System Configuration Evaluation for a Province-Wide Clinical Information System Using the eSafety Checklist.

BACKGROUND: According to Digital Health Canada 2013 eSafety Guidelines, an estimated one-third of patient safety incidents following implementation of clinical information systems (CISs) are technology-related. An eSafety checklist was previously developed to improve CIS safety by providing a comprehensive listing of system-agnostic, evidence-based configuration recommendations. OBJECTIVES: We sought to use the checklist to support safe initial configuration of a provincial system-wide CIS (Alberta, Canada), referred to as Connect Care. METHODS: The checklist was applied to 13 Connect Care modules in three successive phases. First, the checklist was adapted to an abbreviated high-priority version. Second, demonstrations of each module were recorded. Finally, independent evaluation of each recording was conducted by two eSafety evaluators using the abbreviated eSafety checklist. RESULTS: All modules achieved greater than 72% compliance, with an average of 84%. Overall, 273 opportunities for improvement were identified, with four major areas or themes emerging: (1) inconsistent date and time, (2) unclear patient identification, (3) ineffective alert system, and (4) insufficient decision support. These opportunities were forwarded to the appropriate build teams for review and implementation. CONCLUSION: This work is the first to utilize the eSafety checklist in a real-world CIS, which will become one of the largest in Canada. The checklist has shown clinical applicability in identifying gaps in CIS configuration and should be considered for use in future and pre-existing CISs.

Medication-Facilitated Advanced Airway Management with First-Line Use of a Supraglottic Device - A One-Year Quality Assurance Review.

INTRODUCTION: Airway management is a controversial topic in modern Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems. Among many concerns regarding endotracheal intubation (ETI), unrecognized esophageal intubation and observations of unfavorable neurologic outcomes in some studies raise the question of whether alternative airway techniques should be first-line in EMS airway management protocols. Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) are simpler to use, provide reliable oxygenation and ventilation, and may thus be an alternative first-line airway device for paramedics. In 2019, Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR; Alachua, Florida USA) introduced a novel protocol for advanced airway management emphasizing first-line use of a second-generation SAD (i-gel) for patients requiring medication-facilitated airway management (referred to as "rapid sequence airway" [RSA] protocol). STUDY OBJECTIVE: This was a one-year quality assurance review of care provided under the RSA protocol looking at compliance and first-pass success rate of first-line SAD use. METHODS: Records were obtained from the agency's electronic medical record (EMR), searching for the use of the RSA protocol, advanced airway devices, or either ketamine or rocuronium. If available, hospital follow-up data regarding patient condition and emergency department (ED) airway exchange were obtained. RESULTS: During the first year, 33 advanced airway attempts were made under the protocol by 23 paramedics. Overall, compliance with the airway device sequence as specified in the protocol was 72.7%. When ETI was non-compliantly used as first-line airway device, the first-pass success rate was 44.4% compared to 87.5% with adherence to first-line SAD use. All prehospital SADs were exchanged in the ED in a delayed fashion and almost exclusively per physician preference alone. In no case was the SAD exchanged for suspected dislodgement evidenced by lack of capnography. CONCLUSION: First-line use of a SAD was associated with a high first-pass attempt success rate in a real-life cohort of prehospital advanced airway encounters. No SAD required emergent exchange upon hospital arrival.

Appropriate Air Medical Services Utilization and Recommendations for Integration of Air Medical Services Resources into the EMS System of Care: A Joint Position Statement and Resource Document of NAEMSP, ACEP, and AMPA.

This update to the 2013 joint position statement, Appropriate and Safe Utilization of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, provides guidance for air medical services utilization based on currently available evidence. Air medical services utilization considerations fall into three major categories: clinical considerations, safety considerations, and system integration and quality assurance.Clinically, air medical services should accomplish one or more of three primary patient-centered goals: initiation or continuation of locally unavailable advanced or specialty care; expedited delivery to definitive care for time-sensitive interventions; and/or extraction from physically remote or otherwise inaccessible locations that limit timely access to necessary care. Ground-EMS (GEMS) transport is preferred when it is able to provide the necessary level of care and timely transport to definitive care.Risk identification and safety of both the patient and crew must be uniformly balanced against the anticipated degree of patient medical benefit. While auto-ready and auto-launch practices may increase access to air medical services, they also risk over-use, and so must be rigorously reviewed. Safety is enhanced during multi-agency emergency responses by coordinated interagency communication, ideally through centralized communication centers. Helicopter shopping and reverse helicopter shopping both create significant safety risks and their use is discouraged.Regional EMS systems must integrate air medical services to facilitate appropriate utilization in alignment with the primary patient goals while being cognizant of local indications, resources, and needs. To maximize consistent, informed air medical services utilization decisions, specific indications for and limitations to air medical services utilization that align with local and regional system and patient needs should be identified, and requests routed through centralized coordinating centers supported by EMS physicians.To limit risk and promote appropriate utilization of air medical services, GEMS clinicians should be encouraged to cancel an air medical services response if it is not aligned with at least one of the three primary patient-centered goals. Similarly, air medical services clinicians should be empowered to redirect patient transport to GEMS. Air medical services should not routinely be used solely to allow GEMS to remain in their primary service area.

External Validation of the qSOFA Score in Emergency Department Patients With Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the leading cause of sepsis. In 2016, the 3rd International Consensus Conference for Sepsis released the Quick Sepsis-Related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) to identify risk for poor outcomes in sepsis. OBJECTIVE: We sought to externally validate qSOFA in emergency department (ED) patients with pneumonia and compare the accuracy of qSOFA to systemic inflammatory response syndrome score (SIRS), Confusion, Respiratory Rate and Blood Pressure (CRB), Confusion, Respiratory Rate, Blood Pressure and Age (CRB-65), and DS CRB-65, which is based on the CRB-65 score and includes two additional items-presence of underlying comorbid disease and blood oxygen saturation. METHODS: A subgroup analysis of U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG-Lung Injury Prevention Study [LIPS]; ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00889772) prospective cohort. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were measures of intensive care unit (ICU) utilization. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were reported. RESULTS: From March to August 2009, 5584 patients were enrolled; 713 met inclusion criteria. Median age was 61 years (interquartile range 49-75 years). SIRS criteria had the highest sensitivity for death (89%) and lowest specificity (25%), while CRB had the highest specificity (88%) and lowest sensitivity (31%), followed by qSOFA (80% and 53%, respectively). This trend was maintained for the secondary outcomes. There was no significant difference in the AUC for death using qSOFA (AUC 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.84), SIRS (AUC 0.70; 95% CI 0.61-0.78), CRB (AUC 0.71; 95% CI 0.62-0.80), CRB-65 (AUC 0.71; 95% CI 0.63-0.80), and DS CRB-65 (AUC 0.73; 95% CI 0.64-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter observational study of ED patients hospitalized with pneumonia, we found no significant differences between qSOFA and SIRS for predicting in-hospital death. In addition, several popular pneumonia-specific severity scores performed nearly identically to qSOFA score in predicting death and ICU utilization. Validation is needed in a larger sample.

The Efficacy of Antivenin Latrodectus (Black Widow) Equine Immune F(ab')2 Versus Placebo in the Treatment of Latrodectism: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The antivenom currently available for treatment of systemic black widow envenomation (latrodectism) is composed of equine whole immunoglobin. Although considered effective, it has been associated with anaphylaxis and 2 reported fatalities. We test the efficacy and safety of new equine antivenom composed of purified F(ab')2 antibody fragments. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 16 sites across the United States. Subjects aged 10 years or older with moderate to severe pain because of black widow spider envenomation received F(ab')2 antivenom or placebo. The primary outcome measure was treatment failure, which was defined as failure to achieve and maintain clinically significant reduction in pain for 48 hours posttreatment. Secondary measures of pain intensity differences and summed pain intensity difference were computed. Adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Sixty patients were treated (29 antivenom and 31 placebo). The mean age was 39 years and 68% were male. There were 15 treatment failures in the antivenom group and 24 in the placebo group (P=.019). Differences in pain intensity difference between groups were lower at each postbaseline point, and the mean summed pain intensity difference was greater for the antivenom group (difference 2,133; 95% confidence interval 177 to 4,090). No deaths or serious drug-related adverse events were detected. CONCLUSION: The F(ab')2 antivenom met the predefined primary outcome of reduced treatment failures. Secondary outcomes of pain intensity difference and summed pain intensity difference also supported efficacy. The rate of symptom improvement in the placebo group was higher than expected, which may be related to enrollment criteria or placebo effect.

Severe Decompression Illness: Case Report, Prehospital Recognition, and Regional Transport Considerations.

A 46-year-old male presented to our tertiary care emergency department (ED) with shortness of breath and chest pain following an uneventful four-hour SCUBA dive at 100 feet. His prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) assessment revealed transient hypotension and hypoxia. He later developed progressive skin mottling. Serology was significant for acute kidney injury, transaminitis, hemoconcentration, and hypoxia on an arterial blood gas. Computed tomography (CT) angiography demonstrated intravascular gas throughout the mesenteric and pulmonary arteries as well as the portal venous system. No abnormality was seen on head CT and the patient had normal mental status. Prehospital nonrebreather oxygen therapy was changed to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) upon ED arrival, and the patient was intubated prior to transfer to a hyperbaric facility. However, within 24 hours the patient was found to have multiorgan failure, diffuse cerebral edema, and brain death despite no further episodes of hypotension or hypoxia. No intracranial gas was seen on repeat head CT. Our case demonstrates the importance of early recognition of decompression illness by EMS personnel, consideration of ground versus flight transportation of these patients to the nearest hyperbaric center, and the possible use of prehospital CPAP as an alternative to enhance oxygenation.

Influenza-like illness-related emergency department visits: Christmas and New Year holiday peaks and relationships with laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus detections, Edmonton, Alberta, 2004-2014.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) visit volumes can be especially high during the Christmas-New Year holidays, a period occurring during the influenza season in Canada. METHODS: Using daily data, we examined the relationship between ED visits for the chief complaint "cough" (for Edmonton, Alberta residents) and laboratory detections for influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (for Edmonton and surrounding areas), lagged 0-5 days ahead, for non-pandemic years (2004-2008 and 2010-2014) using multivariable linear regression adjusting for temporal variables. We defined these cough-related visits as influenza-like illness (ILI)-related ED visits and, for 2004-2014, compared Christmas-New Year holiday (December 24-January 3) and non-holiday volumes during the influenza season (October-April). RESULTS: Adjusting for temporal variables, ILI-related ED visits were significantly associated with laboratory detections for influenza A and RSV. During non-pandemic years, the highest peak in ILI-related visit volumes always occurred during the holidays. The median number of holiday ILI-related visits/day (42.5) was almost twice the non-holiday median (24) and was even higher in 2012-2013 (80) and 2013-2014 (86). Holiday ILI-related ED visit volumes/100 000 population ranged from 56.0 (2010-2011) to 117.4 (2012-2013). In contrast, lower visit volumes occurred during the holidays of pandemic-affected years (2008-2010). CONCLUSIONS: During non-pandemic years, ILI-related ED visit volumes were associated with variations in detections for influenza A and RSV and always peaked during the Christmas-New Year holidays. This predictability should be used to prepare for, and possibly prevent, this increase in healthcare use; however, interventions beyond disease prevention strategies are likely needed.

Trauma Simulation Training Increases Confidence Levels in Prehospital Personnel Performing Life-Saving Interventions in Trauma Patients.

Introduction. Limited evidence is available on simulation training of prehospital care providers, specifically the use of tourniquets and needle decompression. This study focused on whether the confidence level of prehospital personnel performing these skills improved through simulation training. Methods. Prehospital personnel from Alachua County Fire Rescue were enrolled in the study over a 2- to 3-week period based on their availability. Two scenarios were presented to them: a motorcycle crash resulting in a leg amputation requiring a tourniquet and an intoxicated patient with a stab wound, who experienced tension pneumothorax requiring needle decompression. Crews were asked to rate their confidence levels before and after exposure to the scenarios. Timing of the simulation interventions was compared with actual scene times to determine applicability of simulation in measuring the efficiency of prehospital personnel. Results. Results were collected from 129 participants. Pre- and postexposure scores increased by a mean of 1.15 (SD 1.32; 95% CI, 0.88-1.42; P < 0.001). Comparison of actual scene times with simulated scene times yielded a 1.39-fold difference (95% CI, 1.25-1.55) for Scenario 1 and 1.59 times longer for Scenario 2 (95% CI, 1.43-1.77). Conclusion. Simulation training improved prehospital care providers' confidence level in performing two life-saving procedures.

Expanding prevertebral soft tissue swelling subsequent to a motor vehicle collision.

Cervical acceleration/deceleration or whiplash injuries are a common cause of cervical spine trauma. Cervical acceleration/deceleration can result in vertebral fractures, subluxations, and ligamentous and other soft tissue injuries. Severe injuries are often evidenced by increased prevertebral swelling on lateral X-ray. Assessment of the prevertebral space on lateral cervical spine films is an essential component for identifying potential traumatic neck injuries. We describe a case in which an 84-year-old man on coumadin presented to the emergency department after a low-impact motor vehicle crash. The patient initially complained of neck and shoulder pain which subsequently progressed to hoarseness, dysphagia, and dyspnea. Imaging studies revealed significant prevertebral tissue swelling with anterior compression of his airway that required airway stabilization via awake fiber-optic intubation and reversal of his anticoagulation therapy.

Pilot study comparing sepsis management with and without electronic clinical practice guidelines in an academic emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires urgent management in an Emergency Department (ED). Evidence-based guidelines for managing sepsis have been developed; however, their integration into routine practice is often incomplete. Care maps may help clinicians meet guideline targets more often. OBJECTIVES: To determine if electronic clinical practice guidelines (eCPGs) improve management of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock (SS/SS). METHODS: The impact of an eCPG on the management of patients presenting with SS/SS over a 3-year period at a tertiary care ED was evaluated using retrospective case-control design and chart review methods. Cases and controls, matched by age and sex, were chosen from an electronic database using physician sepsis diagnoses. Data were compared using McNemar tests or paired t-tests, as appropriate. RESULTS: Overall, 51 cases and controls were evaluated; the average age was 62 years, and 60% were male. eCPG patients were more likely to have a central venous pressure and central venous oxygen saturation measured; however, lactate measurement, blood cultures, and other investigations were similarly ordered (all p > 0.05). The administration of antibiotics within 3 h (63% vs. 41%; p = 0.03) and vasopressors (45% vs. 20%; p = 0.02) was more common in the eCPG group; however, use of corticosteroids and other interventions did not differ between the groups. Overall, survival was high and similar between groups. CONCLUSION: A sepsis eCPG experienced variable use; however, physicians using the eCPG achieved more quality-of-care targets for SS/SS. Strategies to increase the utilization of eCPGs in Emergency Medicine seem warranted.

Febrile neutropenia in EDs: the role of an electronic clinical practice guideline.

PURPOSE: Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for managing febrile neutropenia (FN) are widely available; however, the integration of guidelines into routine practice is often incomplete. This study evaluated the uptake and clinical impact of implementing an electronic CPG on the management and outcomes of patients presenting with FN at 4 urban emergency departments (ED). METHODS: A retrospective chart review over a 3-year period at 4 hospitals in Edmonton, Alberta, was performed. Potentially eligible patient visits were identified by searching the Ambulatory Care Classification System database using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, codes and ED physician diagnoses of FN. ED patients with fever (>38°C at home or in ED) and neutropenia (white blood cell count of <1000 cells/mm(3) or a neutrophil count of <500 cells/mm(3)) who received an ED diagnosis of FN were included. RESULTS: From 371 potential cases, 201 unique cases of FN were included. Overall, the electronic CPG was used in 76 (37.8%) of 201 patient visits; however, there were significant differences in CPG utilization between hospitals. Clinical practice guideline usage was greatest at the University of Alberta Hospital (57%). This finding correlated with a decrease in time from triage to first antibiotic by 1 hour compared to the 3 control hospitals (3.9 vs 4.9 hours, P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: The electronic CPG is a useful clinical tool that can improve patient management in the ED, and strategies to increase its utilization in this and other regions should be pursued.

A multi-function public health surveillance system and the lessons learned in its development: the Alberta Real Time Syndromic Surveillance Net.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a centralized automated multi-function detection and reporting system for public health surveillance--the Alberta Real Time Syndromic Surveillance Net (ARTSSN). This improves upon traditional paper-based systems which are often fragmented, limited by incomplete data collection and inadequate analytical capacity, and incapable of providing timely information for public health action. METHODS: ARTSSN concurrently analyzes multiple electronic data sources in real time to describe results in tables, charts and maps. Detected anomalies are immediately disseminated via alerts to decision-makers for action. RESULTS: ARTSSN provides richly integrated information on a variety of health conditions for early detection of and prompt action on abnormal events such as clusters, outbreaks and trends. Examples of such health conditions include chronic and communicable disease, injury and environment-mediated adverse incidents. DISCUSSION: Key advantages of ARTSSN over traditional paper-based methods are its timeliness, comprehensiveness and automation. Public health surveillance of communicable disease, injury, environmental hazard exposure and chronic disease now occurs in a single system in real time year round. Examples are given to demonstrate the public health value of this system, particularly during Pandemic (H1N1) 2009.

Development of a flexible healthcare form builder using Ruby on Rails.

A collaboratively maintained, centralized web-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) repository could lead to improved quality and standardization of care and decrease duplication of resources. Ruby on Rails (RoR) is an open source web application framework that enables rapid iterative development of database backed applications. We have created a prototype form building application in RoR that has the potential to create and maintain such a CDSS repository. Further study and refinement are required.

How usability of a web-based clinical decision support system has the potential to contribute to adverse medical events.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have the potential to reduce adverse medical events, but improper design can introduce new forms of error. CDSS pertaining to community acquired pneumonia and neutropenic fever were studied to determine whether usability of the graphical user interface might contribute to potential adverse medical events. METHODS: Automated screen capture of 4 CDSS being used by volunteer emergency physicians was analyzed using structured methods. RESULTS: 422 events were recorded over 56 sessions. In total, 169 negative comments, 55 positive comments, 130 neutral comments, 21 application events, 34 problems, 6 slips, and 5 mistakes were identified. Three mistakes could have had life-threatening consequences. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of CDSS will be of utmost importance in the future with increasing use of electronic health records. Usability engineering principles can identify interface problems that may lead to potential medical adverse events, and should be incorporated early in the software design phase.

Does a waiting room video about what to expect during an emergency department visit improve patient satisfaction?

OBJECTIVE: We created an instructional waiting room video that explained what patients should expect during their emergency department (ED) visit and sought to determine whether preparing patients using this video would 1) improve satisfaction, 2) decrease perceived waiting room times and 3) increase calls to an outpatient referral line in an ambulatory population. METHODS: This serial cross-sectional study took place over a period of 2 months before (control) and 2 months after the introduction of an educational waiting room video that described a typical patient visit to our ED. We enrolled a convenience sample of adult patients or parents of pediatric patients who were triaged to the ED waiting room; a research assistant distributed and collected the surveys as patients were being discharged after treatment. Subjects were excluded if they were admitted. The primary outcome was overall satisfaction measured on a 5-point Likert scale, and secondary outcomes included perceived waiting room time, and the number of outpatient referral-line calls. RESULTS: There were 1132 subjects surveyed: 551 prevideo and 581 postvideo. The mean age was 38 years (standard deviation [SD] 18), 61% were female and the mean ED length of stay was 5.9 hours (SD 3.6). Satisfaction scores were significantly higher postvideo, with 65% of participants ranking their visit as either "excellent" or "very good", compared with 58.1% in the prevideo group (p = 0.019); however, perceived waiting room time was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.24). Patient calls to our specialty outpatient clinic referral line increased from 1.5 per month (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-2.42) to 4.5 per month (95% CI 1.19-7.18) (p = 0.032). After adjusting for possible covariates, the most significant determinants of overall satisfaction were perceived waiting room time (odds ratio [OR] 0.41, 95% CI 0.34-0.48) and having seen the ED waiting room video (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06-1.86). CONCLUSION: Preparing patients for their ED experience by describing the ED process of care through a waiting room video can improve ED patient satisfaction and the knowledge of outpatient clinic resources in an ambulatory population. Future studies should research the implementation of this educational intervention in a randomized fashion.

The effect of training on nurse agreement using an electronic triage system.

OBJECTIVES: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients based on urgency of care, and the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) is the national standard. We describe the inter-rater agreement and manual overrides of nurses using a CTAS-compliant web-based triage tool (eTRIAGE) for 2 different intensities of staff training. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in an urban tertiary care ED. In phase 1, eTRIAGE was deployed after a 3-hour training course for 24 triage nurses who were asked to share this knowledge during regular triage shifts with colleagues who had not received training (n = 77). In phase 2, a targeted group of 8 triage nurses underwent further training with eTRIAGE. In each phase, patients were assessed first by the duty triage nurse and then by a blinded independent study nurse, both using eTRIAGE. Inter-rater agreement was calculated using kappa (weighted kappa) statistics. RESULTS: In phase 1, 569 patients were enrolled with 513 (90.2%) complete records; 577 patients were enrolled in phase 2 with 555 (96.2%) complete records. Inter-rater agreement during phase 1 was moderate (weighted kappa = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49-0.62); agreement improved in phase 2 (weighted kappa = 0.65; 95% CI 0.60-0.70). Manual overrides of eTRIAGE scores were infrequent (approximately 10%) during both periods. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement between study nurses and duty triage nurses, both using eTRIAGE, was moderate to good, with a trend toward improvement with additional training. Triage overrides were infrequent. Continued attempts to refine the triage process and training appear warranted.

Predictive validity of a computerized emergency triage tool.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients on the basis of the urgency of need for care. eTRIAGE is a Web-based triage decision support tool that is based on the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), a five level triage system (CTAS 1 = resuscitation, CTAS 5 = nonurgent). OBJECTIVES: To examine the validity of eTRIAGE on the basis of resource utilization and cost as measures of acuity. METHODS: Scores on the CTAS, specialist consultations, computed-tomography use, ED length of stay, ED disposition, and estimated ED and hospital costs (if the patient was subsequently admitted to hospital) were collected for each patient over a six month period. These data were queried from a database that captures all regional ED visits. Correlations between CTAS score and each outcome were measured by using logistic regression models (categorical variables), univariate analysis of variance (continuous variables), and the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (costs). A multivariate regression model that used cost as the outcome was used to identify interaction between the variables presented. RESULTS: Over the six month study, 29,524 patients were triaged by using eTRIAGE. When compared with CTAS level 3, the odds ratios for consultation, CT scan, and admission were significantly higher in CTAS 1 and 2 and were significantly lower in CTAS 4 and 5 (p < 0.001). When compared with CTAS levels 2-5 combined, the odds ratio for death in CTAS 1 was 664.18 (p < 0.001). The length of stay also demonstrated significant correlation with CTAS score (p < 0.001). Costs to the ED and hospital also correlated significantly with increasing acuity (median costs for CTAS levels in Canadian dollars: CTAS 1 = 2,690 dollars, CTAS 2 = 433 dollars, CTAS 3 = 288 dollars, CTAS 4 = 164 dollars, CTAS 5 = 139 dollars, and p < 0.001). Significant interactions between the data collected were found in a multivariate regression model, although CTAS score remained highly associated with costs. CONCLUSIONS: Acuity measured by eTRIAGE demonstrates excellent predictive validity for resource utilization and ED and hospital costs. Future research should focus on specific presenting complaints and targeted resources to more accurately assess eTRIAGE validity.

Reliability of computerized emergency triage.

OBJECTIVES: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients based on urgency of care. This study compared agreement between two blinded, independent users of a Web-based triage tool (eTRIAGE) and examined the effects of ED crowding on triage reliability. METHODS: Consecutive patients presenting to a large, urban, tertiary care ED were assessed by the duty triage nurse and an independent study nurse, both using eTRIAGE. Triage score distribution and agreement are reported. The study nurse collected data on ED activity, and agreement during different levels of ED crowding is reported. Two methods of interrater agreement were used: the linear-weighted kappa and quadratic-weighted kappa. RESULTS: A total of 575 patients were assessed over nine weeks, and complete data were available for 569 patients (99.0%). Agreement between the two nurses was moderate if using linear kappa (weighted kappa = 0.52; 95% confidence interval = 0.46 to 0.57) and good if using quadratic kappa (weighted kappa = 0.66; 95% confidence interval = 0.60 to 0.71). ED overcrowding data were available for 353 patients (62.0%). Agreement did not significantly differ with respect to periods of ambulance diversion, number of admitted inpatients occupying stretchers, number of patients in the waiting room, number of patients registered in two hours, or nurse perception of busyness. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated different agreement depending on the method used to calculate interrater reliability. Using the standard methods, it found good agreement between two independent users of a computerized triage tool. The level of agreement was not affected by various measures of ED crowding.

Emergency triage: comparing a novel computer triage program with standard triage.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) triage prioritizes patients based on urgency of care; however, little previous testing of triage tools in a live ED environment has been performed. OBJECTIVES: To determine the agreement between a computer decision tool and memory-based triage. METHODS: Consecutive patients presenting to a large, urban, tertiary care ED were assessed in the usual fashion and by a blinded study nurse using a computerized decision support tool. Triage score distribution and agreement between the two triage methods were reported. A random subset of patients was selected and reviewed by a blinded expert panel as a consensus standard. RESULTS: Over five weeks, 722 ED patients were assessed; complete data were available from 693 (96%) score pairs. Agreement between the two methods was poor (kappa = 0.202; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.150 to 0.254); however, agreement improved when using weighted kappa (0.360; 95% CI = 0.305 to 0.415) or "within one" level kappa (0.732; 95% CI = 0.644 to 0.821). When compared with the expert panel, the nurse triage scores showed lower agreement (0.263; 95% CI = 0.133 to 0.394) than the tool (kappa = 0.426; 95% CI = 0.289 to 0.564). There was a significant down-triaging of patients when patients were triaged without the computerized tool. Admission rates also differed between the triage systems. CONCLUSIONS: There was significant discrepancy by nurses using memory-based triage when compared with a computer tool. Triage decision support tools can mitigate this drift, which has administrative implications for EDs.