An Electronic Medical Record Intervention to Increase Pharmacologic Prophylaxis for Venous Thromboembolism in Emergency Department Observation Patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The role of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis among patients receiving emergency department (ED) observation unit care is unclear. We investigated an electronic health record-based clinical decision support tool aimed at increasing pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis use among at-risk patients placed in ED observation units. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time-series study of an Epic-based best practice advisory implemented in May 2019 at a health care system comprising 2 academic medical centers and 4 community hospitals with dedicated ED observation units. The best practice advisory alerted staff at 24 hours to conduct a risk assessment and linked to a VTE prophylaxis order set. We used an interrupted time series, Bayesian structured time series, and a multivariable mixed-effect regression model to estimate the intervention effect. RESULTS: Prior to the best practice advisory implementation, there were 8,895 ED observation unit patients with a length of stay more than or equal to 24 hours, and 0.9% received pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis. Afterward, there were 12,664 ED observation unit patients with a length of stay more than or equal to 24 hours, and 4.8% received pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis. The interrupted time series and causal impact analysis showed a statistically significant increase in VTE prophylaxis (eg, absolute percent difference 3.8%, 95% confidence interval 3.5 to 4.1). In a multivariable model, only the intervention was significantly associated with receiving VTE prophylaxis (odds ratio 4.56, 95% confidence interval 2.22 to 9.37). CONCLUSION: An electronic health record-based alert helped to prompt staff caring for ED observation unit patients at risk for VTE with prolonged visits to order recommended pharmacologic prophylaxis. The best risk assessment model to use and the true incidence of VTE events in this population are unclear.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Model Disaster Teleconsultation System for Regional Disaster Health Response.

Introduction: The federally funded Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) and the American Burn Association partnered to develop a model regional disaster teleconsultation system within a Medical Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) to support triage and specialty consultation during a no-notice mass casualty incident. Our objective was to test the acceptability and feasibility of a prototype model system in simulated disasters as proof of concept. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods simulation study using the Technology Acceptance Model framework. Participating physicians completed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) and semistructured interviews after simulations. Results: TUQ item scores rating the model system were highest for usefulness and satisfaction, and lowest for interaction quality and reliability. Conclusions: We found high model acceptance, but desire for a simpler, more reliable technology interface with better audiovisual quality for low-frequency, high-stakes use. Future work will emphasize technology interface quality and reliability, automate coordinator roles, and field test the model system.

Telemedicine Use in Disasters: A Scoping Review.

Disasters have many deleterious effects and are becoming more frequent. From a health-care perspective, disasters may cause periods of stress for hospitals and health-care systems. Telemedicine is a rapidly growing technology that has been used to improve access to health-care during disasters. Telemedicine applied in disasters is referred to as disaster telemedicine. Our objective was to conduct a scoping literature review on current use of disaster telemedicine to develop recommendations addressing the most common barriers to implementation of a telemedicine system for regional disaster health response in the United States. Publications on telemedicine in disasters were collected from online databases. This included both publications in English and those translated into English. Predesigned inclusion/exclusion criteria and a PRISMA flow diagram were applied. The PRISMA flow diagram was used on the basis that it would help streamline the available literature. Literature that met the criteria was scored by 2 reviewers who rated relevance to commonly identified disaster telemedicine implementation barriers, as well as how disaster telemedicine systems were implemented. We also identified other frequently mentioned themes and briefly summarized recommendations for those topics. Literature scoring resulted in the following topics: telemedicine usage (42 publications), system design and operating models (43 publications), as well as difficulties with credentialing (5 publications), licensure (6 publications), liability (4 publications), reimbursement (5 publications), and technology (24 publications). Recommendations from each category were qualitatively summarized.

Evaluating Nontechnical Skills in US Emergency Departments Using Simulation: Validating and Contextualizing a UK Assessment Tool.

INTRODUCTION: Nontechnical skills (NTS) in medicine are the "cognitive, social, and personal resource skills that complement technical skills contributing to safe and efficient care." We aimed to (1) evaluate the validity and reliability of a 12-element United Kingdom emergency medicine (EM) NTS assessment tool in the context of United States (US) EM practice and (2) identify behaviors unique to US clinical practice. METHODS: This was a mixed methods study conducted in 2 phases, following Kane's validity framework. The intended use of the NTS tool is to provide formative assessment of US EM physicians (EPs) from a video of simulated clinical encounters. In phase I, a focus group assessed the appropriateness of each aspect of the tool in the context of US EM practice by reviewing and identifying the NTS of an EP in a simulated clinical scenario. In phase II, EPs (N = 208) attending a national EM conference evaluated an EP's behaviors in 1 of 2 video simulations. Reliability in the form of internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach α. All participants suggested exemplar behaviors for the 12 elements in the context of their own clinical practice and generated new assessment elements. RESULTS: Internal consistency was acceptable (α > 0.7) for all categories, except teamwork and cooperation. Participants proposed 4 novel behavioral elements and suggested US exemplar behaviors for all 12 original elements. CONCLUSIONS: This tool can be used to assess US EP's NTS for the purpose of formative assessment. Refinement of exemplar behaviors and inclusion of novel US-specific elements may optimize usability.

Complications in late pregnancy.

Complications of late pregnancy are managed infrequently in the emergency department and, thus, can pose a challenge when the emergency physician encounters acute presentations. An expert understanding of the anatomic and physiologic changes and possible complications of late pregnancy is vital to ensure proper evaluation and care for both mother and fetus. This article focuses on the late pregnancy issues that the emergency physician will face, from the bleeding and instability of abruptio placentae to the wide spectrum of complications and management strategies encountered with preterm labor.