Factors associated with frequent buprenorphine / naloxone initiation in a national survey of Canadian emergency physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To identify individual and site-related factors associated with frequent emergency department (ED) buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP) initiation. BUP initiation, an effective opioid use disorder (OUD) intervention, varies widely across Canadian EDs. METHODS: We surveyed emergency physicians in 6 Canadian provinces from 2018 to 2019 using bilingual paper and web-based questionnaires. Survey domains included BUP-related practice, demographics, attitudes toward BUP, and site characteristics. We defined frequent BUP initiation (the primary outcome) as at least once per month, high OUD prevalence as at least one OUD patient per shift, and high OUD resources as at least 3 out of the following 5 resources: BUP initiation pathways, BUP in ED, peer navigators, accessible addiction specialists, and accessible follow-up clinics. We excluded responses from sites with <50% participation (to minimize non-responder bias) and those missing the primary outcome. We used univariate analysis to identify associations between frequent BUP initiation and factors of interest, stratifying by OUD prevalence. RESULTS: We excluded 3 responses for missing BUP initiation frequency and 9 for low response rate at one ED. Of the remaining 649 respondents from 34 EDs, 374 (58%) practiced in metropolitan areas, 384 (59%) reported high OUD prevalence, 312 (48%) had high OUD resources, and 161 (25%) initiated BUP frequently. Age, gender, board certification and years in practice were not associated with frequent BUP initiation. Site-specific factors were associated with frequent BUP initiation (high OUD resources [OR 6.91], high OUD prevalence [OR 4.45], and metropolitan location [OR 2.39],) as were individual attitudinal factors (willingness, confidence, and responsibility to initiate BUP.) Similar associations persisted in the high OUD prevalence subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Individual attitudinal and site-specific factors were associated with frequent BUP initiation. Training to increase physician confidence and increasing OUD resources could increase BUP initiation and benefit ED patients with OUD.

Prone Positioning of Ventilated Patients During Air Medical Evacuation: A Case Series.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate patient safety implications of transporting prone-positioned mechanically ventilated patients in the air medical environment (AME). METHODS: A retrospective health record review of patient encounters from 2019 to 2021 was conducted using British Columbia Emergency Health Services air medical electronic patient care reports. RESULTS: A total of 633 patients were identified as intubated, mechanically ventilated, and transported by British Columbia Emergency Health Services air medical teams. Ten patients were identified as having been transported in the prone position. Oxygen saturation, arterial blood oxygen levels, and carbon dioxide measurements from 8 cases indicated that patients remained stable or improved during transport. Cardiovascular episodes including hypotension and tachycardia were observed. In 2 patients, a mean 17.5% decline in oxygen saturation was identified. It could not be determined if this was a result of prone positioning during AME or due to a deteriorating physiological condition related to the patient's underlying disease. There were no identified tube dislodgments during AME transport. CONCLUSION: Although proning did not compromise patient safety with respect to tube or line displacement in our study, we cannot draw definitive conclusions regarding the safety implications of proning on patient vital signs during transport.

A cross-sectional survey on buprenorphine-naloxone practice and attitudes in 22 Canadian emergency physician groups: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Buprenorphine-naloxone (BUP) initiation in emergency departments improves follow-up and survival among patients with opioid use disorder. We aimed to assess self-reported BUP-related practices and attitudes among emergency physicians. METHODS: We designed a cross-sectional physician survey by adapting a validated questionnaire on opioid harm reduction practices, attitudes and barriers. We recruited physician leads from 6 Canadian provinces to administer surveys to the staff physicians in their emergency department groups between December 2018 and November 2019. We included academic and community non-locum emergency department staff physicians. We excluded responses from emergency department groups with response rates less than 50% to minimize nonresponse bias. Primary (BUP prescribing practices) and secondary (willingness and attitudes) outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: After excluding 1 group for low response (9/26 physicians), 652 of 798 (81.7%) physicians responded from 22 groups serving 34 emergency departments. Among respondents, 64.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 60.4%-67.8%, emergency department group range 7.1%-100.0%) had prescribed BUP at least once in their career, 38.4% had prescribed it for home initiation and 24.8% prescribed it at least once a month. Overall, 68.9% (95% CI 65.3%-72.4%, emergency department group range 24.1%-97.6%) were willing to administer BUP, 64.2% felt it was a major responsibility and 37.1% felt they understood people who use drugs. Respondents most frequently rated lack of adequate training (58.2%) and lack of time (55.2%) as very important barriers to BUP initiation. INTERPRETATION: Two-thirds of the emergency physicians surveyed prescribed BUP, although only one-quarter did so regularly and one-third prescribed it for home initiation; wide variation between emergency department groups existed. Strategies to increase BUP initiation must address physicians' lack of time and training for BUP initiation and improve their understanding of people who use drugs.

The association of intraosseous vascular access and survival among pediatric patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

INTRODUCTION: In pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) the effect of intraosseous (IO) or intravenous (IV) access on outcomes is unclear. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected data of non-traumatic OHCA in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium registry from 2011 to 2015. We included EMS-treated patients ≤17 years of age, classified patients based on vascular access routes, and calculated success rates of IO and IV attempts. After excluding patients with obvious non-cardiac etiologies and those with unsuccessful vascular access or multiple routes, we fit a logistic regression model to evaluate the association of IO vascular access (reference IV access) with the primary outcome of survival, using multiple imputation to address missing data. We analyzed a subgroup of patients at least 2 years of age. RESULTS: There were 1549 non-traumatic OHCA: 895 (57.8%) patients had an IO line attempted with 822 (91.8%) successful; 488 (31.5%) had an IV line attempted with 345 (70.7%) successful (difference 21%, 95% CI 17 to 26%). Of the 761 patients included in our logistic regression, 601 received IO (30 [5.2%] survived) and 160 received IV (40 [25%] survived) vascular access. Intraosseous access was associated with a decreased probability of survival (adjusted OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.21-0.98). Patients at least 2 years of age showed a similar association (adjusted OR 0.36; CI 0.15-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Intraosseous access was associated with decreased survival among pediatric non-traumatic OHCA. These results are exploratory and support the need for further study to evaluate the effect of intravascular access method on outcomes.

The effect of sex and age on return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital discharge in patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective analysis of a Canadian population.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the effect of sex and age on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes in a Canadian population. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of the British Columbia (BC) Cardiac Arrest Registry (2011-16). We included adult, non-traumatic, EMS-treated OHCA. We stratified the cohort into four groups by age and sex: younger females (18-47 years of age), younger males (18-47 years of age), older females, and older males (>53 years old). We used logistic regression to examine the effect of sex and interaction effect of sex and age on ROSC and survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS: We included 8115 patients; 31.4% were females. Females had a lower proportion of OHCA in public locations, bystander witnessed arrests, and with initial shockable rhythms. Overall, females had greater adjusted odds of ROSC (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.15-1.42, p < 0.001). The ROSC advantage was significant in females with non-shockable rhythms (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.24-1.78, p < 0.001) and females of premenopausal age. However, there was no significant difference in survival to hospital discharge between females and males overall or by sex-age groups. Both younger females and younger males have higher odds of survival to hospital discharge compared to older females and males. Older females had the lowest survival rate among all other sex-age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Female sex was associated with ROSC but not survival to hospital discharge. In the post-arrest phase, females, specifically those in the older age group, had a higher death rate, demonstrating the need for sex- and age-specific research in pre-and-post-OHCA care.

The relationship between no-flow interval and survival with favourable neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Implications for outcomes and ECPR eligibility.

BACKGROUND: The "no flow" interval is the time from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Its prognostic value is important to define for prehospital resuscitation decisions, post-resuscitation care and prognostication, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) candidacy assessment. METHODS: We examined bystander-witnessed OHCAs without bystander CPR from two Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium datasets. We used modified Poisson regression to model the relationship between the no-flow interval (9-1-1 call to professional resuscitation) and favourable neurological outcome (Modified Rankin Score ≤ 3) at hospital discharge. Furthermore, we identified the no-flow interval beyond which no patients had a favourable outcome. We analysed a subgroup to simulate ECPR-treated patients (witnessed arrest, age < 65, non-asystole initial rhythm, and >30 min until return of circulation). RESULTS: Of 43,593 cases, we included 7299; 616 (8.4%) had favourable neurological outcomes. Increasing no-flow interval was inversely associated with favourable neurological outcomes (adjusted relative risk 0.87, 95% CI 0.85-0.90); the adjusted probability of a favourable neurological outcome decreased by 13% (95% CI 10-15%) per minute. No patients (0/7299, 0%; 1-sided 97.5% CI 0-0.051%) had both a no-flow interval >20 min and a favourable neurological outcome. In the hypothetical ECPR group, 0/152 (0%; 1-sided 97.5% CI 0-2.4%) had both a no-flow interval >10 min and a favourable neurological outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of a favourable neurological outcome in OHCA decreases by 13% for every additional minute of no-flow time until high-quality CPR, with the possibility of favourable outcomes up to 20 min.

What do community paramedics assess? An environmental scan and content analysis of patient assessment in community paramedicine.

OBJECTIVES: Patient assessment is a fundamental feature of community paramedicine, but the absence of a recognized standard for assessment practices contributes to uncertainty about what drives care planning and treatment decisions. Our objective was to summarize the content of assessment instruments and describe the state of current practice in community paramedicine home visit programs. METHODS: We performed an environmental scan of all community paramedicine programs in Ontario, Canada, and used content analysis to describe current assessment practices in home visit programs. The International Classification on Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was used to categorize and compare assessments. Each item within each assessment form was classified according to the ICF taxonomy. RESULTS: A total of 43 of 52 paramedic services in Ontario, Canada, participated in the environmental scan with 24 being eligible for further investigation through content analysis of intake assessment forms. Among the 24 services, 16 met inclusion criteria for content analysis. Assessment forms contained between 13 and 252 assessment items (median 116.5, IQR 134.5). Most assessments included some content from each of the domains outlined in the ICF. At the subdomain level, only assessment of impairments of the functions of the cardiovascular, hematological, immunological, and respiratory systems appeared in all assessments. CONCLUSION: Although community paramedicine home visit programs may differ in design and aim, all complete multi-domain assessments as part of patient intake. If community paramedicine home visit programs share similar characteristics but assess patients differently, it is difficult to expect that the resulting referrals, care planning, treatments, or interventions will be similar.

OBJECTIFS: L'évaluation des patients est un élément fondamental de la pratique de la paramédecine communautaire, mais l'absence de norme reconnue en matière d'évaluation contribue à l'incertitude qui plane sur les facteurs pris en considération dans la planification des soins et les prises de décision relatives au traitement. L'étude visait donc à présenter un résumé du contenu des instruments d'évaluation et à décrire l'état de la pratique actuelle dans les programmes de visites à domicile en paramédecine communautaire. MÉTHODE: L'étude consistait en une analyse environnementale de tous les programmes de paramédecine communautaire offerts en Ontario et en une analyse de contenu visant à décrire les pratiques actuelles d'évaluation des patients appliquées dans le cadre des programmes de visites à domicile. Les chercheurs se sont référés à la Classification internationale du fonctionnement, du handicap et de la santé (CIF) pour comparer et classer les évaluations, et chacun des éléments inscrits sur chaque formulaire d'évaluation a été classé selon la taxonomie de la CIF. RÉSULTATS: Au total, 43 services paramédicaux sur 52, en Ontario, ont participé à l'analyse environnementale, dont 24 se prêtaient à une recherche approfondie reposant sur une analyse de contenu des formulaires d'évaluation initiale. Sur les 24 services, 16 répondaient aux critères de sélection en vue d'une analyse de contenu. Le nombre d'éléments évalués variait de 13 à 252 selon les formulaires (médiane : 116,5; écart interquartile : 134,5). La plupart des questionnaires contenaient des éléments tirés de chacun des domaines inscrits dans la CIF. Au niveau des sous-domaines, seule l'évaluation des troubles de fonctionnement des systèmes cardiovasculaire, sanguin, immunitaire et respiratoire figuraient sur tous les formulaires. CONCLUSION: Les programmes de visites à domicile en paramédecine communautaire peuvent certes avoir des différences de conception et de but, mais ils permettent tous une évaluation pluridimensionnelle des nouveaux patients. Si les programmes de visites à domicile en paramédecine communautaire ont des caractéristiques communes mais des formes d'évaluation différentes, il est difficile de s'attendre à des résultats comparables en ce qui concerne les consultations, les plans de soins, les traitements et les interventions.

Early advanced life support attendance is associated with improved survival and neurologic outcomes after non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in a tiered prehospital response system.

OBJECTIVE: Data demonstrating benefit of advanced life support (ALS) practitioners for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is conflicting. In our tiered emergency medical services (EMS) system, we sought to determine if the ALS response interval was associated with patient outcomes. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of consecutive adult OHCAs (2006-2016) in British Columbia. Primary and secondary outcomes were survival and favorable neurological outcomes (mRS ≤ 3) at hospital discharge. Logistic regression estimated the association of ALS response interval (911 call-to-ALS arrival, continuous and categorical analyses) and outcomes, adjusting for first EMS response interval, and other clinical characteristics. We calculated the optimal time threshold to differentiate "early" vs "late" ALS response intervals for a binary comparison. RESULTS: Of 12,722 included cases, 12% survived to discharge. Median response interval was 6.4 min (IQR 5.2-8.3) for the first EMS unit and 11.8 min (IQR 8.7-16.5) for ALS. ALS response interval (per minute) was associated with decreased survival (adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99) and favourable neurological outcome (0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99). ALS response ≤10 min (the optimal threshold) was associated with improved survival (adjusted OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.27-1.68) and favourable neurological outcomes (adjusted OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.18-1.68). CONCLUSION: In our tiered EMS system, earlier ALS arrival was associated with improved survival and favorable neurological outcomes. ALS attendance within 10 min of the 9-1-1 call in tiered systems of prehospital care may improve patient outcomes and serve as a quality metric.

Patterns of outdoor recreational injury in northern British Columbia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the patterns of severe injury documented at a northern British Columbia regional trauma center based on age, sex, month of year, activity type, injury type, and injury severity as they relate to participation in outdoor recreational activities. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data abstracted from the British Columbia Trauma Registry for patients sustaining injuries between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2007, while engaged in outdoor recreational activities in the Northern Health Authority. The British Columbia Trauma Registry inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) admitted for treatment of injuries sustained from the transfer of external energy or force; 2) admitted to the facility within 7 days of injury; and 3) length of stay more than 2 days or in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: In all, 159 patients met study criteria. August and September were peak injury months (mean 7.3 and 7.0 per month, respectively). The highest injury patterns involved cycling (n = 31), all-terrain vehicle operation (n = 30), horseback riding (n = 22), and snowmobiling (n = 22). Of the 159 patients, 76.1% were male, with a peak age distribution between 10 years and 19 years (22%). Males were more commonly injured than females among cycling (83.9%), all-terrain vehicle (86.7%), and snowmobile (100%) traumas. Females were more commonly injured from horseback riding events (42.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the need for rapid translation of research findings into injury prevention awareness and programming in northern British Columbia, particularly relating to cycling, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and all-terrain vehicle operation. Further investigation is required to analyze long-term outcomes for this common injury population.