were associated with receiving non-LTVV in multivariate regression analysis. Hispanic ethnicity and female gender were associated with first quartile height (68.5%, 43.7%, P < 0.001 for all). Hispanic ethnicity was associated with receiving non-LTVV in univariate analysis (40.8% vs 23.0%, P < 0.001). This relationship did not persist in sensitivity analysis controlling for height, weight, gender, and body mass index. Patients who received LTVV in the ED had 2.1 more hospital-free days compared to those who did not (P = 0.040). No difference in mortality was observed.

Conclusion: Emergency physicians use a narrow range of initial tidal volumes that may not meet lung-protective ventilation goals, with few corrections. Female gender, obesity, and first-quartile height are independently associated with receiving non-LTVV in the ED. Using LTVV in the ED was associated with 2.1 fewer hospital-free days. If confirmed in future studies, these findings have important implications for achieving quality improvement and health equality.

Introduction: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a respiratory support measure for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients that has been increasingly used in the emergency department (ED). Although the respiratory rate oxygenation (ROX) index can predict HFNC success, its utility in emergency COVID-19 patients has not been well-established. Also, no studies have compared it to its simpler component, the oxygen saturation to fraction of inspired oxygen (SpO2/FiO2 [SF]) ratio, or its modified version incorporating heart rate. Therefore, we aimed to compare the utility of the SF ratio, the ROX index (SF ratio/respiratory rate), and the modified ROX index (ROX index/heart rate) in predicting HFNC success in emergency COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We conducted this multicenter retrospective study at five EDs in Thailand between January–December 2021. Adult patients with COVID-19 treated with HFNC in the ED were included. The three study parameters were recorded at 0 and 2 hours. The primary outcome was HFNC success, defined as no requirement of mechanical ventilation at HFNC termination.

Results: A total of 173 patients were recruited; 55 (31.8%) had successful treatment. The two-hour SF ratio yielded the highest discrimination capacity (AUROC 0.651, 95% CI 0.558-0.744), followed by two-hour ROX and modified ROX indices (AUROC 0.612 and 0.606, respectively). The two-hour SF ratio also had the best calibration and overall model performance. At its optimal cut-point of 128.19, it gave a balanced sensitivity (65.3%) and specificity (61.8%). The two-hour SF≥128.19 was also significantly and independently associated with HFNC failure (adjusted odds ratio 0.29, 95% CI 0.13-0.65; P=0.003).

Conclusion: The SF ratio predicted HFNC success better than the ROX and modified ROX indices in ED patients with COVID-19. With its simplicity and efficiency, it may be the appropriate tool to guide management and ED disposition for COVID-19 patients receiving HFNC in the ED.

Introduction: Geriatric patients are often frail and may lose independence through a variety of mechanisms including cognitive decline, reduced mobility, and falls. Our goal was to measure the effect of a multidisciplinary home health program that assessed frailty and safety and then coordinated ongoing delivery of community resources on short-term, all-cause emergency department (ED) utilization across three study arms that attempted to stratify frailty by fall risk.

Methods: Subjects became eligible for this prospective observational study via one of three pathways: 1) by visiting the ED after a fall (2,757 patients); 2) by self-identifying as at risk for falling (2,787); or 3) by calling 9-1-1 for a “lift assist” after falling and being unable to get up (121). The intervention consisted of sequential home visits by a research paramedic who used standardized assessments of frailty and risk of falling (including providing home safety guidance), and a home health nurse who aligned resources to address the conditions found. Outcomes of interest were all-cause ED utilization at 30, 60, and 90 days post-intervention compared with subjects who enrolled via the same study pathway but declined the study intervention (controls).

Results: Subjects in the fall-related ED visit arm were significantly less likely to have one or more subsequent ED encounters post-intervention than controls at 30 days (18.2% vs 29.2%, P<0.001); 60 days (27.5% vs 39.8%, P<0.001); and 90 days (34.6% vs 46.2%, P<0.001). In contrast, participants in the self-referral arm had no difference in ED encounters post-intervention compared to controls at 30, 60, or 90 days (P=0.30, 0.84, and 0.23, respectively). The size of the 9-1-1 call arm limited statistical power for analysis.

Conclusion: A history of a fall requiring ED evaluation appeared to be a useful marker of frailty. Subjects recruited through this pathway experienced less all-cause ED utilization over subsequent months after a coordinated community intervention than without it. The participants who only self-identified as at risk for falling had lower rates of subsequent ED utilization than those recruited in the ED after a fall and did not significantly benefit from the intervention.

Introduction: Incident delirium in older patients is associated with prolonged hospitalization and mortality. A recent study suggested an association between emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), time in ED hallways, and incident delirium. In this study we further evaluated the emerging association between incident delirium with ED LOS, time in ED hallways, and number of non-clinical patient moves in the ED.

Methods: We performed this retrospective cohort study at a single, urban, academic medical center. All data were extracted from the electronic health record. We included patients aged ≥65 years presenting to the ED and admitted to family or internal medicine services over a two-year period . Patients admitted to any other service, transferred from another hospital, discharged from the ED, or who underwent procedural sedation were excluded. The primary outcome was incident delirium, defined as a positive delirium screen, receipt of sedative medications, or use of physical restraints. Multivariable logistic regression models including age, gender, language, history of dementia, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, number of non-clinical patient moves within the ED, total time spent in the ED hallway, and ED LOS were fitted.

Results: We studied 5,886 patients ≥65 years of age; median age was 77 (69-83) years; 3,031 (52%) were female, and 1,361 (23%) reported a history of dementia. Overall, 1,408 (24%) patients experienced incident delirium. In multivariable models, ED LOS was associated with development of delirium (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.03, per hour), while non-clinical patient moves [OR 0.97, (95% CI 0.91-1.04) and ED hallway time [OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.01, per hour) was not associated with development of delirium.

Conclusion: In this single-center study, ED length of stay was associated with incident delirium in older adults, while non-clinical patient moves and ED hallway time in the ED were not. Health systems should systemically limit time in the ED for admitted older adults.

Introduction: Social insecurity, a form of deprivation of social amenities, if present among patients presenting in a rural emergency department (ED) can be a source of medical burden and poor health outcomes. Although knowledge and understanding of the insecurity profile of such patients is necessary for targeted care that improves their health outcomes, the concept has not been comprehensively quantified. In this study we explored, characterized, and quantified the social insecurity profile of ED patients at a rural teaching hospital in southeastern North Carolina with a large Native American population.

Methods: A paper survey questionnaire was administered by trained research assistants between May–June 2018 to patients who presented to the ED and consented to participate in this cross-sectional, single-center study. The survey was anonymous with no identifying information collected on the respondents. A general demographic section and questions derived from the literature capturing sub-constructs of social insecurity—communication access, access to transportation, housing insecurity and home environment, food insecurity, and exposure to violence–were captured in the survey. We assessed the factors included in the index of social insecurity based on a rank ordering using the magnitude of their coefficient of variation and the Cronbach’s alpha reliability index of the constituent items.

Results: Overall, we collected 312 surveys from the approximately 445 administered and included them in the analysis, representing a response rate of about 70%. The average age of the 312 respondents was 45.1 (±17.7) years with a range of 18.0-96.0. More females (54.2%) than males participated in the survey. Native Americans (34.3%), Blacks (33.7%), and Whites (27.6%) comprised the three major racial/ethnicity groups of the sample, which are representative of the study area’s population distribution. Social insecurity was observed among this population regarding all the subdomains and an overall measure (P <.001). We identified three key determinants of social insecurity—food insecurity, transportation insecurity, and exposure to violence. Social insecurity significantly differed overall and among the three of its key constituent domains by patients’ race/ethnicity and gender (P <.05).

Conclusion: Emergency department visits in a rural North Carolina teaching hospital are characterized by a diverse patient population, including patients with some degree of social insecurity. Historically marginalized and minoritized groups including Native Americans and Blacks demonstrated overall higher rates of social insecurity and higher indexes on exposure to violence than their White counterparts. Such patients struggle with basic needs such as food, transportation, and safety. As social factors play a critical role in health outcomes, supporting the social well-being of a historically marginalized and minoritized rural community would likely help build the foundation for safe livelihood with improved and sustainable health outcomes. The need for a more valid and psychometrically desirable measurement tool of social insecurity among ED populations is compelling.

Introduction: Race and ethnicity are social constructs that are associated with meaningful health inequities. To address health disparities, it is essential to have valid, reliable race and ethnicity data. We compared child race and ethnicity as identified by the parent with that reported in the electronic health record (EHR).

Methods: A convenience sample of parents of pediatric emergency department (PED) patients completed a tablet-based questionnaire (February-May 2021). Parents identified their child’s race and ethnicity from options within a single category. We used chi-square to compare concordance between child race and ethnicity reported by the parent with that recorded in the EHR.

Results: Of 219 approached parents, 206 (94%) completed questionnaires. Race and/or ethnicity were misidentified in the EHR for 56 children (27%). Misidentifications were most common among children whose parents identified them as multiracial (100% vs 15% of children identified as a single race, P < 0.001) or Hispanic (84% vs 17% of non-Hispanic children, P < 0.001), and children whose race and/or ethnicity differed from that of their parent (79% vs 18% of children with the same race and ethnicity as their parent, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: In this PED, misidentification of race and ethnicity was common. This study provides the basis for a multifaceted quality improvement effort at our institution. The quality of child race and ethnicity data in the emergency setting warrants further consideration across health equity efforts.

Introduction: The epidemic of gun violence in the United States (US) is exacerbated by frequent mass shootings. In 2021, there were 698 mass shootings in the US, resulting in 705 deaths and 2,830 injuries. This is a companion paper to a publication in JAMA Network Open, in which the nonfatal outcomes of victims of mass shootings have been only partially described.

Methods: We gathered clinical and logistic information from 31 hospitals in the US about 403 survivors of 13 mass shootings, each event involving greater than 10 injuries, from 2012-19. Local champions in emergency medicine and trauma surgery provided clinical data from electronic health records within 24 hours of a mass shooting. We organized descriptive statistics of individual-level diagnoses recorded in medical records using International Classification of Diseases codes, according to the Barell Injury Diagnosis Matrix (BIDM), a standardized tool that classifies 12 types of injuries within 36 body regions.

Results: Of the 403 patients who were evaluated at a hospital, 364 sustained physical injuries—252 by gunshot wound (GSW) and 112 by non-ballistic trauma—and 39 were uninjured. Fifty patients had 75 psychiatric diagnoses. Nearly 10% of victims came to the hospital for symptoms triggered by, but not directly related to, the shooting, or for exacerbations of underlying conditions. There were 362 gunshot wounds recorded in the Barell Matrix (1.44 per patient). The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) distribution was skewed toward higher acuity than typical for an emergency department (ED), with 15.1% ESI 1 and 17.6% ESI 2 patients. Semi-automatic firearms were used in 100% of these civilian public mass shootings, with 50 total weapons for 13 shootings (Route 91 Harvest Festival, Las Vegas. 24).  Assailant motivations were reported to be associated with hate crimes in 23.1%.

Conclusion: Survivors of mass shootings have substantial morbidity and characteristic injury distribution, but 37% of victims had no GSW. Law enforcement, emergency medical systems, and hospital and ED disaster planners can use this information for injury mitigation and public policy planning. The BIDM is useful to organize data regarding gun violence injuries. We call for additional research funding to prevent and mitigate interpersonal firearm injuries, and for the National Violent Death Reporting System to expand tracking of injuries, their sequelae, complications, and societal costs.

Introduction: While windlass-rod style tourniquets stop bleeding in limbs when used by skilled responders, they are less successful in the hands of the untrained or not recently trained public. To improve usability, an academic-industry partnership developed the Layperson Audiovisual Assist Tourniquet (LAVA TQ). The LAVA TQ is novel in design and technology and addresses known challenges in public tourniquet application. A previously published multisite, randomized controlled trial of 147 participants showed that the LAVA TQ is much easier for the lay public to use compared to the Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT). This study evaluates the LAVA TQ’s ability to occlude blood flow in humans compared to the CAT.

Methods: This study was a prospective, blinded, randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the non-inferiority of the LAVA TQ to occlude blood flow when applied by expert users compared to the CAT. The study team enrolled participants in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2022. The primary outcome was the proportion of blood flow occlusion by each tourniquet. The secondary outcome was surface application pressure for each device.

Results: The LAVA TQ and CAT occluded blood flow in all limbs (21 LAVA TQ, 100%; 21 CAT, 100%). The LAVA TQ was applied at a mean pressure of 366 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) (SD 20 mm Hg), and the CAT at a mean pressure of 386 mm Hg (SD 63 mm Hg) (P = 0.14).

Conclusion: The novel LAVA TQ is non-inferior to the traditional windlass-rod CAT in occluding blood flow in human legs. The application pressure of LAVA TQ is similar to that used in the CAT. The findings of this study, coupled with LAVA TQ’s demonstrated superior usability, make the LAVA TQ an acceptable alternative limb tourniquet.

Introduction

Economic hardship is a major threat to children’s health, implying that pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (pOHCA) might be promoted by lower incomes and child poverty. To target resources, it is helpful to identify geographical hotspots. Rhode Island is area-wise the smallest state in the United States of America. It has one million inhabitants and is comparable to many larger cities worldwide. We aimed to investigate possible associations of pOHCA with economic factors and the COVID-19 pandemic. We tried to identify high-risk areas and evaluated whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an influence on delays in prehospital care.

We analyzed all pOHCA cases (patients under 18 years of age) in Rhode Island between March 1^st, 2018, and February 28^th, 2022. We performed Poisson regression with pOHCA as dependent and economic risk factors (median household income and child poverty rate from the United States Census Bureau) as well as the COVID-19 pandemic as independent variables. Hotspots were identified utilizing Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) statistics in ArcGIS Pro (Esri Corp., Redlands). We used linear regression to assess the association of EMS related times with economic risk factors and COVID-19.

Fifty-one cases met our inclusion criteria. Lower median household incomes (incidence-rate ratio (IRR) 0.99 per 1,000$ MHI; p=0.01) and higher child poverty rates (IRR 1.02 per percent; p=0.02) were significantly associated with higher numbers of ambulance calls due to pOHCA. The pandemic did not have a significant influence (IRR 0.9; p=0.7). LISA identified 12 census tracts as hotspots (p<0.01). The pandemic was not associated with delays in prehospital care.

A young child’s larynx was formerly believed to be narrowest at the cricoid level, circular in section, and funnel shaped. This supported the routine use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in young children despite the benefits of cuffed ETTs, such as lower risk for air leakage and aspiration. In the late 1990s, evidence supporting the pediatric use of cuffed tubes emerged largely from anesthesiology studies, while some technical flaws of the tubes remained a concern. Since the 2000s, imaging-based studies have clarified laryngeal anatomy, revealing that it is narrowest at the glottis, elliptical in section, and cylindrical in shape. The update was contemporaneous with technical advances in the design, size, and material of cuffed tubes. The American Heart Association currently recommends the pediatric use of cuffed tubes. In this review, we present the rationale for using cuffed ETTs in young children based on our updated knowledge of pediatric anatomy and technical advances.

Introduction: The effects of non-physician practitioners (NPP) such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners on the education of emergency medicine (EM) residents have not previously been specifically evaluated. Emergency medicine societies have made policy statements regarding NPP presence in EM residencies without the benefit of empiric studies.

Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed methods questionnaire with strong validity evidence was distributed to current EM residents who were members of a large national society, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine Resident and Student Association (AAEM/RSA), between June 4–July 5, 2021.

Results: We received 393 partial and complete responses, representing a 34% response rate. A majority of respondents (66.9%) reported that NPPs have a detracting or greatly detracting impact on their education overall. The workload in the emergency department was reported generally as lighter (45.2%) to no impact (40.1%), which was cited in narrative responses as an aspect of both enhancing and detracting from resident physician education. Non-physician practitioner postgraduate programs in EM were associated with a 14x increase in the median number of procedures forfeited over the course of the prior year (median = 7.0 vs 0.5, P<.001). Among respondents, 33.5% reported feeling “not confident at all” in their ability to report concerns about NPPs to local leadership without retribution, and 65.2% reported feeling “not confident at all” regarding confidence in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to satisfactorily address concerns about NPPs raised in the end-of-year survey.

Conclusion: Resident members of the AAEM/RSA reported having concerns about the effects of NPPs on their education and their confidence in being able to address the concerns.

Introduction: Hospitals have implemented various wellness interventions to offset the negative effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on emergency physician morale and burnout. There is limited high quality evidence regarding effectiveness of hospital-directed wellness interventions, leaving hospitals without guidance on best practices. We sought to determine intervention effectiveness and frequency of use in the spring/summer 2020. The goal was to facilitate evidence-based guidance for hospital wellness program planning. 

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study we used a novel survey tool piloted at a single hospital and then distributed throughout the United States via major emergency medicine (EM) society listservs and closed social media groups. Subjects reported their morale levels using a slider scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) at the time of the survey and, retrospectively, at their respective COVID-19 peak in 2020. Subjects also rated effectiveness of wellness interventions using a Likert scale from 1 (not at all effective) to 5 (very effective). Subjects indicated their hospital’s usage frequency of common wellness interventions. We analyzed results using descriptive statistics and t-tests.

Results: Of 76,100 EM society and closed social media group members, 522 (0.69%) subjects were enrolled. Study population demographics were similar to the national emergency physician population. Morale at the time of the survey was worse (mean [M] 4.36, SD 2.29) than the spring/summer 2020 peak (M 4.57, SD 2.13) [t(458)=-2.27, P=0.024]. The most effective interventions were hazard pay (M 3.59, SD 1.12), staff debriefing groups (M 3.51, SD 1.16), and free food (M 3.34, SD 1.14). The most frequently used interventions were free food (350/522, 67.1%), support sign display (300/522, 57.5%), and daily email updates (266/522, 51.0%). Infrequently used were hazard pay (53/522, 10.2%) and staff debriefing groups (127/522, 24.3%).

Conclusion: There is discordance between the most effective and most frequently used hospital-directed wellness interventions. Only free food was both highly effective and frequently used. Hazard pay and staff debriefing groups were the two most effective interventions but were infrequently used. Daily email updates and support sign display were the most frequently used interventions but were not as effective. Hospitals should focus effort and resources on the most effective wellness interventions.

Introduction: The return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest (RACA) score is a well-validated model for estimating the probability of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by incorporating several variables, including gender, age, arrest aetiology, witness status, arrest location, initial cardiac rhythms, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and emergency medical services (EMS) arrival time. The RACA score was initially designed for comparisons between different EMS systems by standardising ROSC rates. End-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) is a quality indicator of CPR. We aimed to improve the performance of the RACA score by adding minimum EtCO2 measured during CPR to develop the EtCO2 + RACA score for OHCA patients transported to an emergency department (ED).

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis using prospectively collected data for OHCA patients resuscitated at an ED during 2015–2020. Adult patients with advanced airways inserted and available EtCO2 measurements were included. We used the EtCO2 values recorded in the ED for analysis. The primary outcome was ROSC. In the derivation cohort, we used multivariable logistic regression to develop the model. In the temporally split validation cohort, we assessed the discriminative performance of the EtCO2 + RACA score by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared it with the RACA score using the DeLong test.

Results: There were 530 and 228 patients in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. The median measurements of EtCO2 were 8.0 times (interquartile range [IQR] 3.0-12.0 times), with the median minimum EtCO2 of 15.5 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) (IQR 8.0-26.0 mm Hg). The median RACA score was 36.4% (IQR 28.9-48.0%), and a total of 393 patients (51.8%) achieved ROSC. The EtCO2 + RACA score was validated with good discriminative performance (AUC, 0.82, 95% CI 0.77-0.88), outperforming the RACA score (AUC, 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.78) (DeLong test: P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The EtCO2 + RACA score may facilitate the decision-making process regarding allocations of medical resources in EDs for OHCA resuscitation.

Introduction:  For survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) seeking care in hospital emergency departments (ED) the need for medical care and safe discharge is acute.

Methods: In this study we evaluated safe discharge needs of GBV survivors following hospital-based care at a public hospital in Atlanta, GA, in 2019 and between April 1, 2020–September 30, 2021, using both retrospective chart review and evaluation of a novel clinical observation protocol for safe discharge planning.

Results: Of 245 unique encounters, only 60% of patients experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) were discharged with a safe plan and only 6% were discharged to shelters. This hospital instituted an ED observation unit (EDOU) to support GBV survivors with safe disposition. Then, through the EDOU protocol, 70.7% were able to achieve safe disposition, with 33% discharged to a family/friend and 31% discharged to a shelter.

Conclusion: Safe disposition following experience or disclosure of IPV and GBV in the ED is difficult, and social work staff have limited bandwidth to assist with navigation of accessing community-based resources. Through an average 24.3 hours of an extended ED observation protocol, 70% of patients were able to achieve a safe disposition. The EDOU supportive protocol substantially increased the proportion of the GBV survivors who experienced a safe discharge.

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) plays a pivotal role in evaluating ocular complaints in the emergency department (ED). The rapid and non-invasive nature of ocular POCUS makes it a safe and informative imaging modality. Previous studies have investigated using ocular POCUS to diagnose posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), vitreous hemorrhage (VH), and retinal detachment (RD); however, there are few studies that assess image optimization techniques and how they impact the overall accuracy of ocular POCUS.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of ED patients who received ocular POCUS examinations and ophthalmology consultations as part of their evaluation for eye complaints at our urban, Level I trauma center ED from November 2017–January 2021. Of 706 exams, 383 qualified for the study. In this study we primarily investigated how stratified gain levels impact the accuracy of ocular POCUS for detection of any posterior chamber pathology and, secondarily, whether stratified gain levels impact the accuracy of detecting RD, VH, and PVD specifically.

Results: The images were found to have an overall sensitivity of 81% (76-86%), specificity of 82% (76-88%), positive predictive value (PPV) of 86% (81-91%), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 77% (70-83%). Images acquired with a gain of (25, 50] had a sensitivity of 71% (61-80%), specificity of 95% (85-99%), PPV of 96% (88-99%), and NPV of 68% (56-78%). Images acquired with a gain of (50, 75] had a sensitivity of 85% (73-93%), specificity of 85% (72-93%), PPV of 86% (75-94%), and NPV of 83% (70-92%). Images acquired with a high gain (75, 100] had a sensitivity of 91% (82-97%), specificity of 67% (53-79%), PPV of 78% (68-86%), and NPV of 86% (72-95%).

Conclusion: In the ED setting, high (75, 100] gain on ocular POCUS scanning has a higher degree of sensitivity for detecting any posterior chamber abnormality, as compared to low (25, 50] gain levels. Thus, incorporating the use of high gain for ocular POCUS exams produces a more effective tool for ocular pathologies in acute care settings and may be particularly valuable in resource-limited settings.

Introduction: Emergency departments (ED) provide trauma-informed care to sexual assault (SA) survivors and connect them with comprehensive services. Through surveying SA survivor advocates, we aimed to 1) document updated trends in the quality of care and resources offered to SA survivors and 2) identify potential disparities according to geographic regions in the US, urban vs rural clinic locations, and the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between June-August 2021, surveying SA advocates who were dispatched from rape crisis centers to support survivors during ED care. Survey questions addressed two major themes in quality of care: staff preparedness to provide trauma-response care; and available resources. Staff preparedness to provide trauma-informed care was assessed through observations of staff behaviors. We used Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests to analyze differences in responses according to geographic regions and SANE presence.

Results: A total of 315 advocates from 99 crisis centers completed the survey. The survey had a participation rate of 88.7% and a completion rate of 87.9%. Advocates who indicated that a higher proportion of their cases were attended by SANEs were more likely to report higher rates of trauma-informed staff behaviors. For example, the recalled rate of staff asking patients for consent at every step of the exam was significantly associated with SANE presence (P < 0.001). With respect to access to resources, 66.7% of advocates reported that hospitals often or always have evidence collection kits available; 30.6% reported that resources such as transportation and housing are often or always available, and 55.3% reported that SANEs are often or always part of the care team. The SANEs were reported to be more frequently available in the Southwest than in other US regions (P < 0.001) and in urban as opposed to rural areas (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our study indicates that support from sexual assault nurse examiners is highly associated with trauma-informed staff behaviors and comprehensive resources. Urban-rural and regional disparities exist regarding access to SANEs, suggesting that elevating nationwide quality and equity in care of survivors of sexual assault requires increased investments in SANE training and coverage.

Background: Boston Medical Center (BMC), a safety-net hospital, treated a substantial portion of the Boston cohort that was sick with COVID-19. Unfortunately, these patients experienced high rates of morbidity and mortality given the significant health disparities that many of BMC’s patients face. Boston Medical Center launched a palliative care extender program to help address the needs of critically ill ED patients under crisis conditions. In this program evaluation our goal was to assess outcomes between those who received palliative care in the emergency department (ED) vs those who received palliative care as an inpatient or were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: We used a matched retrospective cohort study design to assess the difference in outcomes between the two groups.

Results: A total of 82 patients received palliative care services in the ED, and 317 patients received palliative care services as an inpatient. After controlling for demographics, patients who received palliative care services in the ED were less likely to have a change in level of care (P<0.001) or be admitted to an ICU (P<0.001). Cases had an average length of stay of 5.2 days compared to controls who stayed 9.9 days (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Within a busy ED environment, initiating palliative care discussions by ED staff can be challenging. This study demonstrates that consulting palliative care specialists early in the course of the patient’s ED stay can benefit patients and families and improve resource utilization.

Introduction: Ketamine can be particularly helpful in situations where the clinician is not able to administer opioids and require an alternate analgesic, such as for patients who are already on high-dose opioids, have a history of addiction, or for opioid-naïve children and adults. In this review, our goal was to obtain a comprehensive estimate of the efficacy and safety of low-dose ketamine (dose less than 0.5 milligrams per kilogram or equivalent) compared to opiates for the control of acute pain in the emergency setting.

Methods: We conducted systematic searches in PubMed Central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from inception until November 2021. We used the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool to assess the quality of included studies.

Results: We carried out a meta-analysis with a random-effects model and reported pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals depending on the type of the outcome. We analyzed a total of 15 studies with 1,613 participants. Half of them had high risk of bias and were conducted in the United States of America. The pooled SMD for pain score was -0.12 (95% CI -0.50-0.25; I2=68.8%) within 15 minutes, -0.45 (95% CI -0.84- -0.07; I2=83.3%) within 30 minutes, -0.05 (95% CI -0.41-0.31; I2=86.9%) within 45 minutes, -0.07 (95% CI -0.41-0.26; I2=82%) within 60 minutes, and after 60 minutes the pooled SMD was 0.17 (95% CI -0.07-0.42; I2=64.8%). The pooled RR for need of rescue analgesics was 1.35 (95% CI 0.73-2.50; I2=82.2%). The pooled RRs were as follows: 1.18 (95% CI 0.76-1.84; I2=28.3%) for gastrointestinal side effects; 1.41 (95% CI 0.96-2.06; I2=29.7%) for neurological side effects; 2.83 (95% CI 0.98-8.18; I2=47%) for psychological side effects; and 0.58 (95% CI 0.23-1.48; I2=36.1%) for cardiopulmonary side effects.

Conclusion: Low-dose ketamine might have higher or equivalent efficacy and safety when compared to opioids for managing acute pain among patients presenting to the emergency setting. However, further studies are required to establish conclusive evidence, owing to the heterogeneity and poor quality of existing studies.