Facets of operational performance in an emergency room (ER)

This paper, using detailed time measurements of patients complemented by interviews with hospital management and staff, examines three facets of an emergency room's (ER) operational performance: (1) effectiveness of the triage system in rationing patient treatment; (2) factors influencing ER's operational performance in general and the trade-offs in flow times, inventory levels (that is the number of patients waiting in the system), and resource utilization; (3) the impacts of potential process and staffing changes to improve the ER's performance. Specifically, the paper discusses four proposals for streamlining the patient flow: establishing designated tracks (fast track, diagnostic track), creating a holding area for certain type of patients, introducing a protocol that would reduce the load on physicians by allowing a registered nurse to order testing and treatment for some patients, and potentially and in the longer term, moving from non-ER specialist physicians to ER specialists. The paper's findings are based on analyzing the paths and flow times of close to two thousand patients in the emergency room of the Medical Center of Leeuwarden (MCL), The Netherlands. Using exploratory data analysis the paper presents generalizable findings about the impacts of various factors on ER's lead-time performance and shows how the proposals fit with well-documented process improvement theories. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of collaboration between emergency nurses and paramedics

Collaboration between emergency room (ER) nurses and paramedics is vital due to the increasing number of critically ill patients entering the hospital via the "911" system. This descriptive study examined the perception of the collaborative relationship using the Revised Pehl Collaboration Scale (RPCS) and by qualitative data from four free response questions. The results of this study indicated that the overall relationship between the ER nurses and paramedics was friendly but not fully trusting. The content analysis of the free response questions identified that the "report" of patient information was the origin the most conflict. The nurses felt that paramedic patient assessment, patient priorities, and by-pass protocol were problems. Whereas, the paramedics identified the nurses condescending manner and mistrust, not being "listened" to, and overcrowded emergency rooms as the source of conflict. Data was not statistically significant with regards to personal attributes or social demographics from the RPCS.

A utilização da pesquisa operacional para o gerenciamento dos leitos em um hospital particular: estudo de caso baseado em simulação computacional

The hospital is a place of complex actions, where several activities for serving the population are performed such as: medical appointments, exams, surgeries, emergency care, admission in wards and ICUs. These activities are mixed with anxiety, impatience, despair and distress of patients and their families, issues involving emotional balance both for professionals who provide services for them as for people cared by them. The healthcare crisis in Brazil is getting worse every year and today, constitutes a major problem for private hospitals. The patient that comes to emergencies progressively increase, and in contrast, there is no supply of hospital beds in the same proportion, causing overcrowding, declines in the quality of care delivered to patients, drain of professionals of the health area and difficulty in management the beds. This work presents a study that seeks to create an alternative tool that can contribute to the management of a private hospital beds. It also seeks to identify potential issues or deficiencies and therefore make changes in flow for an increase in service capacity, thus reducing costs without compromising the quality of services provided. The tool used was the Computational Simulation –based in discrete event, which aims to identify the main parameters to be considered for a proper modeling of this system. This study took as reference the admission of a private hospital, based on the current scenario, where your apartments are in saturation level as its occupancy rate. The relocation of project beds aims to meet the growing demand for surgeries and hospital admissions observed by the current administration.

The potential for pharmacists to manage children attending emergency departments

AIM: There have been concerns about maintaining appropriate clinical staff levels in Emergency Departments in England.1 The aim of this study was to determine if Emergency Department attendees aged from 0-16 years could be managed by community pharmacists or hospital independent prescriber pharmacists with or without further advanced clinical practice training. METHOD: A prospective, 48 site, cross-sectional, observational study of patients attending Emergency Departments (ED) in England, UK was conducted. Pharmacists at each site collected up to 400 admissions and paediatric patients were included in the data collection. The pharmacist independent prescribers (one for each site) were asked to identify patient attendance at their Emergency Department, record anonymised details of the cases-age, weight, presenting complaint, clinical grouping (e.g. medicine, orthopaedics), and categorise each presentation into one of four possible categories: CP, Community Pharmacist, cases which could be managed by a community pharmacist outside an ED setting; IP-cases that could be managed at ED by a hospital pharmacist with independent prescriber status; IPT, Independent Prescriber Pharmacist with additional training-cases which could be managed at ED by a hospital pharmacist independent prescriber with additional clinical training; and MT, Medical Team only-cases that were unsuitable for the pharmacist to manage. An Impact Index was calculated for the two most frequent clinical groupings using the formula: Impact index=percentage of the total workload of the clinical grouping multiplied by the percentage ability of pharmacists to manage that clinical group. RESULTS: 1623 out of 18,229 (9%) attendees, from 45 of the 48 sites, were children aged from 0 to 16 years of age (median 8 yrs, range 0-16), 749 were female and 874 were male. Of the 1623 admissions, 9% of the cases were judged to be suitable for clinical management by a community pharmacist (CP), 4% suitable for a hospital pharmacist independent prescriber (IP), 32% suitable for a hospital independent pharmacist prescriber with additional training (IPT); and the remaining 55% were only suitable for the Medical Team (MT). The most frequent clinical groups and impact index for the attendees were General Medicine=10.78 and orthopaedics=10.60. CONCLUSION: Paediatric patients attending Emergency Departments were judged by pharmacists to be suitable for management outside a hospital setting in approximately 1 in 11 cases, and by hospital independent prescriber pharmacists in 4 in 10 cases. With further training, it was found that the total proportion of cases that could be managed by a pharmacist was 45%. The greatest impact for pharmacist management occurs in general medicine and orthopaedics.

Self-cutting and prospective repetition of self-harm: studies of emergency department presentations in Ireland

Background Self-harm places an individual at increased risk of future self-harm and suicide, and indicates distress and maladaptive coping. Those who present to hospital with self-cutting form a significant minority of self-harm patients who are at increased risk of prospective repetition of self-harm and suicide compared with those presenting with intentional overdose. In addition to increased risk, there is emerging evidence of demographic, psychological, clinical, and social differences between those presenting with self-cutting and those presenting with overdose. Aim and Key Objectives The aim of the current doctoral work was to examine in detail the association between presenting with self-cutting and risk of prospective repetition. The objectives were: to identify evidence-based risk factors for repetition of self-harm among those presenting to emergency departments with self-harm; to compare demographic and presentation characteristics and prospective repetition across presentations of self-cutting only, self-cutting plus intentional overdose, and intentional overdose only; to compare prospective repetition and other characteristics within self-cutting presentations based on the type of treatment received; to compare self-cutting and intentional overdose patients on psychological risk and protective factors for repetition; and to examine the lived experience of engaging in repeated overdose and self-cutting. Methods The current doctoral work used a mixed-methods approach and is comprised of one systematic review and four empirical studies. The empirical studies were two registry-based prospective studies of Irish hospital presentations of self-harm, one prospective structured interview study, and one qualitative study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results The systematic review identified several consistent and emerging risk factors for repetition of self-harm, compared to which self-cutting had a medium-sized effect. The registry studies demonstrated that the involvement of self-cutting, particularly less medically severe selfcutting, confers an increased risk of 1-month and 12-month repetition among Irish index selfharm presentations. The structured psychological study detected higher hopelessness and lower non-reactivity to inner experience among those presenting with self-cutting, and higher depression among those who repeated self-harm. Repeaters had lower baseline levels of protective psychological factors than non-repeaters and continued to have higher depression and hopelessness at follow-up. Finally, the qualitative study indicated that self-harm is a purposeful action taken in response to an overwhelming situation and is evaluated afterwards in terms of personal and social effects. Chosen method of self-harm seemed to be influenced by the desired outcome of the self-harm act, capability, accessibility and previous experience. Conclusion Despite limitations in terms of recruitment rates, the work presented in this thesis is innovative in examining the issue of the association between self-cutting and repetition from multiple perspectives. No one factor can reliably predict all repetition but self-cutting represents one consistent and easily detected risk factor for repetition. Those who present with self-cutting exhibit significant differences on demographic, clinical, and psychological variables compared with those presenting with intentional overdose, and seem to exhibit a more vulnerable profile. However, those who present with self-cutting do not form a discrete or homogenous group, and self-harm methods and levels of suicidal intent are liable to fluctuate over time.

Characteristics of hospital-treated intentional drug overdose in Ireland and Northern Ireland

OBJECTIVES This study compared the profile of intentional drug overdoses (IDOs) presenting to emergency departments in Ireland and in the Western Trust Area of Northern Ireland between 2007 and 2012. Specifically the study aimed to compare characteristics of the patients involved, to explore the factors associated with repeated IDO and to report the prescription rates of common drug types in the population. METHODS We utilised data from two comparable registries which monitor the incidence of hospital-treated self-harm, recording data from deliberate self-harm presentations involving an IDO to all hospital emergency departments for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012. RESULTS Between 2007 and 2012 the registries recorded 56,494 self-harm presentations involving an IDO. The study showed that hospital-treated IDO was almost twice as common in Northern Ireland than in Ireland (278 vs 156/100,000, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Despite the overall difference in the rates of IDO, the profile of such presentations was remarkably similar in both countries. Minor tranquillisers were the drugs most commonly involved in IDOs. National campaigns are required to address the availability and misuse of minor tranquillisers, both prescribed and non-prescribed.

Use of analgesics in intentional drug overdose presentations to hospital before and after the withdrawal of distalgesic from the Irish market

BACKGROUND: Distalgesic, the prescription-only analgesic compound of paracetamol (325 mg) and dextropropoxyphene (32.5 mg) known as co-proxamol in the UK, was withdrawn from the Irish market as of January 2006. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the withdrawal of distalgesic in terms of intentional drug overdose (IDO) presentations to hospital emergency departments (EDs) nationally. METHODS: A total of 42,849 IDO presentations to 37 of the 40 hospitals EDs operating in Ireland in 2003-2008 were recorded according to standardised procedures. Data on sales of paracetamol-containing drugs to retail pharmacies for the period 1998-2008 were obtained from IMS Health. RESULTS: The withdrawal of distalgesic from the Irish market resulted in an immediate reduction in sales to retail pharmacies from 40 million tablets in 2005 to 500,000 tablets in 2006 while there was a 48% increase in sales of other prescription compound analgesics. The rate of IDO presentations to hospital involving distalgesic in 2006- 2008 was 84% lower than in the three years before it was withdrawn (10.0 per 100,000). There was a 44% increase in the rate of IDO presentations involving other prescription compound analgesics but the magnitude of this rate increase was five times smaller than the magnitude of the decrease in distalgesic-related IDO presentations. There was a decreasing trend in the rate of presentations involving any paracetamol-containing drug that began in the years before the distalgesic withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: The withdrawal of distalgesic has had positive benefits in terms of IDO presentations to hospital in Ireland and provides evidence supporting the restriction of availability of means as a prevention strategy for suicidal behaviour.

Barriers to reporting child maltreatment: do emergency medical services professionals fully understand their role as mandatory reporters?

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment is underreported in the United States and in North Carolina. In North Carolina and other states, mandatory reporting laws require various professionals to make reports, thereby helping to reduce underreporting of child maltreatment. This study aims to understand why emergency medical services (EMS) professionals may fail to report suspicions of maltreatment despite mandatory reporting policies. METHODS: A web-based, anonymous, voluntary survey of EMS professionals in North Carolina was used to assess knowledge of their agency's written protocols and potential reasons for underreporting suspicion of maltreatment (n=444). Results were based on descriptive statistics. Responses of line staff and leadership personnel were compared using chi-square analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of respondents were unaware of their agency's written protocols regarding reporting of child maltreatment. Additionally, 25% of EMS professionals who knew of their agency's protocol incorrectly believed that the report should be filed by someone other than the person with firsthand knowledge of the suspected maltreatment. Leadership personnel generally understood reporting requirements better than did line staff. Respondents indicated that peers may fail to report maltreatment for several reasons: they believe another authority would file the report, including the hospital (52.3%) or law enforcement (27.7%); they are uncertain whether they had witnessed abuse (47.7%); and they are uncertain about what should be reported (41.4%). LIMITATIONS: This survey may not generalize to all EMS professionals in North Carolina. CONCLUSIONS: Training opportunities for EMS professionals that address proper identification and reporting of child maltreatment, as well as cross-agency information sharing, are warranted.

Características clínicas y epidemiológicas del neumotórax en personas de 18 años y más: Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso y Teófilo Dávila de Machala, 2007-2011

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo- retrospectivo desde enero de 2007 a diciembre del 2011. El universo estuvo constituido por los pacientes de 18 años y más con diagnóstico de Neumotórax, internados en los departamentos de cirugía del Hospital Regional Vicente Corral Moscoso y Hospital Teófilo Dávila. Para el levantamiento de la información se utilizó un formulario previamente diseñado. Los datos se transcribieron de las historias clínicas a los formularios respectivos. Resultados: Se incluyeron 73 pacientes del HTD y 52 del HVCM, el neumotórax de mayor prevalencia fue el traumático con el 85.6% de los casos, izquierdo en el 54.4%; las características clínicas de mayor relevancia fueron: dolor moderado 40.8%; taquicardia 15.2%; desviación de la tráquea hacia la derecha 32.8%; distención de las venas del cuello 38.4%; hipersonoridad 76.8%; murmullo vesicular disminuido 80%; disnea 99.2%; cianosis 22.4%; los método diagnósticos presentaron la siguiente prevalencia: radiografía de tórax 100%; tomografía 27.2% y resonancia en el 0.8% de los casos; el tratamiento fue en el 16% toracocentesis con aspiración de aguja y en el 100% tubo de tórax. La media de días de hospitalización fue de 5 días y la mortalidad fue del 10.4%.- Conclusiones: Se registraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambas instituciones en las características clínicas en cuanto a la procedencia, intensidad del dolor, frecuencia cardiaca, murmullo vesicular disminuido y presentación de cianosis. Además se evidencia una alta mortalidad.au

Colorectal retained foreign bodies per anum introduced. Three years retrospective study at Emergency Surgery Unit

Colorectal foreign bodies per anum introduced are not exceptional. They can be classified as high-lying or low-lying, depending on their location relative to the recto-sigmoid junction. High-lying rectal foreign bodies sometimes require surgery; low-lying ones are often palpable by digital examination and can removed at bedside. No reliable data exist regarding the frequency of inserted rectal foreign bodies and the literature is largely anecdotal. We review our experience on patients almost all males and heterosexual with retained colorectal foreign bodies and their outcome in Surgical Emergency Unit of a Southern Italy University hospital.

Microbiological assessment of indoor air quality at different hospital sites

Poor hospital indoor air quality (IAQ) may lead to hospital-acquired infections, sick hospital syndrome and various occupational hazards. Air-control measures are crucial for reducing dissemination of airborne biological particles in hospitals. The objective of this study was to perform a survey of bioaerosol quality in different sites in a Portuguese Hospital, namely the operating theater (OT), the emergency service (ES) and the surgical ward (SW). Aerobic mesophilic bacterial counts (BCs) and fungal load (FL) were assessed by impaction directly onto tryptic soy agar and malt extract agar supplemented with antibiotic chloramphenicol (0.05%) plates, respectively using a MAS-100 air sampler. The ES revealed the highest airborne microbial concentrations (BC range 240-736 CFU/m(3) CFU/m(3); FL range 27-933 CFU/m(3)), exceeding, at several sampling sites, conformity criteria defined in national legislation [6]. Bacterial concentrations in the SW (BC range 99-495 CFU/m(3)) and the OT (BC range 12-170 CFU/m(3)) were under recommended criteria. While fungal levels were below 1 CFU/m(3) in the OT, in the SW (range 1-32 CFU/m(3)), there existed a site with fungal indoor concentrations higher than those detected outdoors. Airborne Gram-positive cocci were the most frequent phenotype (88%) detected from the measured bacterial population in all indoor environments. Staphylococcus (51%) and Micrococcus (37%) were dominant among the bacterial genera identified in the present study. Concerning indoor fungal characterization, the prevalent genera were Penicillium (41%) and Aspergillus (24%). Regular monitoring is essential for assessing air control efficiency and for detecting irregular introduction of airborne particles via clothing of visitors and medical staff or carriage by personal and medical materials. Furthermore, microbiological survey data should be used to clearly define specific air quality guidelines for controlled environments in hospital settings.

Identificación bacteriana en pacientes con colecistitis aguda del servicio de cirugía Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso, Cuenca 2001

Se realizó un estudio de tipo prospectivo descriptivo, con el objeto de identificar la presencia o no de gérmenes en la bilis de pacientes que presentaron colicistitis aguda, que acudieron al servicio de emergencia y consulta externa de Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso. Durante el período de Enero a Mayo del 2001. Determinándose que esta patología al ser de inicio súbito, fue tratada en su mayoría antes de las 72 horas, siendo más frecuente en el sexo femenino, y con mayor incidencia entre la tercera y quinta década de la vida, de quienes se obtuvo bilis mediante punción de la vesícula biliar durante la colecistectomía. Luego se procedió a realizar Tinción de Gram y cultivos, los gérmenes encontrados en la tinción en fresco, fueron en su gran mayoría Gram negativos. Siendo además la E. Coli el gérmen más frecuente en medio de cultivo

Comportamiento de la patología biliar aguda y su manejo en el servicio de trauma y emergencia del Hospital "Vicente Corral Moscoso" Cuenca. Enero a junio de 2014

La patología biliar afecta a un gran porcentaje de la población adulta, motivo por el cual su tratamiento en la actualidad ha cambiado hacia un nuevo paradigma de cuidado bajo el concepto de “Acute Care Surgery” (ACS) 1 el cual se caracteriza por priorizar la valoración integral del paciente e intervención precoz de la patología. En el Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso (HVCM) bajo este modelo ACS, y mediante la utilización de protocolos estandarizados se ha logrado dar un giro importante en el tratamiento oportuno de la patología biliar mediante la utilización de herramientas habituales como pruebas de laboratorio, imagenología y si es el caso, la resolución quirúrgica mediante técnica mínimamente invasiva o por vía convencional. OBJETIVO: Describir el comportamiento de la patología biliar y su manejo en el servicio de Trauma y Emergencias del Hospital “Vicente Corral Moscoso”, durante el período de enero a junio de 2014, bajo el modelo ACS. MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo transversal, que analizó los casos de colecistitis aguda litiásica (CAL), coledocolitiasis, pancreatitis aguda biliar (PAB) y su manejo, registrado en la base de datos digital del servicio de Emergencias del Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso, bajo criterios clínicos, de laboratorio e imagenológicos, durante el periodo de enero a junio del 2014. RESULTADOS: El estudio contó con un total de 240 pacientes atendidos en el servicio de Trauma y Emergencia del HVCM, durante el periodo de enero a junio de 2014. La patología en orden de frecuencia fue: en un 47%, la Coledocolitiasis; 35% colecistitis aguda y, pancreatitis aguda biliar 18%. La prevalencia fue mayor en el sexo femenino en un 85%, 67%, y 81% respectivamente y el tratamiento se adaptó a cada patología. 1 Acute Care Surgery” (ACS): si bien no existe una definición literal hace referencia a una disciplina tripartita que engloba la cirugía de trauma, general en emergencias y cuidados críticos quirúrgicos, y que prioriza la identificación y manejo de las patologías potencialmente letales y de alta morbilidad. En nuestro medio lo más próximo a la definición seria Cirugía de Trauma y Emergencias. El manejo de la pancreatitis aguda biliar (PAB) bajo el concepto de cuidado agudo de pacientes quirúrgicos o “Acute Care Surgery” hace indispensable una intervención oportuna y temprana, utilizando todos los recursos disponibles para un manejo integral. CONCLUSIONES: La implementación del modelo de Cirugía de Trauma y Emergencias en nuestra institución ha logrado un manejo integral de colecistitis aguda litiásica, pancreatitis aguda biliar y coledocolitiasis, disminuyendo las complicaciones asociadas y evitando las recidivas de cuadros de mayor gravedad.

Qualidade e comunicação nas organizações de saúde : Aplicação prática no Hospital CUF Infante Santo

A presente dissertação discute a cada vez maior exigência de qualidade nas organizações de saúde, que deve ser encarada como uma ferramenta de gestão e de mudança, e a necessidade intrínseca de uma melhor e mais abrangente rede de comunicação, que se impõe para a transmissão de informação e conhecimento, numa sociedade que a uma velocidade atroz se encontra em constante mutação e desenvolvimento. Neste sentido, a temática em estudo assume particular importância no contexto actual, pois apenas a qualidade representa o garante da subsistência da organização abrindo caminho à eficiência e à eficácia organizacional e de interesse para a instituição, pois parte do conhecimento da percepção dos enfermeiros, que na organização de saúde estão directa e proporcionalmente relacionados com a satisfação do cliente. Os enfermeiros asseguram a manutenção dos padrões de qualidade, que a organização pretende alcançar e comunicar, sendo fundamentais na imagem global transmitida e, consequentemente, na criação de valor da própria organização. Este estudo apresenta como objectivo principal averiguar o conhecimento, o envolvimento e quais as necessidades sentidas, na perspectiva dos enfermeiros, no âmbito da comunicação organizacional, de modo a melhorar a comunicação na organização de saúde, de forma a promover uma gestão de qualidade, garantindo uma subsequente imagem global de excelência. A investigação empírica analisou de forma sistemática informação relevante na área da qualidade, da comunicação organizacional e da inovação. Assim, aplicou-se um inquérito por questionário, fundamentado nos princípios de autores como Deming (1986); Chiavenato (2004); Druker (2000); Biscaia (2000) e Jeffries, (1992), junto dos enfermeiros do Hospital CUF Infante Santo. Com a realização de uma investigação exploratório-descritiva coloca-se a tónica na definição de conceitos e na descrição de factores, através de uma abordagem híbrida qualitativa e quantitativa, foi possível empreender-se o estudo e edificar-se os resultados, que permitem fazer uma caracterização de um conjunto de necessidades a colmatar no âmbito da comunicação interna e verificar a receptividade a inovações de forma a conseguir um maior envolvimento, formação e adesão dos enfermeiros nas políticas de qualidade. As conclusões apuradas levaram à apresentação da indispensabilidade de um envolvimento dos enfermeiros na gestão organizacional ao nível das políticas de qualidade e dos processos de melhoria contínua, observando a emergência de necessidades comunicacionais, nomeadamente a intranet, numa atitude afirmativa de imposição deste canal como um importante facilitador, desde que adaptado à realidade da organização. ABSTRACT: This dissertation discusses the increasing demand for quality in health organizations, which should be seen as a management and change tool, and the intrinsic need of a better and wider communication network, which is required for the transmission of information and knowledge, in a society that is at an atrocious speed constantly changing and developing. ln this sense, the theme in study assumes particular importance in the current context, thus only the quality represents the guarantee of the continuation and existence of the organization opening the way to organizational efficiency and effectiveness and of interest to the institution, as by part of the perception knowledge of the nurses, which in the health organization are directly and proportionately related to the client’s satisfaction. The nurses ensure the maintenance of the quality standards, that the organization aims to reach and communicate, being fundamental in the global image transmitted, and consequently, in the creation of value for the organization itself. The study presents as main objective the investigation of knowledge, the involvement and which necessities needed and felt, in the nurses' perspective, within the organizational communication, as to better the communication within the health organization, in such a way to promote the quality management, guaranteeing a subsequent global image of excellence. The empirical research analyzed in systematic way information relevant in the area of quality, of the organizational communication and innovation. Thus, a survey questionnaire was applied, based on the principles of authors such as Deming (1986); Chiavenato (2004); Druker (2000); Biscaia (2000) e Jeffries, (1992), among nurses of the Infante Santo CUF Hospital. With the completion of an exploratory-descriptive research, the emphasis was put on the concepts definition and the factors description, through a quality and quantity hybrid approach, it was possible to carry out the study and edify the results, which permit in the making of a characterization of a group or set of necessities to cover in the internal communication ambit and verify the acceptability to innovations so that a greater involvement be achieved, training and adherence of the nurses in the quality policies. The conclusions reached led to the presentation of the indispensability of an involvement of the nurses in the organizational management at the level of the quality policies and the processes for continuous improvement, observing the emergency of communication needs, namely the intranet, in an affirmative attitude of imposition of this channel such as an important facilitator, as long as ifs adapted to the reality of the organization.