Shelley M. Layman

Emergency Visits for Prescription Opioid Poisonings

BACKGROUND Prescription opioid abuse and overdose has steadily increased in the United States (US) over the past two decades, and current research has shown a dramatic increase in hospitalizations resulting from opioid poisonings. Still, much is unknown about the clinical and demographic features of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) for poisoning from prescription drugs. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate ED visits by adults for prescription opioids. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study utilizing 2006-2011 data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Total number of admissions (weighted), disposition, gender, age, expected payer, income, geographic region, charges, and procedures performed were examined. RESULTS From 2006 through 2010, there were 259,093 ED visits by adults for poisoning by opioids, and 53.50% of these were unintentional. The overall mean age of patients was 45.5 years, with more visits made by females (52.37%). Patients who unintentionally overdosed were more likely to have Medicare (36.54%), whereas those who intentionally overdosed had private insurance (29.41%). The majority of patients resided in the South (40.93%) and came from lower-income neighborhoods. Approximately 108,504 patients were discharged, and 140,395 were admitted. CONCLUSIONS There were over 250,000 visits to US EDs from 2006 through 2011 with a primary diagnosis of poisoning by a prescription opioid. Females made the majority of visits, and over half were admitted to the hospital, resulting in over

Emergency department visits by pediatric patients for poisoning by prescription opioids.

4 billion in charges. Future studies should examine preventative measures, optimal screening, and intervention programs for these patients.

A 5-year comparison of ED visits by homeless and nonhomeless patients

ABSTRACT Background: Prescription medication abuse is an increasingly recognized problem in the United States. As more opioids are being prescribed and abused by adults, there is an increased risk of both accidental and intentional exposure to children and adolescents. The impact of pediatric exposures to prescription pain pills has not been well studied. Objectives: We sought to evaluate emergency department (ED) visits for poisoning by prescription opioids in pediatric patients. Methods: This retrospective study looked at clinical and demographic data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) from 2006 to 2012. Results: There were 21,928 pediatric ED visits for prescription opioid poisonings and more than half were unintentional. There was a bimodal age distribution of patients, with slightly more than half occurring in females. The majority of patients were discharged from the ED. More visits in the younger age group (0–5 years) were unintentional, while the majority of visits in the adolescent age group (15–17 years) were intentional. Mean charge per discharge was

Introducing medical students into the emergency department: The impact upon patient satisfaction

1,840 and

Lipoleiomyoma Causing Adnexal Torsion A Rare Mass Initially Diagnosed on Bedside Screening Sonogram

14,235 for admissions and surmounted to over

Visits by the elderly to United States EDs for alcohol-related disorders ☆,☆☆

81 million in total charges. Conclusion: Poisonings by prescription opioids largely impact both young children and adolescents. These findings can be used to help target this population for future preventive efforts.

4 th year ultrasound elective at West Virginia University: methods and impact

BACKGROUND A 2005 study examined emergency department (ED) utilization by homeless patients in the United States. Within the following 5 years, unemployment increased by 5%. OBJECTIVE The objective was to analyze changes in ED utilization between 2005 and 2010 by homeless patients and compare with nonhomeless visits. METHODS Data from the 2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were evaluated. RESULTS Approximately 679854 visits were made by homeless patients, the majority of which were made by men (72.3%) and patients between the ages of 45 and 64 (50.5%). Homeless patients were twice as likely to be uninsured. ED visits by homeless patients had increased by 44% during the 5-year period. Arrival to the ED by ambulance increased by 14% between the study years, and homeless patients were less likely to be admitted. CONCLUSION The number of visits by homeless patients in the ED increased proportionally to an overall increase in ED visits between 2005 and 2010.

304 Computerized Screening for Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide Risk in an Emergency Department

Introduction Performance on patient satisfaction surveys is becoming increasingly important for practicing emergency physicians and the introduction of learners into a new clinical environment may impact such scores. This study aimed to quantify the impact of introducing fourth-year medical students on patient satisfaction in two university-affiliated community emergency departments (EDs). Methods Two community-based EDs in the Indiana University Health (IUH) system began hosting medical students in March 2011 and October 2013, respectively. We analyzed responses from patient satisfaction surveys at each site for seven months before and after the introduction of students. Two components of the survey, “Would you recommend this ED to your friends and family?” and “How would you rate this facility overall?” were selected for analysis, as they represent the primary questions reviewed by the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) as part of value-based purchasing. We evaluated the percentage of positive responses for adult, pediatric, and all patients combined. Results Analysis did not reveal a statistically significant difference in the percentage of positive response for the “would you recommend” question at both clinical sites with regards to the adult and pediatric subgroups, as well as the all-patient group. At one of the sites, there was significant improvement in the percentage of positive response to the “overall rating” question following the introduction of medical students when all patients were analyzed (60.3% to 68.2%, p=0.038). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the “overall rating” when the pediatric or adult subgroups were analyzed at this site and no significant difference was observed in any group at the second site. Conclusion The introduction of medical students in two community-based EDs is not associated with a statistically significant difference in overall patient satisfaction, but was associated with a significant positive effect on the overall rating of the ED at one of the two clinical sites studied. Further study is needed to evaluate the effect of medical student learners upon patient satisfaction in settings outside of a single health system.

Right Lower Quadrant Pain in a Young Female: Ultrasound Diagnosis of Rectus Abdominis Tear.

Abdominal pain in women of reproductive age is a frequently encountered chief complaint in the emergency department. Adnexal torsion is a time-sensitive diagnosis that is essential for emergency physicians to consider in the initial differential diagnosis. Bedside sonography can be used to assist the clinician in the detection of adnexal masses placing the patient at risk for torsion. Lipoleiomyomas are uncommon, benign neoplasms consisting of variable portions of mature lipocytes, smooth muscle, or fibrous tissue. Very few cases have been reported, with no cases previously reported by emergency physicians using bedside ultrasound. A case is presented of a middle-aged woman who presented to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. At the time of the initial history and physical examination, bedside screening sonogram was performed, which allowed rapid diagnosis of a large, heterogeneous, relatively avascular adnexal mass that was later identified as a lipoleiomyoma, a rare adnexal neoplasm, that resulted in adnexal torsion.