RESUMO
Common causes of death in COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 include thromboembolic disease, cytokine storm and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Our aim was to develop a system for early detection of disease pattern in the emergency department (ED) that would enhance opportunities for personalised accelerated care to prevent disease progression. A single Trust's COVID-19 response control command was established, and a reporting team with bioinformaticians was deployed to develop a real-time traffic light system to support clinical and operational teams. An attempt was made to identify predictive elements for thromboembolism, cytokine storm and ARDS based on physiological measurements and blood tests, and to communicate to clinicians managing the patient, initially via single consultants. The input variables were age, sex, and first recorded blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, heart rate, indices of oxygenation and C-reactive protein. Early admissions were used to refine the predictors used in the traffic lights. Of 923 consecutive patients who tested COVID-19 positive, 592 (64%) flagged at risk for thromboembolism, 241/923 (26%) for cytokine storm and 361/923 (39%) for ARDS. Thromboembolism and cytokine storm flags were met in the ED for 342 (37.1%) patients. Of the 318 (34.5%) patients receiving thromboembolism flags, 49 (5.3% of all patients) were for suspected thromboembolism, 103 (11.1%) were high-risk and 166 (18.0%) were medium-risk. Of the 89 (9.6%) who received a cytokine storm flag from the ED, 18 (2.0% of all patients) were for suspected cytokine storm, 13 (1.4%) were high-risk and 58 (6.3%) were medium-risk. Males were more likely to receive a specific traffic light flag. In conclusion, ED predictors were used to identify high proportions of COVID-19 admissions at risk of clinical deterioration due to severity of disease, enabling accelerated care targeted to those more likely to benefit. Larger prospective studies are encouraged.
Assuntos
Infecções por Coronavirus/terapia , Etiquetas de Emergência Médica/tendências , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência/estatística & dados numéricos , Mortalidade Hospitalar/tendências , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Pneumonia Viral/terapia , Tromboembolia/diagnóstico , Adulto , Fatores Etários , Idoso , COVID-19 , Infecções por Coronavirus/diagnóstico , Infecções por Coronavirus/epidemiologia , Progressão da Doença , Feminino , Hospitais Universitários , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pandemias , Seleção de Pacientes , Pneumonia Viral/diagnóstico , Pneumonia Viral/epidemiologia , Medicina de Precisão/estatística & dados numéricos , Medição de Risco , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Fatores Sexuais , Tromboembolia/epidemiologia , Tromboembolia/terapia , Reino UnidoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) suffer from impaired quality of life and are at risk of adrenal crisis (AC) despite established replacement therapy. Patient education is regarded an important measure for prevention of AC and improvement of AI management. A standardized education programme was elaborated for patients with chronic AI in Germany. DESIGN: Longitudinal, prospective, questionnaire-based, multi-centre study. METHODS: During 2-h sessions, patients (n = 526) were provided with basic knowledge on AI, equipped with emergency cards and sets and trained in self-injection of hydrocortisone. To evaluate the education programme, patients from eight certified centres completed questionnaires before, immediately after and 6-9 months after training. RESULTS: 399 completed data sets were available for analysis. Questionnaire score-values were significantly higher after patient education, indicating successful knowledge transfer (baseline: 17 ± 7.1 of a maximum score of 29; after training: 23 ± 4.2; P < 0.001), and remained stable over 6-9 months. Female sex, younger age and primary cause of AI were associated with higher baseline scores; after education, age, cause of AI and previous adrenal crisis had a significant main effect on scores. 91% of patients would dare performing self-injection after training, compared to 68% at baseline. An improvement of subjective well-being through participation in the education programme was indicated by 95% of the patients 6-9 months after participation. CONCLUSION: Patient group education in chronic AI represents a helpful tool for the guidance of patients, their self-assurance and their knowledge on prevention of adrenal crises. Repeated training and adaptation to specific needs, for example, of older patients is needed.
Assuntos
Insuficiência Adrenal/tratamento farmacológico , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto/métodos , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto/normas , Doença Aguda/terapia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Tratamento de Emergência , Feminino , Alemanha , Terapia de Reposição Hormonal , Humanos , Hidrocortisona/administração & dosagem , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Prospectivos , Qualidade de Vida , Autoadministração , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Poor disease recognition may jeopardize the safety of CKD care. We examined safety events and outcomes in patients with CKD piloting a medical-alert accessory intended to improve disease recognition and an observational subcohort from the same population. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We recruited 350 patients with stage 2-5 predialysis CKD. The first (pilot) 108 participants were given a medical-alert accessory (bracelet or necklace) indicating the diagnosis of CKD and displaying a website with safe CKD practices. The subsequent (observation) subcohort (n=242) received usual care. All participants underwent annual visits with ascertainment of patient-reported events (class 1) and actionable safety findings (class 2). Secondary outcomes included 50% GFR reduction, ESKD, and death. Cox proportional hazards assessed the association of the medical-alert accessory with outcomes. RESULTS: Median follow-up of pilot and observation subcohorts were 52 (interquartile range, 44-63) and 37 (interquartile range, 27-47) months, respectively. The frequency of class 1 and class 2 safety events reported at annual visits was not different in the pilot versus observation group, with 108.7 and 100.6 events per 100 patient-visits (P=0.13), and 38.3 events and 41.2 events per 100 patient visits (P=0.23), respectively. The medical-alert accessory was associated with lower crude and adjusted rate of ESKD versus the observation group (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.89; and hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.16 to 0.94, respectively). The association of the medical-alert accessory with the composite endpoint of ESKD or 50% reduction GFR was variable over time but appeared to have an early benefit (up to 23 months) with its use. There was no significant difference in incidence of hospitalization, death, or a composite of all outcomes between medical-alert accessory users and the observational group. CONCLUSIONS: The medical-alert accessory was not associated with incidence of safety events but was associated with a lower rate of ESKD relative to usual care.
Assuntos
Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Insuficiência Renal Crônica/terapia , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Avaliação de Resultados em Cuidados de Saúde , Segurança do Paciente , Projetos PilotoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Hydrocortisone stress dosing during illness can prevent adrenal crises (AC) in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI). When patients cannot communicate, medical identification jewellery may facilitate parenteral hydrocortisone provision but patient adoption rates are not known. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of Australian medical identification jewellery subscription data. PATIENTS: Patients with AI aged 20 years and over with an active subscription to a large medical jewellery provider. MEASUREMENTS: Subscription rates by AI subtype, geographic area, age and gender. RESULTS: There were 1955 patients with AI and an active subscription in the database, corresponding to a subscription rate of 105.79/million or approximately one-third of the AI population. The subscription rate was substantially higher in primary AI (60.72/million) than secondary AI (23.16/million), corresponding to approximately 60.7% and 11.6% of the estimated population prevalence of each disorder, respectively. There was substantial variation in use by state/territory, with the highest subscribing state having a rate of over four times that of the lowest (P < 0.001). Women comprised 64.8% (n = 1266) of the group. Subscription also varied by age, being highest in the 60-69 year age group (165.15/million) and lowest in those aged 30-39 years (47.23/million) (P < 0.001). Few patients (4.8%, n = 94) mentioned, either in their record or on their jewellery, the need for urgent parenteral hydrocortisone in the event of severe illness. CONCLUSIONS: Medical jewellery is a component of AC risk reduction. However, subscription appears to be underutilised in the Australian AI population, especially among patients with secondary AI. Urgent treatment recommendations should be inscribed on the jewellery.
Assuntos
Insuficiência Adrenal/tratamento farmacológico , Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Joias , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Austrália , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Glucocorticoides/administração & dosagem , Glucocorticoides/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Hidrocortisona/administração & dosagem , Hidrocortisona/uso terapêutico , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto JovemAssuntos
Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Hipersensibilidade , Joias , Erros de Medicação/prevenção & controle , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Austrália , Criança , Feminino , Comunicação em Saúde/métodos , Humanos , Hipersensibilidade/prevenção & controle , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The use of medical tattoos can potentially be life-saving. We present a 16-year-old patient who chose to tattoo a medical condition on her forearm. Her tattoo is more extensive than most medical tattoos and shows the measures a mother will take to ensure her daughter's safety. To our knowledge, there are no published guidelines recommending an ideal location or symbology for a medical tattoo. Such guidelines would be useful to artists, as well as to medical personnel in emergencies if the patient has a tattoo.
Assuntos
Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Tatuagem , Adolescente , Feminino , Humanos , Segurança do PacienteRESUMO
Medical identification jewellery can convey vital information to emergency responders, but mistakes and ambiguity may lead to misdiagnosis and morbidity. We performed a review of relevant articles retrieved from Pubmed® , Embase® and Scopus® and Google UK Inc. to investigate the commercial availability and issuance of these products. From 84 identified studies, we shortlisted 74 for review. The Google search retrieved 1,090,000 results within 0.57 s (January 2017). We explored 32 websites selling medical alert jewellery in the first five pages of these results. We found that patients themselves are currently responsible for the engraved wording on medical alert jewellery, with no mandatory physician checks. The accuracy and appropriateness of this information may thus vary. In the absence of national guidance in the UK, we suggest that there should be a list of specific indications warranting their use, a requirement for regular review of information, and clarity around the level of physician input into the engraving chosen. We discuss the potential benefits vs. risks of wearing medical alert jewellery and clarify the limitations of medical teams' responsibilities in relation to patients found to be wearing them.
Assuntos
Etiquetas de Emergência Médica/efeitos adversos , Etiquetas de Emergência Médica/normas , Serviços Médicos de Emergência , Humanos , Joias , Médicos , Medição de Risco , Reino UnidoRESUMO
Anaphylaxis is a severe, generalized allergic or hypersensitivity reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. Epinephrine (adrenaline) can be life-saving when administered as rapidly as possible once anaphylaxis is recognized. This clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics is an update of the 2007 clinical report on this topic. It provides information to help clinicians identify patients at risk of anaphylaxis and new information about epinephrine and epinephrine autoinjectors (EAs). The report also highlights the importance of patient and family education about the recognition and management of anaphylaxis in the community. Key points emphasized include the following: (1) validated clinical criteria are available to facilitate prompt diagnosis of anaphylaxis; (2) prompt intramuscular epinephrine injection in the mid-outer thigh reduces hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality; (3) prescribing EAs facilitates timely epinephrine injection in community settings for patients with a history of anaphylaxis and, if specific circumstances warrant, for some high-risk patients who have not previously experienced anaphylaxis; (4) prescribing epinephrine for infants and young children weighing <15 kg, especially those who weigh 7.5 kg and under, currently presents a dilemma, because the lowest dose available in EAs, 0.15 mg, is a high dose for many infants and some young children; (5) effective management of anaphylaxis in the community requires a comprehensive approach involving children, families, preschools, schools, camps, and sports organizations; and (6) prevention of anaphylaxis recurrences involves confirmation of the trigger, discussion of specific allergen avoidance, allergen immunotherapy (eg, with stinging insect venom, if relevant), and a written, personalized anaphylaxis emergency action plan; and (7) the management of anaphylaxis also involves education of children and supervising adults about anaphylaxis recognition and first-aid treatment.
Assuntos
Anafilaxia/tratamento farmacológico , Broncodilatadores/administração & dosagem , Epinefrina/administração & dosagem , Primeiros Socorros/normas , Anafilaxia/diagnóstico , Anafilaxia/prevenção & controle , Criança , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Humanos , Injeções Intramusculares/instrumentação , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Serviços de Saúde Escolar , Autoadministração , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Etiquetas de Emergência Médica , Unidade Hospitalar de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia/normas , Segurança do Paciente/normas , Auditoria Clínica/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Saúde do Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Londres , Avaliação das Necessidades , Gravidez , Melhoria de Qualidade , Gestão da Segurança/normasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure managed by community heart failure specialist nurses (CHFSNs) may have episodes of (often unrelated) ill-health managed separately in hospital. Inadequate communication and multi-disciplinary working between these different providers can impact on the effectiveness of care. AIM: This service improvement project explored the potential of patient-held alert cards to improve communication and continuity of care for heart failure patients moving between CHFSNs and hospital settings. METHODS: Alert cards were distributed to 119 patients on a community case load for presentation at hospital or emergency department. Follow-up data were obtained from practitioners and patients at 12 months. RESULTS: At 12 months, 38 patients from the CHFSN caseload experienced 61 hospital admissions. CHFSNs were informed of 80% of admissions by practitioners (61%) and family members (38%). They were also informed of 59% of discharges. Notification of admission by hospital staff increased from zero in the previous 12 months, to 19 notifications. CHFSNs were more involved with hospital care, and patients reported increased confidence with the alert cards. CONCLUSIONS: The study has shown that alert cards can increase the involvement of CHFSNs in the ongoing care and discharge planning process. They can also empower patients and carers to take an active role in their own care.