Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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This project aimed to identify issues patients would like to see improved when interacting with the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) and as a result generate measurable and feasible Always Events (AEs) based on patient feedback that can be implemented via a Quality Improvement (QI) process. We then looked to assess and improve on the delivery of the agreed AEs to enhance MIU patient experience. ⋯ Baseline results stood at 80% for patient satisfaction regarding information provision, rising to 88% by the end of the poster intervention and 92% by the end of the video intervention. Understanding of how the ED functions stood at 83% in the baseline sample before rising to 86% throughout the poster and video intervention. Composite survey results rose from a baseline level of 82.2% to 86.3% for the poster intervention and 88.8% by the end of the video intervention stage. Patient questionnaires indicated that information provision directly from staff was variable throughout the study period.emermed;34/12/A890-b/F1F1F1Figure 1emermed;34/12/A890-b/F2F2F2Figure 2 DISCUSSION: Implementing the AE approach in the MIU has had a positive effect on patient experience. The poster intervention had the greatest impact on enhancing patient understanding. Our study indicated that direct information provision from staff was sufficient for patients and improvements in responses were due to the project interventions. Next steps should be to further implement the video in the department via inclusion on the patient Wi-Fi homepage and waiting room television to maximise the impact of the video. The patient-staff co-design nature of this study shows the AE methods strength in improving patient-centred care. In summary, this project emphasises that the AE method is an effective, valid and beneficial form of Quality Improvement to be used within EDs which has the potential for widespread future use.
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Triage is a key principle in the effective management of a major incident. Existing triage tools have demonstrated limited performance at predicting need for life-saving intervention (LSI). Derived on a military cohort, the Modified Physiological Triage Tool (MPTT) has demonstrated improved performance. Using a civilian trauma registry, this study aimed to validate the MPTT in a civilian environment. ⋯ During the study period, 218 985 adult patients were included in the TARN database. 127 233 (58.1%) had complete data: 55.6% male, aged 61.4 (IQR 43.1-80.0) years, Injury Severity Score 9 (IQR 9-16), 96.5% suffered blunt trauma and 24 791 (19.5%) were Priority One. The MPTT (sensitivity 57.6%, specificity 71.5%) outperformed all existing triage methods with a 44.7% absolute reduction in undertriage compared with existing UK civilian methods. AUROC comparison supported the use of the MPTT over other tools (P<0.001.) CONCLUSION: Within a civilian trauma registry population, the MPTT demonstrates improved performance at predicting need for LSI, with the lowest rates of undertriage and an appropriate level of overtriage. We suggest the MPTT be considered as an alternative to existing triage tools.
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Overdose is a common presentation in Emergency Departments (EDs) across the UK. Salicylate poisoning is potentially fatal; however it is becoming increasingly uncommon in the UK. This may be due to restriction of pack sizes in over the counter medicines as well as the use of aspirin as an analgesic being superseded by other NSAIDs, particularly ibuprofen.In conjunction with clinical features of salicylate toxicity, measurement of plasma salicylate concentration can help guide management. Many EDs routinely test for salicylate levels in all cases of overdose, and yet this may not be necessary as recommended by the NPIS.This study aims to assess the cost implication of over testing for salicylate in overdose patients, as well as the prevalence of salicylate poisoning in three EDs in the West Midlands. ⋯ Salicylate poisoning appears to be uncommon among patients presenting with overdose.Results show that it is likely that EDs are over testing for salicylate levels.In accordance with NPIS advice, there is no need to measure salicylate levels in conscious overdose patients who have no features of toxicity and deny salicylate ingestion.This may have cost implications, allowing departments to save money by reducing the amount of routine salicylate testing overall.
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Observational Study
19 Accuracy of biomarkers for venous thromboembolism in pregnancy: the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in pregnancy (DiPEP) biomarker study.
To estimate the accuracy of biomarkers for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnant and postpartum women with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Currently available biomarkers show little potential for aiding the diagnosis of suspected PE in pregnancy and postpartum.emermed;34/12/A874-a/F1F1F1Figure 1emermed;34/12/A874-a/F2F2F2Figure 2emermed;34/12/A874-a/F3F3F3Figure 3.
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Patient surveys and research have shown that Emergency Department attendees do not receive adequate analgesia. Pain monitoring has not been automated and usually involves a member of staff asking the patient to rate their score with no continuous record, often no specific place to record it and no automated alarm system for scores outside accepted parameters. Few patients have regular monitoring of their pain and our own preliminary research showed that over one week only 58% of patients with moderate to severe pain had a second or subsequent score recorded. ⋯ We aim to recruit 200 patients (100 per arm) from the emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary. All patients will use the display. This is a parallel group, two arm superiority trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Patients will be randomised to have their pain score on display (intervention) or hidden (control). Blinding is not possible. The display beeps every 15 min to remind patients to enter their pain score. Treatment will not be constrained by study protocol and will depend on the judgment of the treating clinician. The study will continue for up to 6 hours to allow time for the first dose of analgesia to wear off. Data collection will cease when the patient leaves the department. Questionnaires will be given to participants and the staff nursing them.