Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Six recently published algorithms classify pneumonia patients presenting from the community into high- and low-risk groups for resistant bacteria. Our objective was to compare performance of these algorithms for identifying patients infected with bacteria resistant to traditional community-acquired pneumonia antibiotics. ⋯ All algorithms for identification of resistant bacteria included in this study had suboptimal performance to guide antibiotic selection. New strategies for selecting empirical antibiotics for community-onset pneumonia are necessary.
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Multicenter Study
Ontario's Emergency Department Process Improvement Program: The Experience of Implementation.
In recent years, Lean manufacturing principles have been applied to health care quality improvement efforts to improve wait times. In Ontario, an emergency department (ED) process improvement program based on Lean principles was introduced by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as part of a strategy to reduce ED length of stay (LOS) and to improve patient flow. This article aims to describe the hospital-based teams' experiences during the ED process improvement program implementation and the teams' perceptions of the key factors that influenced the program's success or failure. ⋯ Several key factors were identified as important to the success of the program, such as preparing for implementation, ensuring strong executive support, creation of implementation teams based on the tasks and outcomes of the initiative, and using multiple communication strategies throughout the implementation process. Explicit incorporation of these factors into the development and implementation of future similar interventions in health care settings could be useful.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Measurement and Monitoring of Nausea Severity in Emergency Department Patients: A Comparison of Scales and Exploration of Treatment Efficacy Outcome Measures.
The objective was to investigate the correlation of the visual analog scale (VAS) and numeric rating scale (NRS) for nausea severity measurement and to explore options for improved reporting of antiemetic efficacy trial results. ⋯ The VAS and NRS correlate highly. A VAS cutoff level of ≥-5 mm was a good predictor of symptom improvement, suggesting that its inclusion as an outcome measure would enhance reporting in antiemetic efficacy trials.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Prospective Randomized Trial of Insulin Glargine in Acute Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Study.
The objective was to determine the efficacy of coadministration of subcutaneous (SQ) insulin glargine in combination with intravenous (IV) insulin for treating diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). ⋯ Coadministration of glargine in combination with an insulin infusion in the acute management of DKA is feasible. Further study is needed to determine the true efficacy in terms of TCAG and hospital LOS.