Adam L. Sharp

Emergency Department Hospitalization Volume and Mortality in the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVE Although numerous studies have demonstrated a relationship between higher volume and improved outcomes in the delivery of health services, it has not been extensively explored in the emergency department (ED) setting. Therefore, we seek to examine the association between ED hospitalization volume and mortality for common high-risk conditions. METHODS Using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a national sample of hospital discharges, we evaluated mortality overall and for 8 different diagnoses between 2005 and 2009 (total admissions 17.55 million). These conditions were chosen because they are frequent (in the top 25 of all ED hospitalizations) and high risk (> 3% observed mortality). EDs were excluded from analysis if they did not have at least 1,000 total annual admissions and 30 disease-specific cases. EDs were then placed into quintiles based on hospitalized volume. Regression techniques were used to describe the relationship between volume (number of hospitalized ED patients per year) and both subsequent early inpatient mortality (within 2 days of admission) and overall mortality, adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS Mortality decreased as volume increased overall and for all diagnoses, but the relative importance of volume varied, depending on the condition. Absolute differences in adjusted mortality rates between very high-volume EDs and very low-volume EDs ranged from -5.6% for sepsis (95% confidence interval [CI] -6.5% to -4.7%) to -0.2% for pneumonia (95% CI -0.6% to 0.1%). Overall, this difference was -0.4% (95% CI -0.6% to -0.3%). A similar pattern was observed when early hospital deaths were evaluated. CONCLUSION Patients have a lower likelihood of inhospital death if admitted through high-volume EDs.

Risk of Delayed Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Anticoagulated Patients after Minor Head Trauma: The Role of Repeat Cranial Computed Tomography

CONTEXT Patients receiving anticoagulant medications who experience minor head injury are at increased risk of an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) developing, even after an initial computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain yields normal findings. Conflicting evidence exists regarding the frequency at which delayed bleeding occurs. OBJECTIVE To identify the frequency of delayed traumatic ICH in patients receiving warfarin or clopidogrel. DESIGN We performed a retrospective observational study of adult trauma encounters for anticoagulated patients undergoing head CT at 1 of 13 Kaiser Permanente Southern California Emergency Departments (EDs) between 2007 and 2011. Encounters were identified using structured data from electronic health and administrative records, and then records were individually reviewed for validation of results. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was ICH within 60 days of an ED visit with a normal head CT result. RESULTS Our sample included 443 (260 clopidogrel and 183 warfarin) eligible ED encounters with normal findings of initial head CT. Overall, 11 patients (2.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4%-4.4%) had a delayed ICH, and events occurred at similar rates between the clopidogrel group (6/260, 2.3%, CI 1.1%-5.0%) and warfarin group (5/183, 2.7%, CI 1.2%-6.2%). CONCLUSION Trauma patients in the ED who are receiving warfarin or clopidogrel have approximately a 2.5% risk of delayed ICH after an initial normal finding on a head CT.

Cost Analysis of Youth Violence Prevention

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Effective violence interventions are not widely implemented, and there is little information about the cost of violence interventions. Our goal is to report the cost of a brief intervention delivered in the emergency department that reduces violence among 14- to 18-year-olds. METHODS: Primary outcomes were total costs of implementation and the cost per violent event or violence consequence averted. We used primary and secondary data sources to derive the costs to implement a brief motivational interviewing intervention and to identify the number of self-reported violent events (eg, severe peer aggression, peer victimization) or violence consequences averted. One-way and multi-way sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Total fixed and variable annual costs were estimated at

Exploring Real-time Patient Decision-making for Acute Care: A Pilot Study.

71 784. If implemented, 4208 violent events or consequences could be prevented, costing

Integrating qualitative research methods into care improvement efforts within a learning health system: addressing antibiotic overuse

17.06 per event or consequence averted. Multi-way sensitivity analysis accounting for variable intervention efficacy and different cost estimates resulted in a range of

Implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule and Its Association With Use of Computed Tomography Among Patients With Head Injury

3.63 to

A3-1: The Just Do It Playbook for Implementation Science

54.96 per event or consequence averted. CONCLUSIONS: Our estimates show that the cost to prevent an episode of youth violence or its consequences is less than the cost of placing an intravenous line and should not present a significant barrier to implementation.

The HEART Score for Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome in U.S. Emergency Departments

Introduction Research has described emergency department (ED) use patterns in detail. However, evidence is lacking on how, at the time a decision is made, patients decide if healthcare is required or where to seek care. Methods Using community-based participatory research methods, we conducted a mixed-methods descriptive pilot study. Due to the exploratory, hypothesis-generating nature of this research, we did not perform power calculations, and financial constraints only allowed for 20 participants. Hypothetical vignettes for the 10 most common low acuity primary care complaints (cough, sore throat, back pain, etc.) were texted to patients twice daily over six weeks, none designed to influence the patient’s decision to seek care. We conducted focus groups to gain contextual information about participant decision-making. Descriptive statistics summarized responses to texts for each scenario. Qualitative analysis of open-ended text message responses and focus group discussions identified themes associated with decision-making for acute care needs. Results We received text survey responses from 18/20 recruited participants who responded to 72% (1092/1512) of the texted vignettes. In 48% of the vignettes, participants reported they would do nothing, for 34% of the vignettes participants reported they would seek care with a primary care provider, and 18% of responses reported they would seek ED care. Participants were not more likely to visit an ED during “off-hours.” Our qualitative findings showed: 1) patients don’t understand when care is needed; 2) patients don’t understand where they should seek care. Conclusion Participants were unclear when or where to seek care for common acute health problems, suggesting a need for patient education. Similar research is necessary in different populations and regarding the role of urgent care in acute care delivery.

Emergency Care of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Integrated Health System.

BackgroundDespite reports advocating for integration of research into healthcare delivery, scant literature exists describing how this can be accomplished. Examples highlighting application of qualitative research methods embedded into a healthcare system are particularly needed. This article describes the process and value of embedding qualitative research as the second phase of an explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis.MethodsPurposive sampling of providers for in-depth interviews improved understanding of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing and elicited stakeholder recommendations for improvement. Qualitative data collection, transcription and constant comparative analyses occurred iteratively.ResultsEmerging themes and sub-themes identified primary drivers of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing patterns and recommendations for improving practice. These findings informed the design of a health system intervention to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis. Core components of the intervention are also described.ConclusionQualitative research can be effectively applied in learning healthcare systems to elucidate quantitative results and inform improvement efforts.

A3-5: Research-Operations Partnerships to Improve the Quality and Affordability of Care

Study objective Approximately 1 in 3 computed tomography (CT) scans performed for head injury may be avoidable. We evaluate the association of implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule on head CT imaging in community emergency departments (EDs). Methods We conducted an interrupted time‐series analysis of encounters from January 2014 to December 2015 in 13 Southern California EDs. Adult health plan members with a trauma diagnosis and Glasgow Coma Scale score at ED triage were included. A multicomponent intervention included clinical leadership endorsement, physician education, and integrated clinical decision support. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients receiving a head CT. The unit of analysis was ED encounter, and we compared CT use pre‐ and postintervention with generalized estimating equations segmented logistic regression, with physician as a clustering variable. Secondary analysis described the yield of identified head injuries pre‐ and postintervention. Results Included were 44,947 encounters (28,751 preintervention and 16,196 postintervention), resulting in 14,633 (32.6%) head CTs (9,758 preintervention and 4,875 postintervention), with an absolute 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5% to 8.1%) reduction in CT use postintervention. Adjusted pre‐post comparison showed a trend in decreasing odds of imaging (odds ratio 0.98; 95% CI 0.96 to 0.99). All but one ED reduced CTs postintervention (0.3% to 8.7%, one ED 0.3% increase), but no interaction between the intervention and study site over time existed (P=.34). After the intervention, diagnostic yield of CT‐identified intracranial injuries increased by 2.3% (95% CI 1.5% to 3.1%). Conclusion A multicomponent implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule was associated with a modest reduction in CT use and an increased diagnostic yield of head CTs for adult trauma encounters in community EDs.