Infection Control Measures, in situ Simulation, and Failure Modes and Effect Analysis to Fine-Tune Change Management during COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was an impetus for a multitude of transformations - from the ever-changing clinical practice frameworks, to changes in our execution of education and research. It called for our decisiveness, innovativeness, creativity, and adaptability in many circumstances. Even as care for our patients was always top priority, we tried to integrate, where possible, educational and research activities in order to ensure these areas continue to be harnessed and developed. COVID-19 provided a platform that stretched our ingenuity in all these domains. One of the mnemonics we use at SingHealth in responding to crisis is PACERS: P: Preparedness (in responding to any crisis, this is critical) A: Adaptability (needed especially with the ever-changing situation) C: Communications (the cornerstone in handling any crisis) E: Education (must continue, irrespective of what) R: Research (new opportunities to share and learn) S: Support (both physical and psychological). This article shares our experience integrating the concept of simulation-based training, quality improvement, and failure mode analysis.

Utility of Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound for Initial Assessment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients in the Emergency Department.

AIM: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been extensively used in the evaluation of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the critical care setting. In our study, we aim to assess the utility of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)-LUS in the initial assessment of ARDS patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We evaluated a prospective convenience sample of 73 adult patients presenting to the ED. The bedside LUS was performed by the trained emergency physician on patients with undifferentiated dyspnea with a clinical diagnosis of ARDS according to the Berlin's criteria. The four major LUS findings were examined on structured 12-zone LUS. The observed profile consisted of A lines, well-separated B lines, coalescent B lines, and consolidation among patients who were clinically diagnosed as ARDS. These LUS findings may vary depending on the severity of ARDS. The findings were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: Of the 73 study individuals, majority were male 46 (63%). The distributions of study individuals were as follows: 27% - mild ARDS, 37% - moderate ARDS, and 36% - severe ARDS. Coalescent B lines are present in about 70.4% and 92.3% of moderate and severe ARDS patients, respectively. Consolidations are predominantly present in moderate (100%) and severe (92.3%) ARDS. CONCLUSION: LUS in the initial assessment of patients' with ARDS yielded significant findings in the three clinically designated categories. This study opens up the possibility of using POCUS as an adjunct in the initial assessment of ARDS patient in the ED.