Measuring Emergency Department Workload Perception Using Electronic Medical Record Measures of Patient Volume and Acuity.

BACKGROUND: Workload in the emergency department (ED) fluctuates and there is no established model for measurement of clinician-level ED workload. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure perceived ED workload and assess the relationship between perceived workload and objective measures of workload from the electronic medical record (EMR). METHODS: This study was conducted at a tertiary care, academic ED from July 1, 2020 through April 13, 2021. Attending workload perceptions were collected using a 5-point scale in three care areas with variable acuity. We collected eight EMR measures thought to correlate with perceived workload. EMR values were compared across areas of the department using ANOVA and correlated with attending workload ratings using linear regression. RESULTS: We collected 315 unique workload ratings, which were normally distributed. For the entire department, there was a weak positive correlation between reported workload perception and mean percentage of inpatient admissions (r = 0.23; p < 0.001), intensive care unit admissions (r = 0.2; p < 0.001), patient arrivals per shift (r = 0.14; p = 0.017), critical care billed visits (r = 0.22; p < 0.001), cardiopulmonary resuscitation code activations (r = 0.2; p < 0.001), and level 5 visits (r = 0.13; p = 0.02). There was weak negative correlation for ED discharges (r = -0.23; p < 0.001). Several correlations were stronger in individual care areas, including percent admissions in the lowest-acuity area (r = 0.43; p = 0.033) and patient arrivals in the highest-acuity area (r = 0.44; p < .01). No significant correlation was found in any area for observation admissions or trauma activations. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, EMR measures of workload were not closely correlated with ED attending physician workload perception. Future study should examine additional factors contributing to physician workload outside of the EMR.

CT utilization in evaluation of skin and soft tissue extremity infections in the ED: Retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are commonly diagnosed in the emergency department (ED). While most SSTI are diagnosed with patient history and physical exam alone, ED clinicians may order CT imaging when they suspect more serious or complicated infections. Patients who inject drugs are thought to be at higher risk for complications from SSTI and may undergo CT imaging more frequently. The objective of this study is to characterize CT utilization when evaluating for SSTI in ED patients particularly in patients with intravenous drug use (IVDU), the frequency of significant and actionable findings from CT imaging, and its impact on subsequent management and ED operations. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of encounters involving a diagnosis of SSTI in seven EDs across an integrated health system between October 2019 and October 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to assess overall trends, compare CT utilization frequencies, actionable imaging findings, and surgical intervention between patients who inject drugs and those who do not. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze patient factors associated with higher likelihood of CT imaging. RESULTS: There were 4833 ED encounters with an ICD-10 diagnosis of SSTI during the study period, of which 6% involved a documented history of IVDU and 30% resulted in admission. 7% (315/4833) of patients received CT imaging, and 22% (70/315) of CTs demonstrated evidence of possible deep space or necrotizing infections. Patients with history of IVDU were more likely than patients without IVDU to receive a CT scan (18% vs 6%), have a CT scan with findings suspicious for deep-space or necrotizing infection (4% vs 1%), and undergo surgical drainage in the operating room within 48 h of arrival (5% vs 2%). Male sex, abnormal vital signs, and history of IVDU were each associated with higher likelihood of CT utilization. Encounters involving CT scans had longer median times to ED disposition than those without CT scans, regardless of whether these encounters resulted in admission (9.0 vs 5.5 h), ED observation (5.5 vs 4.1 h), or discharge (6.8 vs 2.9 h). DISCUSSION: ED clinicians ordered CT scans in 7% of encounters when evaluating for SSTI, most frequently in patients with abnormal vital signs or a history of IV drug use. Patients with a history of IVDU had higher rates of CT findings suspicious for deep space infections or necrotizing infections and higher rates of incision and drainage procedures in the OR. While CT scans significantly extended time spent in the ED for patients, this appeared justified by the high rate of actionable findings found on imaging, particularly for patients with a history of IVDU.

Evaluation of a COVID-19 emergency department observation protocol.

OBJECTIVES: Caring for patients with COVID-19 has resulted in a considerable strain on hospital capacity. One strategy to mitigate crowding is the use of ED-based observation units to care for patients who may have otherwise required hospitalization. We sought to create a COVID-19 Observation Protocol for our ED Observation Unit (EDOU) for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 to allow emergency physicians (EP) to gather more data for or against admission and intervene in a timely manner to prevent clinical deterioration. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study which included all patients who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 at the time of EDOU placement for the primary purpose of monitoring COVID-19 disease. Our institution updated the ED Observation protocol partway into the study period. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize demographics. We assessed for differences in demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes between admitted and discharged patients. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess whether meeting criteria for the ED observation protocols predicted disposition. RESULTS: During the time period studied, 120 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 were placed in the EDOU for the primary purpose of monitoring COVID-19 disease. The admission rate for patients in the EDOU during the study period was 35%. When limited to patients who met criteria for version 1 or version 2 of the protocol, this dropped to 21% and 25% respectively. Adherence to the observation protocol was 62% and 60% during the time of version 1 and version 2 implementation, respectively. Using a multivariate logistic regression, meeting criteria for either version 1 (OR = 3.17, 95% CI 1.34-7.53, p < 0.01) or version 2 (OR = 3.18, 95% CI 1.39-7.30, p < 0.01) of the protocol resulted in a higher likelihood of discharge. There was no difference in EDOU LOS between admitted and discharged patients. CONCLUSION: An ED observation protocol can be successfully created and implemented for COVID-19 which allows the EP to determine which patients warrant hospitalization. Meeting protocol criteria results in an acceptable admission rate.

Level-loading a health system by transferring emergency department patients to a community hospital: Prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department boarding and crowding lead to worse patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: We describe the implementation of a program to transfer patients requiring medical admission from an academic emergency department to a community hospital's medical floor and analyze its effects on patient outcomes. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed. Data was collected on patient flow through the transfer program. Patient characteristics, boarding time in the emergency department, and hospital-based outcome measures were compared between patients in the transfer program who were successfully transferred to the community hospital and patients who were admitted to the academic medical center. RESULTS: 79 patients were successfully transferred to the community hospital between November 23, 2020 and August 5, 2021, resulting in 279 bed days in the community hospital. Successfully transferred patients experienced a statistically shorter ED boarding time (5.7 vs. 10.9 h, p < 0.0001), ED length of stay (10.5 vs 16.1 h, p < 0.0001), and hospital length of stay (3.5 vs 5.7 days, p < 0.0001) compared to patients initially referred to the transfer program who were admitted to the academic medical center. There were no reported adverse events during transfer, upgrades to the ICU within 24 h of admission, or inpatient deaths for patients who were transferred. CONCLUSION: We implemented an academic emergency department to partner community hospital transfer program that safely level-loads medical patients in a healthcare system.

Impact of iodinated contrast allergies on emergency department operations.

OBJECTIVES: Adverse reactions to intravenous (IV) iodinated contrast media are classified by the American College of Radiology (ACR) Manual on Contrast Media as either allergic-like (ALR) or physiologic (PR). Premedication may be beneficial for patients who have prior documented mild or moderate ALR. We sought to perform a retrospective analysis of patients who received computed tomography (CT) imaging in our emergency department (ED) to establish whether listing of an iodinated contrast media allergy results in a delay in care, increases the use of non-contrast studies, and to quantify the incidence of listing iodinated contrast allergies which do not necessitate premedication. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of CT scans performed in our academic medical center ED during a 6-month period. There were 12,737 unique patients of whom 454 patients had a listed iodinated contrast allergy. Of these, 106 received IV contrast and were categorized as to whether premedication was necessary. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and operational outcomes. A multivariate linear regression model was used to predict time from order to start (OTS time) of CT imaging while controlling for co-variates. RESULTS: Non-allergic patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging at a significantly higher rate than allergic patients (45.9% vs. 23.3%, p < 0.01). The OTS time for allergic patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging was 360 min and significantly longer than the OTS time for non-allergic patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging (118 min, p < 0.001). Of the 106 allergic patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging, 27 (25.5%) did not meet ACR criteria for necessitating premedication. The average OTS time for these 27 patients was 296 min, significantly longer than the OTS for non-allergic patients (118 min, p < 0.01) and did not differ from the OTS time for the 79 patients who did meet premedication criteria (382 min, p = 0.23). A multivariate linear regression showed that OTS time was significantly longer if a contrast allergy was present (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A chart-documented iodinated contrast allergy resulted in a significant increase in time to obtain a contrast-enhanced CT study. This delay persisted among patients who did not meet ACR criteria for premedication. Appropriately deferring premedication could potentially reduce the ED length-of-stay by over 4 h for these patients.

Post-discharge follow-up attendance after pediatric dermatology consultation in the emergency department: A retrospective analysis.

The emergency department (ED) is a frequent source of care for pediatric patients with dermatologic conditions, possibly owing to limited access to routine and urgent outpatient dermatology appointments. The demographics, clinical characteristics, follow-up scheduling practices, and attendance rates of 50 pediatric and 142 adult patients evaluated by the dermatology consult service in the ED were reviewed. High rates of follow-up attendance were observed in the pediatric and adult populations, with the majority receiving an appointment within 2 weeks. The dermatology consult service may play an important role in facilitating post-discharge access to outpatient care.

COVID-19 Seroprevalence in ED Health Care Professionals Study: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: ED health care professionals are at the frontline of evaluation and management of patients with acute, and often undifferentiated, illness. During the initial phase of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, there were concerns that ED health care professionals may have been at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to difficulty in early identification of patients. This study assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among ED health care professionals without confirmed history of COVID-19 infection at a quaternary academic medical center. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design. An ED health care professional was deemed eligible if they had worked at least 4 shifts in the adult emergency department from April 1, 2020, through May 31, 2020, were asymptomatic on the day of blood draw, and were not known to have had prior documented COVID-19 infection. The study period was December 17, 2020, to January 27, 2021. Eligible participants completed a questionnaire and had a blood sample drawn. Samples were run on the Roche Cobas Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody assay. RESULTS: Of 103 health care professionals (16 attending physicians, 4 emergency residents, 16 advanced practice professionals, and 67 full-time emergency nurses), only 3 (2.9%; exact 95% CI, 0.6%-8.3%) were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. DISCUSSION: At this quaternary academic medical center, among those who volunteered to take an antibody test, there was a low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among ED clinicians who were asymptomatic at the time of blood draw and not known to have had prior COVID-19 infection.

Comparing neighborhood-based indices of socioeconomic risk factors and potentially preventable emergency department utilization.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood stress score (NSS) and area deprivation index (ADI) are two neighborhood-based composite measures used to quantify an individual's socioeconomic risk based on home location. In this analysis, we compare the relationships between an individual's socioeconomic risk, based on each of these measures, and potentially preventable acute care utilization. METHODS: Using emergency department (ED) visit data from two academic medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts, we conducted adjusted Poisson regressions of ADI decile and NSS decile with counts of low acuity ED visits, admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), and patients with high frequency ED utilization at the census block group (CBG) level within the greater Boston area. RESULTS: Both NSS and ADI decile were associated with elevated rates of utilization, although the associated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for NSS were higher than those for ADI across all three measures. NSS decile was associated with IRRs of 1.11 [95% CI: 1.10-1.12], 1.16 [1.14-1.17], and 1.22 [1.19-1.25] for ACSC admissions, low acuity ED visits, and patients with high frequency ED utilization, respectively; compared with 1.04 [1.04-1.05], 1.11 [1.10-1.11], and 1.10 [1.08-1.12] for ADI decile. CONCLUSION: ADI and NSS both represent effective tools to assess the potential impact of geographically-linked socioeconomic drivers of health on potentially preventable acute care utilization. NSS decile was associated with a greater effect size for each measure of utilization suggesting that this may be a stronger predictor, however, additional research is necessary to evaluate these findings in other contexts.

The cases not seen: Patterns of emergency department visits and procedures in the era of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Prior data suggest Emergency Department (ED) visits for many emergency conditions decreased during the initial COVID-19 surge. However, the pandemic's impact on the wide range of conditions seen in EDs, and the resources required for treating them, has been less studied. We sought to provide a comprehensive analysis of ED visits and associated resource utilization during the initial COVID-19 surge. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis from 5 hospitals in a large health system in Massachusetts, comparing ED encounters from 3/1/2020-4/30/2020 to identical weeks from the prior year. Data collected included demographics, ESI, diagnosis, consultations ordered, bedside procedures, and inpatient procedures within 48 h. We compared raw frequencies between time periods and calculated incidence rate ratios. RESULTS: ED volumes decreased by 30.9% in 2020 compared to 2019. Average acuity of ED presentations increased, while most non-COVID-19 diagnoses decreased. The number and incidence rate of all non-critical care ED procedures decreased, while the occurrence of intubations and central lines increased. Most subspecialty consultations decreased, including to psychiatry, trauma surgery, and cardiology. Most non-elective procedures related to ED encounters also decreased, including craniotomies and appendectomies. CONCLUSION: Our health system experienced decreases in nearly all non-COVID-19 conditions presenting to EDs during the initial phase of the pandemic, including those requiring specialty consultation and urgent inpatient procedures. Findings have implications for both public health and health system planning.

Evaluation of Process Improvement Interventions on Handoff Times between the Emergency Department and Observation Unit.

BACKGROUND: Mitigating hospital crowding requires judicious use of inpatient resources, making Emergency Department Observation Units (EDOUs) an increasingly vital destination for patients that are not suitable for discharge. Maximizing the utility of the EDOU hinges on efficient patient transfers and safe provider communication, which may be accomplished with asynchronous handoff and an emphasis on pull-through operations. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an electronic, asynchronous handoff replacing verbal handoff on transfer times from the Emergency Department (ED) to the EDOU. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed with patients transferred to the EDOU throughout several process improvement measures focused on asynchronous handoff. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to determine the effect that these process improvements had on the time from EDOU bed assignment to patient transfer. RESULTS: There were 14,996 EDOU stays during the 20-month period included in the analysis. Time from EDOU bed assignment to patient transfer decreased significantly with all three interventions studied. An auto-page to the clinicians notifying them of a ready bed reduced the mean time to transfer by 10.1 min (p < 0.0001), asynchronous nursing handoff reduced it by 3.57 min (p = 0.0299), and asynchronous clinician handoff reduced it by 14.67 min (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Introducing automatic pages regarding bed status and converting the handoff process from a verbal model to an asynchronous, electronic handoff were effective ways to reduce the time from bed assignment to transfer out of the ED for patients being sent to the EDOU.

Impact of Urgent Care Openings on Emergency Department Visits to Two Academic Medical Centers Within an Integrated Health Care System.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The effect of urgent cares on local emergency department (ED) patient volumes is presently unknown. In this paper, we aimed to assess the change in low-acuity ED utilization at 2 academic medical centers in relation to patient proximity to an affiliated urgent care. METHODS: We created a geospatial database of ED visits occurring between April 2016 and March 2018 to 2 academic medical centers in an integrated health care system, geocoded by patient home address. We used logistic regression to characterize the relationship between the likelihood of patients visiting the ED for a low-acuity condition, based on ED discharge diagnosis, and urgent care center proximity, defined as living within 1 mile of an open urgent care center, for each of the academic medical centers in the system, adjusting for spatial, temporal, and patient factors. RESULTS: We identified a statistically significant reduction in the likelihood of ED visits for low-acuity conditions by patients living within 1 mile of an urgent care center at 1 of the 2 academic medical centers, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 0.98). There was, however, no statistically significant reduction at the other affiliated academic medical center. Further analysis showed a statistically significant temporal relationship between time since urgent care center opening and likelihood of a low-acuity ED visit, with approximately a 1% decrease in the odds of a low-acuity visit for every month that the proximal urgent care center was open (odds ratio 0.99; 95% confidence interval 0.985 to 0.997). CONCLUSION: Although further research is needed to assess the factors driving urgent care centers' variable influence on low-acuity ED use, these findings suggest that in similar settings urgent care center development may be an effective strategy for health systems hoping to decrease ED utilization for low-acuity conditions at academic medical centers.

Turning around cancer: Oncology imaging and implications for emergency department radiology workflow.

PURPOSE: Oncologic imaging in the emergency department (ED) is frequently encountered, including non-acute scans known as "metastatic workups" or "staging" (referred to as "cancer staging computed tomography (CT) exams"). This study examines the impact of oncologic staging CT exams on ED imaging turnaround time (TAT), defined as the time from the end of the CT exam to a final signed radiologist report, as well as order to scan completion time. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all adult patients presenting to an urban, quaternary academic medical center ED from February 2016 to September 2017, who had CT imaging ordered, performed, and interpreted in the ED imaging department. CT exams containing institution-specific cancer descriptors were included. After excluding all acute exams, cancer staging CT exams were compared to a matched cohort of non-oncologic ED CT exams to evaluate median TAT and order to scan completion time using a log transformed multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: Adjusting for age and CT body part, cancer staging CT exams were associated with an independently statistically significant increased median log TAT compared to non-oncologic ED CT exams (114.5 min [IQR 112] versus 69 min [IQR 67], respectively, p < .0001) and an independently statistically significant increased median log initial order to scan completion time (166 min [IQR: 89] vs 119 min [IQR: 93], p < .0001). CONCLUSION: Oncology patients receiving non-acute metastatic workup scans in the ED have a significantly longer TAT compared to non-oncologic ED CT exams as well as longer order to scan completion times.

Assessment and Optimization of the Empiric Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in an Academic Emergency Department Observation Unit.

BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to evidence-based guidelines and overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics has been noted in the emergency department (ED). There is limited evidence on guideline-congruent empiric therapy for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and uropathogen susceptibilities in the ED observation unit (EDOU). OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to evaluate the prescribing patterns for the empiric treatment of UTI in the EDOU. Secondary objectives were to analyze uropathogen susceptibilities in the EDOU and implement an algorithm for the empiric treatment of UTI. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed adult patients who received empiric UTI treatment in the EDOU from January 1, 2018 to April 1, 2018. Eligible patients were categorized as having either uncomplicated or complicated cystitis, or pyelonephritis based on their clinical diagnosis. Antimicrobial therapy was evaluated in accordance with national practice guidelines, institutional guidelines, and local antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. RESULTS: Patients with uncomplicated or complicated cystitis (n = 115) were provided guideline-congruent empiric treatment in 87% of cases. Patients with pyelonephritis (n = 35) were provided guideline-congruent empiric treatment in 57% of cases. Susceptibility patterns of uropathogens isolated from this patient sample differed slightly from the institutional antibiogram, notably depicting a lower Escherichia coli susceptibility rate. Fluoroquinolones were prescribed for a longer than recommended duration in 18 patients (60%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients in this study were provided guideline-congruent empiric therapy. Nevertheless, there are opportunities to optimize empiric UTI treatment and improve antibiotic stewardship in the EDOU.

Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing of Emergency Department Postdischarge Nurse Calls.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Postdischarge telephone calls by nurses can decrease patient return rates to healthcare systems. To date, call program costs have not been compared with patient return rates to determine cost-effectiveness. We used time-driven activity-based costing to determine the costs associated with such programs. We developed process maps for a postdischarge nurse call program in the emergency department of an urban, quaternary care, academic, Level 1 trauma center. Our primary outcome was the total cost of calls, which is based on the length of the calls (after 8 hours of observation) and the total capacity rate cost based on national registered nurse salary and space costs. Seven-day return rate differences between patients reached and those not reached from July 2018 to March 2019 were determined with a Z-test. We observed 113 postdischarge calls for 79 patients. The mean (SD) length of calls for patients reached was 4.3 minutes (1.8) compared with 2.6 minutes (0.6) for those not reached. The total capacity rate cost for calls was $1.09/minute, or $4.69 per patient reached and $2.83 per patient not reached. A retrospective analysis of 6,698 patients reached and 6,519 patients not reached showed hospital return rates of 3.5% and 6.3% (p < .0001), respectively. The study findings show that postdischarge calls were associated with decreased return rates to the emergency department and a savings of $134.89 per prevention of one return. In deciding whether to use postdischarge call programs, healthcare systems should also consider the effects on specific demographics and the potential benefits of greater patient satisfaction and increased treatment adherence.

Utilization of chest CT for injured patients during visits to U.S. emergency departments: 2012-2015.

INTRODUCTION: Increased use of computed tomography (CT) during injury-related Emergency Department (ED) visits has been reported, despite increased awareness of CT radiation exposure risks. We investigated national trends in the use of chest CT during injury-related ED visits between 2012 and 2015. METHODS: Analyzing injury-related ED visits from the 2012-2015 United States (U.S.) National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), we determined the percentage of visits that had a chest CT and the diagnostic yield of these chest CTs for clinically-significant findings. We used survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression to determine which patient and visit characteristics were associated with chest CT use. RESULTS: Injury-related visits accounted for 30% of the 135 million yearly ED visits represented in NHAMCS. Of these visits, 817,480 (2%) received a chest CT over the study period. The diagnostic yield was 3.88%. Chest CT utilization did not change significantly from a rate of 1.73% in 2012 to a rate of 2.31% in 2015 (p = 0.14). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated increased odds of chest CT for patients seen by residents versus by attendings (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41-3.08). Patients aged 18-59 and 60+ had higher AORs (5.75, CI 3.44-9.61 and 9.81, CI 5.90-16.33, respectively) than those <18 years of receiving chest CT. CONCLUSIONS: Overall chest CT utilization showed an increased trend from 2012 to 2015, but the results were not statistically significant.

Machine learning approaches for predicting disposition of asthma and COPD exacerbations in the ED.

OBJECTIVE: The prediction of emergency department (ED) disposition at triage remains challenging. Machine learning approaches may enhance prediction. We compared the performance of several machine learning approaches for predicting two clinical outcomes (critical care and hospitalization) among ED patients with asthma or COPD exacerbation. METHODS: Using the 2007-2015 National Hospital and Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) ED data, we identified adults with asthma or COPD exacerbation. In the training set (70% random sample), using routinely-available triage data as predictors (e.g., demographics, arrival mode, vital signs, chief complaint, comorbidities), we derived four machine learning-based models: Lasso regression, random forest, boosting, and deep neural network. In the test set (the remaining 30% of sample), we compared their prediction ability against traditional logistic regression with Emergency Severity Index (ESI, reference model). RESULTS: Of 3206 eligible ED visits, corresponding to weighted estimates of 13.9 million visits, 4% had critical care outcome and 26% had hospitalization outcome. For the critical care prediction, the best performing approach- boosting - achieved the highest discriminative ability (C-statistics 0.80 vs. 0.68), reclassification improvement (net reclassification improvement [NRI] 53%, P = 0.002), and sensitivity (0.79 vs. 0.53) over the reference model. For the hospitalization prediction, random forest provided the highest discriminative ability (C-statistics 0.83 vs. 0.64) reclassification improvement (NRI 92%, P < 0.001), and sensitivity (0.75 vs. 0.33). Results were generally consistent across the asthma and COPD subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Based on nationally-representative ED data, machine learning approaches improved the ability to predict disposition of patients with asthma or COPD exacerbation.

ED utilization of medical clearance testing for psychiatric admission: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Routine medical clearance testing of emergency department (ED) patients with acute psychiatric illnesses in the absence of a medical indication has minimal proven utility. Little is known about the variations in clinical practice of ordering medical clearance tests. METHODS: This study was an analysis of data from the annual United States National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2010 to 2014. The study population was defined as ED visits by patients ≥18years old admitted to a psychiatric facility. We sought to determine the percentage of these ED visits in which at least one medical clearance test was ordered. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, we also evaluated whether patient visit factors or regional variation was associated with use of medical clearance tests. RESULT: A medical clearance test was ordered in 80.4% of ED visits ending with a psychiatric admission. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated a statistically significant increased odds ratio (OR) of medical clearance testing based on age (OR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01, 1.03), among visits involving an injury or poisoning (OR 2.38, 95%CI 1.54, 3.68), and in the Midwest region as compared to the Northeast region (OR 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09, 4.46), after adjusting for other predictors. DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrated that, on a national level, 4 out of 5 ED visits resulting in a psychiatric facility admission had a medical clearance test ordered. Future research is needed to investigate the reasons underlying the discrepancies in ordering patterns across the U.S., including the effect of local psychiatric admission policies.

Utilization of head CT during injury visits to United States emergency departments: 2012-2015.

INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown increasing utilization of head computed tomography (CT) imaging of emergency department (ED) patients presenting with an injury-related visit. Multiple initiatives, including the Choosing Wisely™ campaign and evidence-based clinical decision support based on validated decision rules, have targeted head CT use in patients with injuries. Therefore, we investigated national trends in the use of head CT during injury-related ED visits from 2012 to 2015. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of data from the annual United States (U.S.) National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2012 to 2015. The study population was defined as injury-related ED visits, and we sought to determine the percentage in which a head CT was ordered and, secondarily, to determine both the diagnostic yield of clinically significant intracranial findings and hospital characteristics associated with increased head CT utilization. RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2015, 12.25% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.48-13.02%) of injury-related visits received at least one head CT. Overall head CT utilization showed an increased trend during the study period (2012: 11.7%, 2015: 13.23%, p = 0.09), but the results were not statistically significant. The diagnostic yield of head CT for a significant intracranial injury over the period of four years was 7.4% (9.68% in 2012 vs. 7.67% in 2015, p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Head CT use along with diagnostic yield has remained stable from 2012 to 2015 among patients presenting to the ED for an injury-related visit.

Allergic-like contrast reactions in the ED: Incidence, management, and impact on patient disposition.

PURPOSE: Determine the incidence, management, and impact on patient disposition of allergic-like contrast reactions (ALCR) to intravenous iodinated contrast in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: All ED patients who developed an ALCR following contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) from June 2011-December 2016 were retrospectively identified. Medical records were reviewed and reaction severity, management, and disposition were quantified using descriptive statistics. The total number of consecutive CECTs performed in the ED were available from June 2011-March 2016 and were used to derive ALCR incidence over that time period. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients developed an ALCR during the study period. An ALCR incidence of 0.2% was derived based on 74 ALCRs occurring out of 47,059 consecutive contrast injections in ED patients from June 2011-April 2016. Reaction severity was mild in 63/90 (70%) and moderate in 27/90 (30%) cases; no patient developed a severe reaction by American College of Radiology criteria. The most commonly administered treatments were diphenhydramine in 67/90 (74%), corticosteroid in 24/90 (27%), and epinephrine in 13/90 (14%); symptoms subsequently resolved in all cases. No patient required inpatient admission for contrast reaction alone, and 5 patients were sent to the ED observation unit for post-epinephrine monitoring and subsequently discharged. CONCLUSION: ALCR among ED patients undergoing CECT are rare, generally of mild severity, respond well to pharmacologic management, and do not alter patient disposition in most cases. Familiarity with symptoms, management, and prevention strategies is increasingly relevant to the emergency physician given the ubiquity of CECT.

Implications of iodinated contrast media extravasation in the emergency department.

PURPOSE: To characterize the management, outcomes, and emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) following iodinated contrast media extravasation events in the ED. METHODS: All ED patients who developed iodinated contrast media extravasation following contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) from October 2007-December 2016 were retrospectively identified. Medical records were reviewed and management, complications, frequency of surgical consultation, and ED LOS were quantified using descriptive statistics. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare ED LOS in patients who did and did not receive surgical consultation. RESULTS: A total of 199 contrast extravasation episodes occurred in ED patients during the 9-year study period. Of these, 42 patients underwent surgical consultation to evaluate the contrast extravasation event. No patient developed progressive symptoms, compartment syndrome, or tissue necrosis, and none received treatment beyond supportive care (warm/cold packs, elevation, compression). Median ED LOS for patients who did and did not receive surgical consultation was 11.3h versus 9.0h, respectively (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Close observation and supportive care are sufficient for contrast extravasation events in the ED without concerning symptoms (progressive pain/swelling, altered tissue perfusion, sensory changes, or blistering/ulceration). Routine surgical consultation is likely unnecessary in the absence of these symptoms - concordant with the current American College of Radiology guidelines - and may be associated with longer ED LOS without impacting management.