Relationship between input and output in acute medicine - secondary analysis of the Society for Acute Medicine's benchmarking audit 2013 (SAMBA '13).

The performance of acute medical units (AMUs) against published quality indicators is variable. We aimed to identify the impact of case-mix and unit resources on timely assessment and discharge of patients admitted to 43 AMUs on a single day in June 2013, as part of the Society for Acute Medicine's benchmarking audit 2013. Performance against quality indicators was at its worst in the early evening hours. Units admitting fewer than 40 patients performed better. Patients who were more frail, as measured by the Clinical Frailty Scale, were also more likely to have significant physiological abnormalities and a higher risk of death, as measured by the National Early Warning Score. Our analysis suggests that resource allocation at the front door is related to quality indicators. Teams will need strengthening in the evening hours and if looking after higher numbers of frail patients.

The Team at Work--The Society for Acute Medicine's Benchmarking Audit 2014 (SAMBA'14).

BACKGROUND: The Society for Acute Medicine's Benchmarking Audit (SAMBA) serves as a tool for Acute Medical Units to compare and improve their quality of care. AIM: To audit the performance of Acute Medical Units against clinical quality indicators, standards by the Royal College of Physicians and Specialist Societies relevant to the practice of Acute Medicine. METHODS: An online survey of unit profiles and staffing levels on the audit day was followed by a 24-hour data collection on Thursday the 19th of June 2014 for all patients seen by the local Acute Medicine teams as part of the general medical take. Patients were followed-up for 72 hours. We reviewed the impact of staffing levels on performance indicators. RESULTS: 66 Acute Medical Units admitted 2333 patients during the 24-hour period. Compliance with the quality standards of SAM was as follows: 84% of patients had an early warning score recorded within 30 minutes of admission, 81% of patients had been seen by a competent decision maker within four hours and 73% of patients were seen by a consultant physician within the appropriate period of time. Only 56% of patients received a standard of care compatible with all three quality standards. We found no relation between unit characteristics, staffing and performance indicator. CONCLUSION: There remains a gap between the standard described by the quality indicators and the performance of Acute Medical Units during a one-day audit.

Serum insulin-like growth factor-I and pro-collagen type III N-terminal peptide in adolescent elite athletes: implications for the detection of growth hormone abuse in sport.

CONTEXT: A method based on two GH-dependent markers, IGF-I and pro-collagen type III N-terminal peptide (P-III-P), has been devised to detect exogenously administered GH. Because previous studies on the detection of GH abuse involved predominantly adult athletes, the method must be validated in adolescent athletes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine serum IGF-I and P-III-P concentrations in elite adolescent athletes and to determine whether the method developed in adults is appropriate to detect GH abuse in this population. DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study at national sporting organization training events. SUBJECTS: A total of 157 (85 males, 72 females) elite athletes between 12 and 20 yr of age participated in the study. INTERVENTION: Serum IGF-I and P-III-P were each measured by two commercially available immunoassays. GH-2000 discriminant function scores were calculated. RESULTS: Both IGF-I and P-III-P rose to a peak during adolescence, which was earlier in girls than in boys. All GH-2000 scores lay below the proposed cutoff limit of 3.7 (although some scores were close to this value), indicating that none of these athletes would be accused of GH doping if the GH-2000 discriminant formulae were used. The results between the two immunoassays for IGF-I and P-III-P were closely aligned. CONCLUSIONS: The GH-2000 score rises in early adolescence, reaches a peak in athletes aged 13-16 yr, and then falls. We have found no evidence that the proposed GH-2000 score developed in adults would lead to an unacceptable rate of false-positive results in adolescent athletes, but caution may be required around the time of peak growth velocity.