Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most prevalent hospital-acquired infection, yet little is known about emergency department (ED) use of urinary catheters. The objective was to describe use of urinary catheters in U.S. EDs and determine the proportion that was potentially avoidable. ⋯ Reducing use of urinary catheters outside of CDC guideline criteria in ED patients is a promising strategy to reduce CAUTIs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Evidence-based narratives to improve recall of opioid prescribing guidelines: a randomized experiment.
Physicians adopt evidence-based guidelines with variable consistency. Narratives, or stories, offer a novel dissemination strategy for clinical recommendations. The study objective was to compare whether evidence-based narrative versus traditional summary improved recall of opioid prescribing guidelines from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). ⋯ Physicians exposed to a narrative about opioid guidelines were more likely to recall guideline content at 1 hour than those exposed to a summary of the guidelines. Future studies should examine whether the incorporation of narratives in dissemination campaigns improves guideline adoption and changes clinical practice
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized Clinical Trial of Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen Versus Codeine/Acetaminophen in the Treatment of Acute Extremity Pain After Emergency Department Discharge.
The objective was to test the hypothesis that hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin [5/500]) provides more efficacious analgesia than codeine/acetaminophen (Tylenol #3 [30/300]) in patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). Both are currently Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Schedule III narcotics. ⋯ Both medications decreased NRS pain scores by approximately 50%. However, the oral hydrocodone/acetaminophen failed to provide clinically or statistically superior pain relief compared to oral codeine/acetaminophen when prescribed to patients discharged from the ED with acute extremity pain. Similarly, there were no clinically or statistically important differences in side-effect profiles or patient satisfaction. If the DEA reclassifies hydrocodone as a Schedule II narcotic, as recently recommended by its advisory board, our data suggest that the codeine/acetaminophen may be a clinically reasonable Schedule III substitute for hydrocodone/acetaminophen at ED discharge. These findings should be regarded as tentative and require independent validation in similar and other acute pain models.
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Observational Study
Reduction of Admit Wait Times: The Effect of a Leadership-based Program.
Prolonged admit wait times in the emergency department (ED) for patients who require hospitalization lead to increased boarding time in the ED, a significant cause of ED congestion. This is associated with decreased quality of care, higher morbidity and mortality, decreased patient satisfaction, increased costs for care, ambulance diversion, higher numbers of patients who leave without being seen (LWBS), and delayed care with longer lengths of stay (LOS) for other ED patients. The objective was to assess the effect of a leadership-based program to expedite hospital admissions from the ED. ⋯ A leadership-based program to reduce admit wait times and boarding times was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of patients admitted to the hospital within 60 minutes and a significant decrease in boarding time. Also associated with the program were decreased ED LOS, LWBS rate, and ambulance diversion, as well as increased patient satisfaction.
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Studies suggest that intraosseous (IO) access is underutilized in adult resuscitations, despite recommendations from advanced trauma and cardiac life support guidelines. The objective was to determine factors associated with IO access use by physicians during adult resuscitations when intravenous (IV) access is not immediately achievable. ⋯ These data are an important step in the knowledge-to-action process, as they identify specific factors associated with physician use of IO access. Interventions addressing these actionable facilitators and barriers are likely to have a positive effect on increasing the appropriate physician use of this potentially life-saving technique in adult patients requiring emergent vascular access.