Michael P. Phelan

Improving Handoffs in the Emergency Department

Patient handoffs at shift change are a ubiquitous and potentially hazardous process in emergency care. As crowding and lengthy evaluations become the standard for an increasing proportion of emergency departments (EDs), the number of patients handed off will likely increase. It is critical now more than ever before to ensure that handoffs supply valid and useful shared understandings between providers at transitions of care. The purpose of this article is to provide the most up-to-date evidence and collective thinking about the process and safety of handoffs between physicians in the ED. It offers perspectives from other disciplines, provides a conceptual framework for handoffs, and categorizes models of existing practices. Legal and risk management issues are also addressed. A proposal for the development of handoff quality measures is outlined. Practical strategies are suggested to improve ED handoffs. Finally, a research agenda is proposed to provide a roadmap to future work that may increase knowledge in this area.

The Oblique View: An Alternative Approach for Ultrasound-Guided Central Line Placement

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have shown significant benefits of using real-time ultrasonography for central line intravenous access. Traditionally, the ultrasound probe is placed along the short axis of the vein to visualize and direct needle placement. This view has some limitations, particularly being able to visualize the needle tip. Some practitioners place the ultrasound probe in the long axis of the vessel to direct needle placement, allowing better visualization of the needle entering the vein, but this does not allow visualization of relevant anatomic structures. OBJECTIVES We describe an alternative means to obtain ultrasound-guided vascular access using an oblique axis rather than the traditional short-axis approach. DISCUSSION This view allows better visualization of the needle shaft and tip but also offers the safety of being able to visualize all relevant anatomically significant structures at the same time and in the same plane. This orientation is halfway between the short and long axis of the vessel, allowing visualization of the needle as it enters the vessel. This capitalizes on the strengths of the long axis while optimizing short-axis visualization of important structures during intravenous line placement. CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided vascular access can be obtained in a variety of ways. We describe a technique that is used by some experienced ultrasound users but that has never been fully described in the literature. This technique for obtaining ultrasound-guided vascular access offers another option for attempting ultrasound-guided vascular access that has the potential to improve success rates and minimize complications associated with intravenous access.

Assessment of Medicare's imaging efficiency measure for emergency department patients with atraumatic headache.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Computed tomography (CT) use has increased rapidly, raising concerns about radiation exposure and cost. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed an imaging efficiency measure (Outpatient Measure 15 [OP-15]) to evaluate the use of brain CT in the emergency department (ED) for atraumatic headache. We aim to determine the reliability, validity, and accuracy of OP-15. METHODS This was a retrospective record review at 21 US EDs. We identified 769 patient visits that CMS labeled as including an inappropriate brain CT to identify clinical indications for CT and reviewed the 748 visits with available records. The primary outcome was the reliability of OP-15 as determined by CMS from administrative data compared with medical record review. Secondary outcomes were the measures validity and accuracy. Outcome measures were defined according to the testing protocol of the American Medical Associations Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement. RESULTS On record review, 489 of 748 ED brain CTs identified as inappropriate by CMS had a measure exclusion documented that was not identified by administrative data; the measure was 34.6% reliable (95% confidence interval [CI] 31.2% to 38.0%). Among the 259 patient visits without measure exclusions documented in the record, the measures validity was 47.5% (95% CI 41.4% to 53.6%), according to a consensus list of indications for brain CT. Overall, 623 of the 748 ED visits had either a measure exclusion or a consensus indication for CT; the measures accuracy was 16.7% (95% CI 14% to 19.4%). Hospital performance as reported by CMS did not correlate with the proportion of CTs with a documented clinical indication (r=-0.11; P=.63). CONCLUSION The CMS imaging efficiency measure for brain CTs (OP-15) is not reliable, valid, or accurate and may produce misleading information about hospital ED performance.

Appropriate documentation of confirmation of endotracheal tube position and relationship to patient outcome from in-hospital cardiac arrest☆

OBJECTIVES To determine the rate of appropriate documentation of endotracheal tube (ET) position confirmation in the American Heart Associations Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation (GWTG-R) and to determine whether outcomes of patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest differ in relation to documentation rate. DESIGN Analysis of data from the GWTG-R, a prospective observational registry of in-hospital cardiac arrest and resuscitation. SETTING Database containing clinical information from the 507 hospitals participating in the GWTG-R. PATIENTS Adults resuscitated after in-hospital cardiac arrest. MEASUREMENTS The rate of appropriate documentation of ET position confirmation, defined as the use of capnography or an esophageal detector device (EDD); relationship between appropriate documentation of ET position confirmation and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or survival to hospital discharge. Proportions with 95% CI are reported for prevalence data. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between appropriate documentation of ET position confirmation and outcome (ROSC, survival to hospital discharge). Adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios are reported. MAIN RESULTS Of the 176,054 patients entered into the GWTG-R database, 75,777 had an ET placed. For 13,263 (17.5%) of these patients, ET position confirmation was not documented in the chart. Auscultation alone was documented in 19,480 (25.7%) cases. Confirmation of ET position by capnography or EDD was documented in 43,034 (56.8%) cases. ROSC occurred in 39,063 (51.6%), and 13,474 (17.8%) survived to discharge. Patients whose ET position was confirmed by capnography or EDD were more likely to have ROSC (adjusted OR 1.229 [1.179, 1.282]) and to survive to hospital discharge (adjusted OR 1.093 [1.033, 1.157]). CONCLUSION Documentation of ET position confirmation in patients who experience cardiac arrest is suboptimal. Appropriate documentation of ET position confirmation in the GWTG-R is associated with greater likelihood of ROSC and survival to hospital discharge.

Improving Emergency Department Door-to-electrocardiogram Time in St Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

For patients presenting to emergency departments (ED) with a suspected acute coronary syndrome, time of arrival until an electrocardiogram is performed is an important quality metric. In our ED routine quality monitoring found that mean door-to-electrocardiogram (D2ECG) time did not meet our goal and national benchmark of 10 minutes. We describe the use of quality improvement tools to assess and decrease our D2ECG time. The ED quality improvement committee identified 2 main causes of D2ECG >10 minutes: (1) priority delay (eg, completing triage and registration data entry tasks before ECG), and (2) failure to recognize patients with nonchest pain ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) symptoms. Interventions included are-designed patient prioritization process for triage, staff assignment to provide immediate ECG testing, continuous feedback and a triage staff educational initiative to identify high risk patients. Mean time to ECG before intervention was 21.28 +/- 5.49 minutes. After the intervention period, the mean D2ECG for STEMI decreased to 9.47 +/- 2.48 minutes representing a 55% improvement. A D2ECG time of less than 10 minutes time can be achieved by the implementation of patient prioritization triage process changes, assigning specific personnel to obtain the ECG, continuous feedback by reviewing cases that fall outside the 10-minute goal and by ED staff education regarding STEMI symptoms other than chest pain.

Do echo-enhanced needles improve time to cannulate in a model of short-axis ultrasound-guided vascular access for a group of mostly inexperienced ultrasound users?

BackgroundVascular access is a critical skill for emergency physicians. However, it can be unpredictably challenging in some patients. While ultrasound-guided vascular access has been encouraged in emergency departments, there have been few studies evaluating echo-enhanced needles and their usefulness in performing vascular access.AimsOur purpose was to determine if the use of an echo-enhanced needle tip results in faster vascular access times, with fewer needle sticks, fewer redirections, and improved needle visualization in ultrasound-guided vascular access with the vessel in the short axis.MethodsThis is a prospective, randomized, observational study of ultrasound-guided vascular access on a vascular phantom comparing an echo-enhanced needle with a standard needle. Each participant viewed a teaching video demonstrating typical ultrasound-guided vascular access and then attempted ultrasound-guided vascular access using both a standard and an echo-enhanced needle with the vessel in the short axis. The numbers of needle sticks, redirections, and time to dye flash were measured.ResultsThe 69 participants attempted 69 short-axis ultrasound-guided vascular cannulations with no difference in time to dye flash between needle types: the median time from needle stick to flash was 17.56 s [interquartile range (IQR): 12.37–33.15] for the standard needle and 19.22 s (IQR: 10.19–31.10) for the echo-enhanced needle. There was no difference between needle types for number of needle sticks or redirects.ConclusionEcho-enhanced needles did not provide objective performance improvement compared to standard needles during ultrasound-guided vascular access with a vascular access model in the short axis.

Subconjunctival hemorrhage in a patient on dabigatran (Pradaxa).

Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor that has gained increasing popularity for prevention of thromboembolic events such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, and myocardial ischemia. Because of the increasing use of this drug, emergency department (ED) physicians are going to be evaluating patients taking this medication. It is important to understand the potential for ocular bleeding complications associated with this class of anticoagulant. Traditionally, patients have been placed on vitamin K antagonists to decrease the risk of thromboembolism. In the RE-LY and RE-COVER studies, dabigatran showed non-inferiority to coumadin in atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolic events [1,2]. Ocular hemorrhage was noted in the studies, but it did not threaten patients’ vision and was classified as minor bleeding [3,4]. In this case report, we describe a patient on dabigatran, who presented with acute bleeding from a non-traumatic subconjunctival hemorrhage of the left eye. A 76-year-old man came to the ED for assessment of bleeding from his left eye, which started shortly after he woke up that morning. His medical history was significant for diabetes mellitus, chronic atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease with recent multivessel stenting. In addition to dabigatran, the patients medications included aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), digoxin, simvastatin, sitagliptin (Januvia), atenolol, and metformin. He had taken the prescribed dose of dabigatran 12 hours before coming to the ED. The patient stated that, after waking up, he felt a strange sensation in his left eye. He noticed a small red dot on the left eye, which subsequently started to bleed profusely. Minor relief was achieved with direct pressure. He had no history of similar events. He had not experienced recent excessive coughing, straining, or direct eye or facial trauma. The patient reported that he did not have blood dyscrasias. He described no changes in vision, pain with extraocular eye movements, photophobia, floaters, or flashes. ☆ No sources of support (equipment, drugs, grants). 0735-6757/

Consultation times in emergency telemedicine using realtime videoconferencing

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A Survey of the Use of Time-Out Protocols in Emergency Medicine

We reviewed 2135 consecutive emergency teleconsultations, which were received at an academic emergency department from state correctional facilities. During the 52-week study period, an average of 5.8 video-consultations per day were performed. A total of 1522 consultations (71%) had complete start and end consultation times, and were included in the analysis. Of these, 923 were managed primarily by emergency medicine residents and physician assistants, while the remaining 599 were managed by attending physicians alone. Following consultation, the disposition of the patients included 940 who were transported to the emergency department, 351 who were discharged to the general facility population and 193 who were admitted to the local infirmary. Overall, 38% of patients avoided a journey to the emergency department. The average consultation time was 17 min (95% confidence interval [CI], 10–24). The average consultation time for residents and physician assistants was 16 min (95% CI, 8–24) and it was 19 min (95% CI, 11–27) for attending physicians. Consultation time for patients not transported to the emergency room was 21 min (95% CI, 13–29), while for patients transferred to an emergency department, consultation time was 15 min (95% CI, 9–21). These results may assist in planning the workforce requirements for emergency department-based telemedicine services.

Utility of Ecological Risk Factors for Evaluation of Transplant Center Performance

BACKGROUND Time-outs, as one of the elements of the Joint Commission Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery has been in effect since July 1, 2004. Time-outs are required by The Joint Commission for all hospital procedures regardless of location, including emergency departments (EDs). Attitudes about ED time-outs were assessed for a sample of senior emergency physicians serving in leadership roles for a national professional society. METHODS A survey questionnaire was administered to members of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Council at the October 2009 ACEP Council meeting on the use of time-outs in the ED. A total of 225 (72%) of the 331 councilors present filled out the survey. RESULTS Twenty-nine (13%) of respondents were unaware of a formal time-out policy in their ED, 79 (35%) reported that ED time-outs were warranted, and 5 (2%) reported they knew of an instance where a time-out may have prevented an error. Chest tubes (167 respondents [74%]) and the use of sedation (142 respondents [63%]) were most commonly identified as ED procedures that necessitated a time-out. Episodes of any wrong-site error in their EDs were reported by 16 (7%) of the respondents. Wrong patient (9 respondents [4%]) and wrong procedure (2 respondents [1%]) errors were less common. CONCLUSIONS Although the time-out requirement has been in effect since 2004, more than 1 in 10 of ED physicians in this sample ofED physician leaders were unaware of it. According to the respondents, medical errors preventable by time-outs were rare; however, time-outs may be useful for certain procedures, particularly when there is a risk of wrong-site, wrong-patient, or wrong-procedure medical errors.