Asking patients if they have any questions can help improve patient satisfaction with medical team communication in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that patient satisfaction with medical communication in the emergency department (ED) improves patient experience. Investing in good communication practices is highly desirable in the emergency setting. In the literature, very few studies offer evidence of effective interventions to achieve this outcome. Aim of the study is to evaluate whether encouraging emergency physicians to ask if patients have questions at the end of the visit would improve patient satisfaction with medical communication. METHODS: The physicians of two EDs in Lugano, Switzerland, were invited by various methods (mailing, newsletter, memo pens and posters, coloured bracelets etc.) to implement the new practice of asking patients if they had questions before the end of the visit. Patients discharged were consecutively enrolled. Participants completed the modified CAT-T questionnaire rating their satisfaction with medical communication from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). Data such as age, means of arrival, seniority of the physician etc. were also collected. Statistical analysis was performed with Bayesian methodology. The results were compared with those of a similar study conducted one year earlier. RESULTS: 517 patients returned the questionnaire. Overall, patients' satisfaction with communication in the ED was very good and improved from the previous year (percentage of fully satisfied patients: 68% vs. 57%). The result is statistically significant (C: I: 51.8 - 61.3% vs. 63.9 - 71.8% p = 0.000). Younger patients (< 30 ye22ars old) were slightly less satisfied. Waiting time did not affect perception of communication. CONCLUSION: This study implements a concrete way to improve patients' satisfaction with medical communication in the ED. The intervention targeted only one item of the CAT-T ("Encouraged me to ask questions") but it generated an overall perception of better communication from patients discharged from the ED. The study also confirms that there are some objective elements that can alter perception of quality of medical communication by patients (age, seniority of the physician), in agreement with the literature. In conclusion, focusing physicians' attention on asking patients whether they have questions before discharge helps improving overall patient satisfaction with medical communication in the ED. This may lead to changes in physicians' clinical practice.

Parvimonas micra a new potential pathogen in hospitalized patients: a case series from 2015-2022.

Parvimonas micra isolations are usually part of polymicrobial infections and the pathogenic role of this microrganism is still debated. We describe here a large series of hospitalized patients diagnosed with Parvimonas micra infections and discuss the clinical and therapeutic management and the outcome of these infections.

Effect of Structured Briefing Prior to Patient Arrival on Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration in the Trauma Team.

Purpose: Treating a multiple trauma patient is multidisciplinary team work. The performance of the trauma team is crucial to treating the patients safely and effectively. The fundamentals of the performance are the quality of interprofessional collaboration and the communication inside the team and its efficacy for patients' safety and team's well being. This is a prospective interventional study. The aim of this paper was to assess interprofessional collaboration and perceived efficacy inside the trauma team and to evaluate the effects of the implementation of a trauma team briefing tool before the arrival of the patient on perceived teamwork performance. Participants and Methods: The study took place in the emergency department. Participants were members of the trauma team (emergency physicians and nurses). Two validated scales were selected that address interprofessional collaboration and team perceived efficacy: the TEAM survey (revised version) and the Mayo High Performance Teamwork Scale. A detailed and structured team briefing was used. The trauma team filled in the two scales (46 participants). Prior to every multiple trauma patient arrival, the briefing was then implemented for 3 months. At the end of the third month, the two scales were re-administered and the results analysed (31 participants). The main outcome was the variation of proportion of desirable answers. We considered significant only clearly separated confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: All items in the questionnaires had better responses in the second round. In 16 items, the differences found were statistically significant with a 95% confidence interval and p<0.05. The perceived communication and collaboration by healthcare professionals of the trauma team improved with the introduction of the tool. Conclusion: A team briefing prior to the arrival of a multiple trauma patient enhances providers' self perception of interprofessional collaboration in the management of multiple trauma patients.