Articles Tagged With:
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ED Is Focus of Reduction in Sepsis-Related Mortality
Using a sepsis alert, combined with nursing protocols and physician order set usage, can improve core measure compliance and related mortality rates.
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Rapid-Access Psychiatry Encounter Might Reduce ED Use Rate
The lack of access to outpatient psychiatric care could contribute to the medical emergencies seen in EDs. Most emergency providers are well aware of the shortage of available mental healthcare providers in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
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Damages, Causation Are Obstacles in Abdominal Pain Med/Mal Cases
Many older ED patients are living with a host of preexisting conditions, which, coupled with the patient’s age, argue against investing the needed time and money to pursue a malpractice claim. Even if there is clear liability and causation, the case of misdiagnosed abdominal pain still might not be worth pursuing from a financial standpoint.
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Older Adults with Abdominal Pain Risk Mistriage, Inadequate Diagnostic Tests
ED providers should not think of abdominal pain in older adults as the same as abdominal pain in younger patients. At the department level, consider adding abdominal pain in older patients to the list of automatic ECG criteria.
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CT Scans Rarely Change Management of Acute Pancreatitis
For acute pancreatitis patients, efficient and clinically accurate triage is the singular most vital function to help eliminate potential claims — but more importantly, to provide safe and effective treatment to ED patients.
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Stroke Patients Visit EDs Often After Discharge from Hospital
Repeat visits to the ED are quite common, even for patients who experienced mild or moderate strokes and are managing their conditions at home. This suggests home care models for these complex patients are important to evaluate and modify, if needed, to improve long-term care outcomes.
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Unexpected Gaps in Opioid Overdose Treatments
Patients presenting to EDs for opioid overdose should go home with a naloxone prescription or a naloxone take-home kit. Alternatively, these patients could start buprenorphine when it is clinically feasible, or they could be connected directly to outpatient treatment for opioid use disorder.
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Ransomware Attacks Pose Unique Danger to ED Patients
Integrate ransomware response training with emergency preparedness training. To stay ahead of this risk, leaders can create packets with all documents needed to convert to non-digital care on short notice. Staff can switch to manual processes for ordering labs and imaging, following care protocols, and calculating drug dosages.
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Few EDs Screen Patients for Excessive Alcohol Use
The ED is where patients often go during their most vulnerable times. Emergency providers can help vulnerable patients prevent a future crisis if they can show patients that help is available and how to access it.
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ED Visits for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Surging Nationally
Presentations often are bundled with a host of comorbid conditions and chronic or acute traumatic events. Providers should suspect and expect an underlying potentially serious coexisting medical complication in each patient encountered until proven otherwise.