Improvement in the diagnosis and practices of emergency healthcare providers for heat emergencies after HEAT (heat emergency awareness & treatment) an educational intervention: a multicenter quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of heat emergencies, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion, have increased recently due to climate change. This has affected global health and has become an issue of consideration for human health and well-being. Due to overlapping clinical manifestations with other diseases, and most of these emergencies occurring in an elderly patient, patients with a comorbid condition, or patients on poly medicine, diagnosing and managing them in the emergency department can be challenging. This study assessed whether an educational training on heat emergencies, defined as heat intervention in our study, could improve the diagnosis and management practices of ED healthcare providers in the ED setting. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the EDs of four hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Eight thousand two hundred three (8203) patients were enrolled at the ED triage based on symptoms of heat emergencies. The pre-intervention data were collected from May to July 2017, while the post-intervention data were collected from May to July 2018. The HEAT intervention, consisting of educational activities targeted toward ED healthcare providers, was implemented in April 2018. The outcomes assessed were improved recognition-measured by increased frequency of diagnosing heat emergencies and improved management-measured by increased temperature monitoring, external cooling measures, and intravenous fluids in the post-intervention period compared to pre-intervention. RESULTS: Four thousand one hundred eighty-two patients were enrolled in the pre-intervention period and 4022 in the post-intervention period, with at least one symptom falling under the criteria for diagnosis of a heat emergency. The diagnosis rate improved from 3% (n = 125/4181) to 7.5% (n = 7.5/4022) (p-value < 0.001), temperature monitoring improved from 0.9% (n = 41/4181) to 13% (n = 496/4022) (p-value < 0.001) and external cooling measure (water sponging) improved from 1.3% (n = 89/4181) to 3.4% (n = 210/4022) (p-value < 0.001) after the administration of the HEAT intervention. CONCLUSION: The HEAT intervention in our study improved ED healthcare providers' approach towards diagnosis and management practices of patients presenting with health emergencies (heat stroke or heat exhaustion) in the ED setting. The findings support the case of training ED healthcare providers to address emerging health issues due to rising temperatures/ climate change using standardized treatment algorithms.

Epidemiology and outcomes of trauma patients at The Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, 2017 - 2018.

OBJECTIVE: Structured trauma care has proven to improve patient outcomes, and this is more relevant in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The objective of this study was to determine the distribution, etiology, severity and outcomes of trauma patients at the Indus Hospital. METHODS: All adult poly-trauma patients presenting to The Indus Hospital from July 2017 to June 2018 were included in this retrospective review. Data was extracted on etiology of trauma, severity of injury, investigations and final disposition of patients. RESULTS: Of 972 trauma patients presenting to TIH Emergency Department, 663 (68.2%) were males with a mean age of 36 (17.4) years. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) led to trauma in 766 patients (78.8%), followed by 121 falls (12.7%). Injury Severity score (ISS) was calculated upon arrival and 528 (54.3%) were found to be critically injured. Median length of stay was 60 (24-720) minutes while none utilized pre-hospital Emergency Medical services. CONCLUSION: Most trauma patients were males suffering from RTA. Nearly half of the patients were critically injured on arrival. EMS is not utilized by trauma patients. There were gaps identified in the diagnosis and treatment of trauma.

Inter-hospital communication and transfer practices during COVID-19 Pandemic in Karachi, Pakistan. A brief overview.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the referral mechanisms established for safe and expeditious inter-facility transfer of COVID 19 positive patients to ensure their referrals through establishing proper communication channels. METHODS: Mobile phone and WhatsApp based groups, administrated by The Indus Hospital were established in April 2020. Through detailed reports and frequent communication, factors like bed and ventilator availability across these facilities are shared. Weekly reports through zoom meetings updating the key stake holders, discussion of problems faced and planning for the week ahead are also done. RESULT: The establishment of these groups has been successful in ensuring referral to and from The Indus Hospital to various healthcare facilities across Karachi using appropriate ambulance services. CONCLUSION: The development of referral mechanisms is the need of the day that has been highlighted through the COVID 19 pandemic. It is our hope that these mechanisms are sustained after the pandemic and result in improvement in patient outcome through proper referrals.

Effect of Different Host-Related Factors on Postoperative Endodontic Pain in Necrotic Teeth Dressed with Interappointment Intracanal Medicaments: A Multicomparison Study.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to assess the impact of factors such as age, gender, and the tooth type on postoperative endodontic pain in necrotic teeth with symptomatic periapical periodontitis and radiolucency dressed randomly with either calcium hydroxide or propolis paste. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The standard chemomechanical root canal preparation of 80 teeth was performed by the primary investigator. The intracanal medicaments were inserted by the secondary operator. Patients self-recorded their postoperative endodontic pain intensity with the help of visual analog scale at 4, 12, 24 (day 2), 48 (day 3), and 72 (day 4) hours. During analysis, patients (68/80) were grouped according to gender, age, and the tooth type. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mann-Whitney's U test was applied for mean pain score comparison between genders and between tooth type. Kruskal-Wallis' test was applied for mean pain score comparison between the age groups. RESULTS: No significant difference (p > 0.05) in pain scores was found between the age groups and between the tooth types. Males had significantly higher pain scores as compared with females at days 2 (p = 0.035), 3 (p = 0.023), and 4 (p = 0.020). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that there was no impact of age and tooth types on postoperative endodontic pain.