Effect of access block on emergency department crowding calculated by NEDOCS score.

OBJECTIVE: Emergency department (ED) crowding poses a significant challenge in healthcare systems globally, leading to delays in patient care and threatening public health and staff well-being. Access block, characterized by delays in admitting patients awaiting hospitalization, is a primary contributor to ED overcrowding. To address this issue, the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Study (NEDOCS) score provides an objective framework for assessing ED crowding severity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of access block on ED crowding using the NEDOCS score and to explore strategies for mitigating overcrowding through scenarios over a 39-day period. METHODS: A single-center, prospective, observational study was conducted in an urban tertiary care referral center. The NEDOCS score was collected six times daily, including variables like total ED patients, ventilated patients, boarding patients, the longest waiting times, and durations of boarding patients. NEDOCS scores were recorded, and calculations were performed to assess the potential impact of eliminating access block in scenarios. RESULTS: NEDOCS scores ranged from 62.4 to 315, with a mean of 146, indicating consistent overcrowding. Analysis categorized ED conditions into different levels, revealing that over 81.2% of the time, the ED was at least overcrowded. The longest boarding patient's waiting duration was identified as the primary contributor to NEDOCS (48.8%). Scenarios demonstrated a significant decrease in NEDOCS when access block was eliminated through timely admissions. Shorter boarding times during non-working hours suggest the potential mitigating effect of external factors on the access barrier. Additionally, daytime measurements were associated with lower patient admissions and shorter wait times for initial assessment. CONCLUSION: Although ED crowding is a multifactorial problem, our study has shown that access block contribute significantly to this problem. The study emphasizes that eliminating access block through timely admissions could substantially alleviate crowding, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue to enhance ED efficiency and overall healthcare delivery.

Perfusion index: Could this be a new triage tool for upper gastrointestinal system bleeding in the emergency department? A prospective cohort study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Many scoring systems for predicting mortality, rebleeding and transfusion needs among patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) have been developed. However, no scoring system can predict all these outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To show whether the perfusion index (PI), compared with the Rockall score (RS), helps predict transfusion needs and prognoses among patients presenting with UGIB in emergency departments. In this way, critical patients with transfusion needs can be identified at an early stage. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study in an emergency department in Turkey, conducted between June 2018 and June 2019. METHODS: Patients' demographic parameters, PI, RS, transfusion needs and prognosis were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 219 patients were included. Blood transfusion was performed in 174 patients (79.4%). The PI cutoff value for prediction of the need for blood transfusion was 1.17, and the RS cutoff value was 5. The area under the curve (AUC) value for PI (AUC: 0.772; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.705-0.838; P < 0.001) was higher than for RS (AUC: 0.648; 95% CI: 0.554-0.741; P = 0.002). 185 patients (84.5%) were discharged, and 34 patients (15.5%) died. The PI cutoff value for predicting mortality was 1.1, and the RS cutoff value was 7. The AUC value for PI (AUC: 0.743; 95% CI: 0.649-0.837; P < 0.001) was higher than for RS (AUC: 0.725; 95% CI: 0.639-0.811; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: PI values for patients admitted to emergency departments with UGIB on admission can help predict their need for transfusion and mortality risk.