RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Electric scooters (e-scooters) have contributed to a rise in injury burden and emergency department (ED) utilization since their local introduction 3 years ago. This study is a novel collaboration between the City of Calgary's Department of Transportation and emergency medicine researchers to better understand the nature and frequencies of e-scooter injuries. It quantifies the incidence and characteristics of e-scooter related injuries treated in Calgary EDs/urgent care centres (UCCs). METHODS: Administrative data from electronic medical records of all patients presenting to Adult Emergency Departments and one Urgent Care Centre in Calgary with an e-scooter related injury between July 8, 2019, and Oct 1, 2019, and May 22, 2020, and September 30, 2020 were collected. Additional data were obtained from paper EMS reports. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize injury-specific variables and comparisons were drawn between ED visits for other transportation modalities. RESULTS: 1272 ED/urgent care visits were attributed to an e-scooter related incident. The majority of incidents occurred between 20:00 and 24:00 (47%). Most injuries occurred to the lower limb (54.8%), followed by facial injuries (42.9%). The overwhelming majority of injuries happened to the e-scooter drivers (97.6%). E-scooter injuries made up approximately 15% of all trauma presentations to Calgary area adult EDs during the e-scooter season and 1 in 1400 e-scooter rides resulted in a visit to an ED/UCC. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic ED visits related to e-scooter use represent an increasing burden of preventable injuries. This study identified specific characteristics to focus future education and public policy efforts on.
RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Les scooters électriques (e-scooters) ont contribué à une augmentation du fardeau des blessures et de l'utilisation des services d'urgence (SU) depuis leur introduction locale il y a trois ans. Cette étude est une nouvelle collaboration entre le Département des transports de la Ville de Calgary et des chercheurs en médecine d'urgence afin de mieux comprendre la nature et la fréquence des blessures causées par le scooter électrique. Il quantifie l'incidence et les caractéristiques des blessures liées aux scooters électriques traitées dans les services d'urgence/soins d'urgence de Calgary. MéTHODES: Données administratives provenant des dossiers médicaux électroniques de tous les patients se présentant aux services d'urgence pour adultes et à un centre de soins d'urgence de Calgary avec une blessure liée à un scooter électrique entre le 8 juillet 2019 et le 1er octobre 2019 et entre le 22 mai 2020 et le 30 septembre 2020. Des données supplémentaires ont été obtenues à partir des rapports papier des SMU. Des statistiques descriptives ont été utilisées pour caractériser les variables spécifiques aux blessures et des comparaisons ont été établies entre les visites aux urgences pour les autres modes de transport. RéSULTATS: 1 272 visites aux urgences ou aux soins d'urgence ont été attribuées à un incident lié à un scooter électrique. La majorité des incidents se sont produits entre 20 h 00 et 24 h 00 (47 %). La plupart des blessures se sont produites au niveau des membres inférieurs (54,8 %), suivies des blessures au visage (42,9 %). La grande majorité des blessures sont survenues chez les conducteurs de scooters électriques (97,6 %). Les blessures liées aux scooters électriques représentent environ 3,5 % de toutes les présentations de traumatismes dans les services d'urgence pour adultes de la région de Calgary et 1 sur 1 400 trajets en scooter électrique a entraîné l'admission dans un service d'urgence. CONCLUSIONS: Les visites aux urgences traumatiques liées à l'utilisation des scooters électriques représentent une charge croissante de blessures évitables. Cette étude a identifié des caractéristiques spécifiques sur lesquelles il convient de concentrer les efforts futurs en matière d'éducation et de politique publique.
Asunto(s)
Traumatismos por Electricidad , Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital , Adulto , Humanos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Incidencia , Accidentes de Tránsito , Dispositivos de Protección de la CabezaRESUMEN
Background: Approximately 0.7% of the Canadian population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and many individuals are unaware of their infection. Our objectives were to utilize an emergency department (ED) based point-of-care (POC) HCV screening test to describe our local population and estimate the proportion of high-risk patients in our population with undiagnosed HCV. Methods: A convenience sample of medically stable patients (≥18 years) presenting to a community ED in Calgary, AB, between April and July 2018 underwent rapid clinical screening for HCV risk factors, including history of injection drug use, healthcare in endemic countries, and other recognized criteria. High-risk patients were offered POC HCV testing. Antibody-positive patients underwent HCV-RNA testing and were linked to hepatology care. The primary outcome was the proportion of new HCV diagnoses in the high-risk population. Results: Of the 999 patients screened by survey, 247 patients (24.7%) were high-risk and eligible for testing. Of these, 123 (49.8%) were from HCV-endemic countries, while 63 (25.5%) and 31 (12.6%) patients endorsed a history of incarceration and intravenous drug use (IVDU), respectively. A total of 144 (58.3%) eligible patients agreed to testing. Of these, 6 patients were POC-positive (4.2%, CI 0.9-7.4%); all 6 had antibodies detected on confirmatory lab testing and 4 had detectable HCV-RNA viral loads in follow-up. Notably, 103 (41.7%) patients declined POC testing. Interpretation. Among 144 high-risk patients who agreed to testing, the rate of undiagnosed HCV infection was 4.2%, and the rate of undiagnosed HCV infection with detectable viral load was 2.8%. Many patients with high-risk clinical criteria refused POC testing. It is unknown if tested and untested groups have the same disease prevalence. This study shows that ED HCV screening is feasible and that a small number of previously undiagnosed patients can be identified and linked to potentially life-changing care.
