The 2013 to 2019 Emergency Medicine Workforce: Clinician Entry and Attrition Across the US Geography.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify longitudinal trends in workforce entry and attrition among rural and urban emergency physicians, nonemergency physicians, and advanced practice providers. METHODS: We performed a repeated cross-sectional analysis, from 2013 to 2019, of emergency clinicians who received reimbursement for at least 50 Evaluation and Management services [99281-99285] from Medicare part B within any study year. We calculated the emergency workforce's entry and attrition rates annually. Entry was defined as clinicians newly entering or re-entering the workforce, and attrition was defined as clinicians leaving permanently or temporarily. We stratified the analyses by rural designation and assessed the proportions and state-level changes in clinician density. RESULTS: In total, 82,499 unique clinicians performed at least 50 Evaluation and Management services within any of the 7 study years examined, including 47,000 emergency physicians, 9,029 nonemergency physicians, and 26,470 advanced practice providers. Emergency physicians made up a decreasing proportion of the workforce (68.1% in 2013; 65.5% in 2019), and advanced practice providers made up an increasing proportion of the workforce (20.9% in 2013; 26.1% in 2019). Annually, 5.9% to 6.8% (2,186 to 2,407) of emergency physicians newly entered and 0.8% to 1.4% (264 to 515) re-entered the workforce, whereas 3.8% to 4.9% (1,241 to 1,793) permanently left and 0.8% to 1.6% (276 to 521) temporarily left. Additionally, the total proportion of clinicians practicing in rural designations decreased, and advanced practice providers separately made up a substantially increasing proportion of the rural workforce (23.0% in 2013; 32.7% in 2019). Substantial state-level variation existed in the supply and demand of emergency clinician densities per 100,000 population. CONCLUSION: The annual rate of emergency physician attrition was collectively more than 5%, well above the 3% assumed in a recently publicized projection, suggesting a potential overestimation of the anticipated future clinician surplus. Notably, the attrition of emergency physicians has disproportionately affected vulnerable rural areas. This work can inform emergency medicine workforce decisions regarding residency training, advanced practice provider utilization, and clinician employment.

Comparing the Timeliness of Treatment in Younger vs. Older Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Multi-Center Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) predominantly affects older adults. Lower incidence among younger patients may challenge diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesize that among patients ≤ 50 years old, emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for STEMI is delayed when compared with patients aged > 50 years. METHODS: This 3-year, 10-center retrospective cohort study included emergency department (ED) STEMI patients ≥ 18 years of age treated with emergent PCI. We excluded patients with an electrocardiogram (ECG) completed prior to ED arrival or a nondiagnostic initial ECG. Our primary outcome was door-to-balloon (D2B) time. We compared characteristics and outcomes among younger vs. older STEMI patients, and among age subgroups. RESULTS: There were 576 ED STEMI PCI patients, of whom 100 were ≤ 50 years old and 476 were > 50 years old. Median age was 44 years in the younger cohort (interquartile range [IQR] 41-47) vs. 62 years (IQR 57-70) among older patients. Median D2B time for the younger cohort was 76.5 min (IQR 67.5-102.5) vs. 81.0 min (IQR 65.0-105.5) in the older cohort (p = 0.91). This outcome did not change when ages 40 or 45 years were used to demarcate younger vs. older. The younger cohort had a higher prevalence of nonwhite races (38% vs. 21%; p < 0.001) and those currently smoking (36% vs. 23%; p = 0.005). The very young (≤30 years; 6/576) and very old (>80 years; 45/576) had 5.51 and 2.2 greater odds of delays. CONCLUSION: We found no statistically significant difference in D2B times between patients ≤ 50 years old and those > 50 years old. Nonwhite patients and those who smoke were disproportionately represented within the younger population. The very young and very old had higher odds of D2B times > 90 min.

Effect of Clinical Decision Support-Generated Report Cards Versus Real-Time Alerts on Primary Care Provider Guideline Adherence for Low Back Pain Outpatient Lumbar Spine MRI Orders.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the type of feedback on evidence-based guideline adherence influences adult primary care provider (PCP) lumbar spine (LS) MRI orders for low back pain (LBP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four types of guideline adherence feedback were tested on eight tertiary health care system outpatient PCP practices: no feedback during baseline (March 1, 2012-October 4, 2012), randomization by practice to either clinical decision support (CDS)-generated report cards comparing providers to peers only or real-time CDS alerts at order entry during intervention 1 (February 6, 2013-December 31, 2013), and both feedback types for all practices during intervention 2 (January 14, 2014-June 20, 2014, and September 4, 2014-January 21, 2015). International Classification of Disease codes identified LBP visits (excluding Medicare fee-for-service). The primary outcome of the likelihood of LS MRI order being made on the day of or 1-30 days after the outpatient LBP visit was adjusted by feedback type (none, report cards only, real-time alerts only, or both); patient age, sex, race, and insurance status; and provider sex and experience. RESULTS: Half of PCPs (54/108) remained for all three periods, conducting 9394 of 107,938 (8.7%) outpatient LBP visits. The proportion of LBP visits increased over the course of the study (p = 0.0001). In multilevel hierarchic regression, report cards resulted in a lower likelihood of LS MRI orders made the day of and 1-30 days after the visit versus baseline: 38% (p = 0.009) and 37% (p = 0.006) for report cards alone, and 27% (p = 0.020) and 27% (p = 0.016) with alerts, respectively. Real-time alerts alone did not affect MRI orders made the day of (p = 0.585) or 1-30 days after (p = 0.650) the visit. No patient or provider variables were associated with LS MRI orders being generated on the day of or 1-30 days after the LBP visit. CONCLUSION: CDS-generated evidence-based report cards can substantially reduce outpatient PCP LS MRI orders on the day of and 1-30 days after the LBP visit. Real-time CDS alerts do not.

Clinical decision support increases diagnostic yield of computed tomography for suspected pulmonary embolism.

OBJECTIVE: Determine effects of evidence-based clinical decision support (CDS) on the use and yield of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography for suspected pulmonary embolism (CTPE) in Emergency Department (ED) patients. METHODS: This multi-site prospective quality improvement intervention conducted in three urban EDs used a pre/post design. For ED patients aged 18+years with suspected PE, CTPE use and yield were compared 19months pre- and 32months post-implementation of CDS intervention based on the Wells criteria, provided at the time of CTPE order, deployed in April 2012. Primary outcome was the yield (percentage of studies positive for acute PE). Secondary outcome was utilization (number of studies/100 ED visits) of CTPE. Chi-square and statistical process control chart assessed pre- and post-intervention differences. An interrupted time series analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Of 558,795 patients presenting October 2010-December 2014, 7987 (1.4%) underwent CTPE (mean age 52±17.5years, 66% female, 60.1% black); 34.7% of patients presented pre- and 65.3% post-CDS implementation. Overall CTPE diagnostic yield was 9.8% (779/7987 studies positive for PE). Yield increased a relative 30.8% after CDS implementation (8.1% vs. 10.6%; p=0.0003). There was no statistically significant change in CTPE utilization (1.4% pre- vs. 1.4% post-implementation; p=0.25). A statistical process control chart demonstrated immediate and sustained improvement in CTPE yield post-implementation. Interrupted time series analysis demonstrated the slope of PE findings versus time to be unchanged before and after the intervention (p=0.9). However, there was a trend that the intervention was associated with a 50% increased probability of PE finding (p=0.08), suggesting an immediate rather than gradual change after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing evidence-based CDS in the ED was associated with an immediate, significant and sustained increase in CTPE yield without a measurable decrease in CTPE utilization. Further studies will be needed to assess whether stronger interventions could further improve appropriate use of CTPE.

Comparative Effectiveness of Patient-Controlled Analgesia for Treating Acute Pain in the Emergency Department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We assess the effectiveness of patient-controlled analgesia in the emergency department (ED). We hypothesized that decline in pain intensity from 30 to 120 minutes after initial intravenous opioid administration is greater in patients receiving morphine by patient-controlled analgesia compared with usual care and would differ by a clinically significant amount. METHOD: This was a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of patient-controlled analgesia and usual care (opioid and dose at physician's discretion) in 4 EDs. Entry criteria included age 18 to 65 years and acute pain requiring intravenous opioids. The primary outcome was decline in numeric rating scale pain score 30 to 120 minutes postbaseline. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction, time to analgesia, adverse events, and patient-controlled analgesia pump-related problems. We used a mixed-effects linear model to compare rate of decline in pain (slope) between groups. A clinically significant difference between groups was defined as a difference in slopes equivalent to 1.3 numeric rating scale units. RESULTS: Six hundred thirty-six patients were enrolled. The rate of decline in pain from 30 to 120 minutes was greater for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia than usual care (difference=1.0 numeric rating scale unit; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6 to 1.5; P<.001) but did not reach the threshold for clinical significance. More patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia were satisfied with pain management (difference=9.3%; 95% CI 3.3% to 15.1%). Median time to initial analgesia was 15 minutes longer for patient-controlled analgesia than usual care (95% CI 11.4 to 18.6 minutes). There were 7 adverse events in the patient-controlled analgesia group and 1 in the usual care group (difference=2.0%; 95% CI 0.04% to 3.9%), and 11 pump-programming errors. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study do not favor patient-controlled analgesia over usual ED care for acute pain management.

Practices and attitudes towards radiation risk disclosure for computed tomography: survey of emergency medicine residency program directors.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the frequency with which emergency physicians involved in residency leadership disclose potential malignancy risks from computed tomography (CT), assess comfort with these discussions, and evaluate factors influencing risk disclosure. METHODS: We surveyed emergency medicine residency program directors and associate/assistant directors. Primary outcome was the proportion who "almost always" or "most of the time" discussed potential risks. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy-four (50.6%) of 542 eligible physicians responded. There were 82.1% (95% CI 76.8%, 86.6%) who reported almost always or most of the time discussing potential risks for patients ≤18 years; proportions for adults 19-40, 41-65, and >65 years were 50.6% (95% CI 44.4, 56.7%), 20.7% (95% CI 16.0, 26.0%), and 5.2% (95% CI 2.9, 8.5%), respectively (test for trend, p < 0.001). The proportion reporting being "extremely" or "very" comfortable discussing risks was 57.1% (95% CI 51.1, 63.2%). Patient/family CT request that the physician felt was not indicated was of "very high" or "high" importance for driving risk discussions in 86.4% of respondents. For 75.5%, patient/family query about radiation risks was of "high" or "very high" importance. Among 57.4% of respondents, the patient being elderly and/or having a reduced life expectancy was of "high" or "very high" importance in the decision not to discuss risk. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency physicians involved in residency leadership report frequently disclosing potential malignancy risks from CT at frequencies inversely proportional to patient age. About half are comfortable with discussions, and many discussions are driven by patient requests. Opportunities exist to optimize and standardize emergency department CT radiation risk disclosure practices.

Sex differences in STEMI activation for patients presenting to the ED 1939.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether sex was independently associated with door to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) activation time. We hypothesized that women are more likely to experience longer delays to STEMI activation than men. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults ≥18 years who underwent STEMI activation at 3 urban emergency departments between 2010 and 2014. The Wilcoxon rank sum test and logistic regression were used to compare men and women regarding time to activation and proportion with times <15 minutes, respectively. RESULTS: Of 400 eligible patients, we excluded 61 (15%) with prehospital activations, 44 (11%) arrests, and 3 (1%) transfers. Of the remaining 292 patients, mean age was 61±13 years, 64% were men, 57% were black, and 37% arrived by ambulance. Median door to STEMI activation time was 7.0 minutes longer for women than for men (25.5 vs 18.5 minutes, P=.028). In addition, men were more likely than women to have a door to STEMI activation time <15 minutes (45% vs 28%, P=.006). After adjusting for race, hospital site, Emergency Severity Index triage level, arrival mode, and chief concern of chest pain, the odds of men having STEMI activation times <15 minutes were 1.9 times more likely than women. CONCLUSIONS: Women have longer median door to STEMI activation times than men. A significantly lower proportion of women (28% vs 45%) are treated per American Heart Association guidelines of door to STEMI activation <15 minutes when compared with men, adjusting for confounders. Further investigation may identify possible etiology of bias and potential areas for intervention.

A report on the Academic Emergency Medicine 2015 consensus conference "Diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: a research agenda to optimize utilization".

In May 2015, the Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference "Diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: a research agenda to optimize utilization" was held. The goal of the conference was to develop a high-priority research agenda regarding emergency diagnostic imaging on which to base future research. In addition to representatives from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, the multidisciplinary conference included members of several radiology organizations: American Society for Emergency Radiology, Radiological Society of North America, the American College of Radiology, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The specific aims of the conference were to (1) understand the current state of evidence regarding emergency department (ED) diagnostic imaging utilization and identify key opportunities, limitations, and gaps in knowledge; (2) develop a consensus-driven research agenda emphasizing priorities and opportunities for research in ED diagnostic imaging; and (3) explore specific funding mechanisms available to facilitate research in ED diagnostic imaging. Through a multistep consensus process, participants developed targeted research questions for future research in six content areas within emergency diagnostic imaging: clinical decision rules; use of administrative data; patient-centered outcomes research; training, education, and competency; knowledge translation and barriers to imaging optimization; and comparative effectiveness research in alternatives to traditional computed tomography use.

Effects of Performance Feedback Reports on Adherence to Evidence-Based Guidelines in Use of CT for Evaluation of Pulmonary Embolism in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether implementing emergency department (ED) physician performance feedback reports improves adherence to evidence-based guidelines for use of CT for evaluation of pulmonary embolism (PE) beyond that achieved with clinical decision support (CDS) alone. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013, at an urban level 1 adult trauma center ED. Attending physicians were stratified into quartiles by use of CT for evaluation of PE in 2012 and were randomized to receive quarterly feedback reporting or not, beginning January 2013. Reports consisted of individual and anonymized group data on guideline adherence (using the Wells criteria), use of CT for PE (number of CT examinations for PE per 1000 patients), and yield (percentage of CT examinations for PE with positive findings). We compared guideline adherence (primary outcome) and use and yield (secondary outcomes) of CT for PE between the control and intervention groups in 2013 and with historical imaging data from 2012. RESULTS: Of 109,793 ED patients during the control and intervention periods, 2167 (2.0%) underwent CT for evaluation of PE. In the control group, guideline adherence remained unchanged between 2012 (78.8% [476/604]) and 2013 (77.2% [421/545]) (p = 0.5); in the intervention group, guideline adherence increased 8.8% after feedback report implementation, from 78.3% (426/544) to 85.2% (404/474) (p < 0.05). Use and yield were unchanged in both groups. CONCLUSION: Implementation of quarterly feedback reporting resulted in a modest but significant increase in adherence to evidence-based guidelines for use of CT for evaluation of PE in ED patients, enhancing the impact of CDS alone. These results suggest potentially synergistic effects of traditional performance improvement tools with CDS to improve guideline adherence.

Developing a Research Agenda to Optimize Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: An Executive Summary of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.

The 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: A Research Agenda to Optimize Utilization" was held on May 12, 2015, with the goal of developing a high-priority research agenda on which to base future research. The specific aims of the conference were to (1) understand the current state of evidence regarding emergency department (ED) diagnostic imaging use and identify key opportunities, limitations, and gaps in knowledge; (2) develop a consensus-driven research agenda emphasizing priorities and opportunities for research in ED diagnostic imaging; and (3) explore specific funding mechanisms available to facilitate research in ED diagnostic imaging. Over a 2-year period, the executive committee and other experts in the field convened regularly to identify specific areas in need of future research. Six content areas within emergency diagnostic imaging were identified before the conference and served as the breakout groups on which consensus was achieved: clinical decision rules; use of administrative data; patient-centered outcomes research; training, education, and competency; knowledge translation and barriers to imaging optimization; and comparative effectiveness research in alternatives to traditional computed tomography use. The executive committee invited key stakeholders to assist with the planning and to participate in the consensus conference to generate a multidisciplinary agenda. There were a total of 164 individuals involved in the conference and spanned various specialties, including general emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, radiology, surgery, medical physics, and the decision sciences.

Enhanced lysis and accelerated establishment of viscoelastic properties of fibrin clots are associated with pulmonary embolism.

The factors that contribute to pulmonary embolism (PE), a potentially fatal complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), remain poorly understood. Whereas fibrin clot structure and functional properties have been implicated in the pathology of venous thromboembolism and the risk for cardiovascular complications, their significance in PE remains uncertain. Therefore, we systematically compared and quantified clot formation and lysis time, plasminogen levels, viscoelastic properties, activated factor XIII cross-linking, and fibrin clot structure in isolated DVT and PE subjects. Clots made from plasma of PE subjects showed faster clot lysis times with no differences in lag time, rate of clot formation, or maximum absorbance of turbidity compared with DVT. Differences in lysis times were not due to alterations in plasminogen levels. Compared with DVT, clots derived from PE subjects showed accelerated establishment of viscoelastic properties, documented by a decrease in lag time and an increase in the rate of viscoelastic property formation. The rate and extent of fibrin cross-linking by activated factor XIII were similar between clots from DVT and PE subjects. Electron microscopy revealed that plasma fibrin clots from PE subjects exhibited lower fiber density compared with those from DVT subjects. These data suggest that clot structure and functional properties differ between DVT and PE subjects and provide insights into mechanisms that may regulate embolization.

Influence of time-to-diagnosis on time-to-percutaneous coronary intervention for emergency department ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients: Time-to-electrocardiogram matters.

Objectives: Earlier electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with earlier percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and better patient outcomes. However, the exact relationship between timely ECG and timely PCI is unclear. Methods: We quantified the influence of door-to-ECG (D2E) time on ECG-to-PCI balloon (E2B) intervention in this three-year retrospective cohort study, including patients from 10 geographically diverse emergency departments (EDs) co-located with a PCI center. The study included 576 STEMI patients excluding those with a screening ECG before ED arrival or non-diagnostic initial ED ECG. We used a linear mixed-effects model to evaluate D2E's influence on E2B with piecewise linear terms for D2E times associated with time intervals designated as ED intake (0-10 min), triage (11-30 min), and main ED (>30 min). We adjusted for demographic and visit characteristics, past medical history, and included ED location as a random effect. Results: The median E2B interval was longer (76 vs 68 min, p < 0.001) in patients with D2E >10 min than in those with timely D2E. The proportion of patients identified at the intake, triage, and main ED intervals was 65.8%, 24.9%, and 9.7%, respectively. The D2E and E2B association was statistically significant in the triage phase, where a 1-minute change in D2E was associated with a 1.24-minute change in E2B (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-2.05, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Reducing D2E is associated with a shorter E2B. Targeting D2E reduction in patients currently diagnosed during triage (11-30 min) may be the greatest opportunity to improve D2B and could enable 24.9% more ED STEMI patients to achieve timely D2E.

Shorter Door-to-ECG Time Is Associated with Improved Mortality in STEMI Patients.

Background: Delayed intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with higher mortality. The association of door-to-ECG (D2E) with clinical outcomes has not been directly explored in a contemporary US-based population. Methods: This was a three-year, 10-center, retrospective cohort study of ED-diagnosed patients with STEMI comparing mortality between those who received timely (<10 min) vs. untimely (>10 min) diagnostic ECG. Among survivors, we explored left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) dysfunction during the STEMI encounter and recovery upon post-discharge follow-up. Results: Mortality was lower among those who received a timely ECG where one-week mortality was 5% (21/420) vs. 10.2% (26/256) among those with untimely ECGs (p = 0.016), and in-hospital mortality was 6.0% (25/420) vs. 10.9% (28/256) (p = 0.028). Data to compare change in LVEF metrics were available in only 24% of patients during the STEMI encounter and 46.5% on discharge follow-up. Conclusions: D2E within 10 min may be associated with a 50% reduction in mortality among ED STEMI patients. LVEF dysfunction is the primary resultant morbidity among STEMI survivors but was infrequently assessed despite low LVEF being an indication for survival-improving therapy. It will be difficult to assess the impact of STEMI care interventions without more consistent LVEF assessment.

Poor sensitivity of a modified Alvarado score in adults with suspected appendicitis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: A clinical decision rule that identifies patients at low risk for appendicitis may reduce the reliance on computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis. We seek to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of a low modified Alvarado score in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected appendicitis and compare the score to clinical judgment. We hypothesize that a low modified Alvarado score will have a sufficiently high sensitivity to rule out acute appendicitis. METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study of adult patients with suspected appendicitis at 2 academic urban EDs. A low modified Alvarado score was defined as less than 4. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI) for a low modified Alvarado score, and a final diagnosis of appendicitis was confirmed by CT, laparotomy, or 7-day follow-up. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-one patients were included for analysis (mean age 35 years [range 18 to 89 years], 68% female patients, 52% white). Fifty-three patients (20%) had acute appendicitis. The modified Alvarado score test characteristics demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 72% (95% CI 58% to 84%) and 54% (95% CI 47% to 61%), respectively. Unstructured clinical judgment that appendicitis was either the most likely or second most likely diagnosis demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 93% (95% CI 82% to 98%) and 33% (95% CI 27% to 40%), respectively. CONCLUSION: With a sensitivity of 72%, a low modified Alvarado score is less sensitive than clinical judgment in excluding acute appendicitis.

Emergency medicine physician workforce attrition differences by age and gender.

BACKGROUND: Emergency care workforce concerns have gained national prominence given recent data suggesting higher than previously estimated attrition. With little known regarding characteristics of physicians leaving the workforce, we sought to investigate the age and number of years since residency graduation at which male and female emergency physicians (EPs) exhibited workforce attrition. METHODS: We performed a repeated cross-sectional analysis of EPs reimbursed by Medicare linked to date of birth and residency graduation date data from the American Board of Emergency Medicine for the years 2013-2020. Stratified by gender, our primary outcomes were the median age and number of years since residency graduation at the time of attrition, defined as the last year during the study time frame that an EP provided clinical services. We constructed a multivariate logistic regression model to examine the association between gender and EP workforce attrition. RESULTS: A total of 25,839 (70.2%) male and 10,954 (29.8%) female EPs were included. During the study years, 5905 male EPs exhibited attrition at a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 56.4 (44.5-65.4) years, and 2463 female EPs exhibited attrition at a median (IQR) age of 44.0 (38.0-53.9) years. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio 2.30, 95% confidence interval 1.82-2.91) was significantly associated with attrition from the workforce. Male and female EPs had respective median (IQR) post-residency graduation times in the workforce of 17.5 (9.5-25.5) years and 10.5 (5.5-18.5) years among those who exhibited attrition and one in 13 males and one in 10 females exited clinical practice within 5 years of residency graduation. CONCLUSIONS: Female physicians exhibited attrition from the EM workforce at an age approximately 12 years younger than male physicians. These data identify widespread disparities regarding EM workforce attrition that are critical to address to ensure stability, longevity, and diversity in the EP workforce.

White Paper: Best Practices in the Communication and Management of Actionable Incidental Findings in Emergency Department Imaging.

PURPOSE: Actionable incidental findings (AIFs) are common in radiologic imaging. Imaging is commonly performed in emergency department (ED) visits, and AIFs are frequently encountered, but the ED presents unique challenges for communication and follow-up of these findings. The authors formed a multidisciplinary panel to seek consensus regarding best practices in the reporting, communication, and follow-up of AIFs on ED imaging tests. METHODS: A 15-member panel was formed, nominated by the ACR and American College of Emergency Physicians, to represent radiologists, emergency physicians, patients, and those involved in health care systems and quality. A modified Delphi process was used to identify areas of best practice and seek consensus. The panel identified four areas: (1) report elements and structure, (2) communication of findings with patients, (3) communication of findings with clinicians, and (4) follow-up and tracking systems. A survey was constructed to seek consensus and was anonymously administered in two rounds, with a priori agreement requiring at least 80% consensus. Discussion occurred after the first round, with readministration of questions where consensus was not initially achieved. RESULTS: Consensus was reached in the four areas identified. There was particularly strong consensus that AIFs represent a system-level issue, with need for approaches that do not depend on individual clinicians or patients to ensure communication and completion of recommended follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This multidisciplinary collaboration represents consensus results on best practices regarding the reporting and communication of AIFs in the ED setting.

Use of abdominopelvic computed tomography in emergency departments and rates of urgent diagnoses in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In the United States, the use of abdominopelvic computed tomography (APCT) by emergency departments for patients with abdominal pain has increased, despite stable admission rates and diagnosis requiring urgent intervention. We proposed that trends would be similar for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of data from 648 adults with CD who presented at 2 emergency departments (2001-2009; 1572 visits). Trends in APCT use were assessed with Spearman correlation coefficient. We compared patient characteristics and APCT findings during 2001-2003 and 2007-2009. RESULTS: APCT use increased from 2001 (used for 47% of encounters) to 2009 (used for 78% of encounters; P = .005), whereas admission rates were relatively stable at 68% in 2001 and 71% in 2009 (P = .06). The overall proportion of APCTs with findings of intestinal perforation, obstruction, or abscess was 29.0%; 34.9% of APCTs were associated with urgent diagnoses, including those unrelated to CD. Between 2001-2003 and 2007-2009, the proportions of APCTs that detected intestinal perforation, obstruction, or abscess were similar (30% vs 29%, P = .92), as were the proportions used to detect any diagnosis requiring urgent intervention, including those unrelated to CD (36% vs 34%, P = .91). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increased use of APCT by emergency departments for patients with CD, there were no significant changes in admission rates between the periods of 2001-2003 and 2007-2009. The proportion of APCTs that detected intestinal perforation, obstruction, abscess, or other urgent conditions not related to CD remained high.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in necrotizing soft tissue infections.

BACKGROUND: Surgical debridement and antibiotics are the mainstays of therapy for patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs), but hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is often used as an adjunctive measure. Despite this, the efficacy of HBO remains unclear. We hypothesized that HBO would have no effect on mortality or amputation rates. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of our institutional experience from 2005 to 2009. Inclusion criteria were age > 18 y and discharge diagnosis of NSTI. We abstracted baseline demographics, physiology, laboratory values, and operative course from the medical record. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality; the secondary endpoint was extremity amputation rate. We compared baseline variables using Mann-Whitney, chi-square, and Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: We identified 80 cases over the study period. The cohort was 54% male (n = 43) and 53% white (n = 43), and had a mean age of 55 ± 16 y. There were no significant differences in demographics, physiology, or comorbidities between groups. In-hospital mortality was not different between groups (16% in the HBO group versus 19% in the non-HBO group; P = 0.77). In patients with extremity NSTI, the amputation rate did not differ significantly between patients who did not receive HBO and those who did (17% versus 25%; P = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not appear to decrease in-hospital mortality or amputation rate after in patients with NSTI. There may be a role for HBO in treatment of NSTI; nevertheless, consideration of HBO should never delay operative therapy. Further evidence of efficacy is necessary before HBO can be considered the standard of care in NSTI.

COVID-19 Pandemic Surge: After-Action Report of a Coalition of Emergency Departments in New York City.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has stressed the US health care system in unprecedented ways. In March and April 2020, emergency departments (EDs) throughout New York City experienced high volumes and acuity related to the pandemic. Here, we present a structured after-action report of a coalition of 9 EDs within a hospital system in the New York City metropolitan area, with an emphasis on best practices developed during the prolonged surge as well as specific opportunities for growth. We report our experience in 6 key areas using a framework built around lessons learned. This report represents the most salient concepts related to our institutional after-action report, and those seemingly most relevant to our peer institutions dealing with similar circumstances.