Effect of mini-course training in communication and teamwork on non-technical skills score in emergency residents: a prospective experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Non-technical skill (NTS) teaching is a recent development in medical education that should be applied in medical education, especially in medical specialties that involve critically ill patients, resuscitation, and management, to promote patient safety and improve quality of care. Our study aimed to compare the effects of mini-course training in NTS versus usual practice among emergency residents. METHODS: In this prospective (non-randomized) experimental study, emergency residents in the 2021-2022 academic year at Ramathibodi Hospital, a tertiary care university hospital, were included as participants. They were categorized into groups depending on whether they underwent a two-hour mini-course training on NTS (intervention group) or usual practice (control group). Each participant was assigned a mean NTS score obtained by averaging their scores on communication and teamwork skills given by two independent staff. The outcome was the NTS score before and after intervention at 2 weeks and 16 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 41 emergency residents were enrolled, with 31 participants in the intervention group and 10 in the control group. The primary outcome, mean total NTS score after 2 weeks and 16 weeks, was shown to be significantly better in intervention groups than control groups (25.85 ± 2.06 vs. 22.30 ± 2.23; P < 0.01, 28.29 ± 2.20 vs. 23.85 ± 2.33; P < 0.01) although the mean total NTS score did not differ between the groups in pre-intervention period. In addition, each week the NTS score of each group increased 0.15 points (95% CI: 0.01-0.28, P = 0.03), although the intervention group showed greater increases than the control (0.24 points) after adjustment for time (95% CI: 0.08-0.39, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Emergency residents who took an NTS mini-course showed improved mean NTS scores in communication and teamwork skills versus controls 2 weeks and 16 weeks after the training. Attention should be paid to implementing NTS in the curricula for training emergency residents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was retrospectively registered in the Thai Clinical Trial Registry on 29/11/2022. The TCTR identification number is TCTR20221129006.

Early Discharge versus 6-hour Observation in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Normal Brain CT Scan; a Comparative Pilot study of Outcomes.

Introduction: Early discharge from the emergency department (ED) or a 6-hour observation in the ED are two methods for management of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with normal brain computed tomography (CT) scan. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of the two management options. Methods: This study is a single-center, open-label, pilot randomized case control study conducted in the ED of Ramathibodi Hospital from June 2022 to September 2023. Eligible participants included all individuals with mTBI who had negative findings on Brain CT scans. They were randomly assigned to either the early ED discharge or 6-hour ED observation group and compared regarding the outcomes (rate of 48-hour ED revisits; occurrence of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after the initial injury; and 3-month mortality). Results: 122 patients with the mean age of 74.62 ± 14.96 (range: 25-99) years were consecutively enrolled (57.37% female). No significant differences were observed between the early discharge and observation groups regarding the severity of TBI (p=0.853), age (p=0.334), gender (p=0.588), triage level (p=0.456), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (p=0.806), comorbidities (p=0.768), medication usage (p=0.548), mechanism of injury (p=0.920), indication for brain CT scan (p=0.593), time from TBI onset to ED arrival (p=0.886), and time from ED triage to brain CT scan (p=0.333). Within 48 hours after randomization, the incidence of revisits was similar between the two groups (1.57% vs. 3.23%; p = 1.000). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of PCS between the early discharge and observation groups at 1 day (33.90% vs. 35.48%, p = 0.503), at 1 month (12.07% vs. 13.11%, p = 0.542), and at 3 months (1.92% vs. 5.56%, p = 0.323) after randomization. After a three-month follow-up period, four patients in the early discharge group, had expired (none of the deaths were associated with TBI). Conclusion: It seems that, in mTBI patients with normal initial brain CT scan and the absence of other injuries or neurological abnormalities, early discharge from the ED without requiring observation could be considered safe.

Factors Associated with Postintubation Hypotension Among Patients with Suspected Sepsis in Emergency Department.

Purpose: Postintubation hypotension (PIH) is a recognized complication that increases both in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay. Sepsis is reportedly a factor associated with PIH. However, no study to date has examined which factors, including the intubation method, may be clinical predictors of PIH in patients with sepsis. This study aims to investigate factors associated with the occurrence of PIH in patients with suspected sepsis in emergency department. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed over a 5-year period (January 2013-December 2017) and involved patients with suspected sepsis who underwent endotracheal intubation in the emergency department of Ramathibodi Hospital. The patients were divided into those with and without PIH, and factors associated with the occurrence of PIH were analyzed. PIH was defined as any recorded systolic blood pressure of <90 mmHg within 60 minutes of intubation. Results: In total, 394 patients with suspected sepsis were included. PIH occurred in 106 patients (26.9%) and was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (43.00% in the PIH group vs 31.25% in the non-PIH group, P = 0.034). Multivariable logistic regression showed that the factors associated with PIH were an age of ≥61 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-4.43; P = 0.019) and initial serum lactate concentration of >4.4 mmol/L (aOR 2.00; 95% CI 1.16-3.46; P = 0.013). Rapid sequence intubation and difference types of induction agents was unrelated to PIH. Conclusion: Monitoring the development of PIH in patients with sepsis is essential because of its correlation with higher in-hospital mortality. This is particularly critical for older individuals and those with severe infections and high initial lactate concentrations.

Accuracy of Trauma on Scene Triage Screening Tool (Shock Index, Reverse Shock Index Glasgow Coma Scale and National Early Warning Score) to Predict the Severity of Emergency Department Triage: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Prehospital trauma care includes on-scene assessments, essential treatment, and facilitating transfer to an appropriate trauma center to deliver optimal care for trauma patients. While the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START), Revised Triage Sieve (rTS), and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) tools are user-friendly in a prehospital setting, there is currently no standardized on-scene triage protocol in Thailand Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the precision of these tools (SI, rSIG, and NEWS) in predicting the severity of trauma patients who are transferred to the emergency department (ED). Methods: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional and diagnostic research conducted on trauma patients transferred by EMS to the ED of Ramathibodi Hospital, a university-affiliated super tertiary care hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, from January 2015 to September 2022. We compared the on-scene triage tool (SI, rSIG, and NEWS) and ED triage tool (Emergency Severity Index) parameters, massive transfusion protocol (MTP), and intensive care unit (ICU) admission with the area under ROC (univariable analysis) and diagnostic odds ratio (multivariable logistic regression analysis). The optimal cut-off threshold for the best parameter was determined by selecting the value that produced the highest area under the ROC curve. Results: A total of 218 patients were traumatic patients transported by EMS to the ED, out of which 161 were classified as ESI levels 1-2, while the remaining 57 patients were categorized as levels 3-5 on the ESI triage scale. We found that NEWS was a more accurate triage tool to discriminate the severity of trauma patients than rSIG and SI. The area under the ROC was 0.74 (95% CI 0.70-0.79) (OR 18.98, 95% CI 1.06-337.25), 0.65 (95% CI 0.59-0.70) (OR 1.74, 95% CI 0.17-18.09) and 0.58 (95% CI 0.52-0.65) (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.04-1.62), respectively (P-value <0.001). The cut point of NEWS to discriminate ESI levels 1-2 and levels 3-5 was >6 points. Conclusion: NEWS is the best on-scene triage screening tool to predict the severity at the emergency department, massive transfusion protocol (MTP), and intensive care unit (ICU) admission compared with other triage tools SI and rSIG.

Effectiveness of a Dispatcher-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Program Developed by the Thailand National Institute of Emergency Medicine (NIEMS).

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a life-threatening condition with an overall survival rate that generally does not exceed 10%. Several factors play essential roles in increasing survival among patients experiencing cardiac arrest outside the hospital. Previous studies have reported that implementing a dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DA-CPR) program increases bystander CPR, quality of chest compressions, and patient survival. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a DA-CPR program developed by the Thailand National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEMS). METHODS: This was an experimental study using a manikin model. The participants comprised both health care providers and non-health care providers aged 18 to 60 years. They were randomly assigned to either the DA-CPR group or the uninstructed CPR (U-CPR) group and performed chest compressions on a manikin model for two minutes. The sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelope method was used for randomization in blocks of four with a ratio of 1:1. RESULTS: There were 100 participants in this study (49 in the DA-CPR group and 51 in the U-CPR group). Time to initiate chest compressions was statistically significantly longer in the DA-CPR group than in the U-CPR group (85.82 [SD = 32.54] seconds versus 23.94 [SD = 16.70] seconds; P <.001). However, the CPR instruction did not translate into better performance or quality of chest compressions for the overall sample or for health care or non-health care providers. CONCLUSION: Those in the CPR-trained group applied chest compressions (initiated CPR) more quickly than those who initiated CPR based upon dispatch-based CPR instructions.

Comparison of Accuracy and Speed in Computer-Assisted Versus Conventional Methods for Pediatric Drug Dose Calculation: A Scenario-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

Pediatric emergency care is prone to medication errors in many aspects including prescriptions, administrations, and monitoring. This study was designed to assess the effects of computer-assisted calculation on reducing error rates and time to prescription of specific emergency drugs. We conducted a randomized crossover experimental study involving emergency medicine residents and paramedics in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital. Participants calculated and prescribed medications using both the conventional method and a computer-assisted method. Medication names, dosages, routes of administration, and time to prescription were collected and analyzed using logistic and quantile regression analysis. Of 562 prescriptions, we found significant differences between computer-assisted calculation and the conventional method in the calculation accuracy of overall medications, pediatric advanced life support (PALS) drugs, and sedative drugs (91.17% vs 67.26%, 86.54% vs 46.15%, and 89.29% vs 57.86%, respectively, P < .001). Moreover, there were significant differences in calculation time for overall medications, PALS drugs and sedative drugs (25 vs 47 seconds, P < .001), and computer-assisted calculation significantly decreased the gap in medication errors between doctors and paramedics (P < .001). We conclude that computer-assisted prescription calculation provides benefits over the conventional method in accuracy of all medication dosages and in time required for calculation, while enhancing the drug prescription ability of paramedics.