Triaging of acutely ill children transported by ambulance. / Hastegradsvurdering av akutt syke barn transportert i ambulanse.

BACKGROUND: The Western Norway Regional Health Authority uses SATS Norge (SATS-N), a modified version of the South African Triage Scale, in all accident and emergency departments (A&E) and ambulance services in the region. The purpose of the study was to examine the validity of the paediatric component of SATS-N used for children transported to hospital by ambulance for emergency medical assistance. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We conducted a retrospective observational study which included all children in the age group 0-14 years, admitted by ambulance to A&E at Haukeland University Hospital for emergency medical assistance in the period from January to June 2020. The five triage levels in SATS-N were dichotomised to high triage level (the two highest triage categories) or low triage level (the three lowest triage categories). Sensitivity was calculated as the proportion of patients assigned to the high triage level among those who were directly transferred from A&E to a high dependency unit, and specificity as the proportion of patients assigned to the low triage level among those who were not directly transferred to a high dependency unit. RESULTS: Of a total of 303 patient transports, 270 (89 %) were triaged in the ambulance and 243 (80 %) in the A&E. In the pre-hospital and A&E settings, the sensitivity of SATS-N was 96 % and 88 %, and specificity was 46 % and 60 %, respectively. INTERPRETATION: For children admitted to hospital by ambulance, SATS-N had high sensitivity and low specificity for identifying patients who needed to be directly transferred from A&E to a high dependency unit.

Preformulation screening of lipids using solubility parameter concept in conjunction with experimental research to develop ceftriaxone loaded nanostructured lipid carriers

Abstract Development of ceftriaxone loaded nanostructured lipid carriers to increase permeability of ceftriaxone across uninflamed meninges after parenteral administration. Lipids were selected by theoretical and experimental techniques and optimization of NLCs done by response surface methodology using Box-Behnken design. The Δδt for glyceryl monostearate and Capryol90 were 4.39 and 2.92 respectively. The drug had maximum solubility of 0.175% (w/w) in glycerol monostearate and 2.56g of Capryol90 dissolved 10mg of drug. The binary mixture consisted of glyceryl monostearate and Capryol90 in a ratio of 70:30. The optimized NLCs particle size was 130.54nm, polydispersity index 0.28, % entrapment efficiency 44.32%, zeta potential -29.05mV, and % drug loading 8.10%. In vitro permeability of ceftriaxone loaded NLCs was 5.06x10-6 cm/s; evidently, the NLCs pervaded through uninflamed meninges, which, was further confirmed from in vivo biodistribution studies. The ratio of drug concentration between brain and plasma for ceftriaxone loaded NLCs was 0.29 and that for ceftriaxone solution was 0.02. With 44.32% entrapment of the drug in NLCs the biodistribution of ceftriaxone was enhanced 7.9 times compared with that of ceftriaxone solution. DSC and XRD studies revealed formation of imperfect crystalline NLCs. NLCs improved permeability of ceftriaxone through uninflamed meninges resulting in better management of CNS infections.

Immunochromatography screening devices for cannabinoids in oral fluid sample

Abstract Cannabis sativa L. is one of the most consumed drugs in the world and recent studies have associated its use with an increase in the number of traffic accidents in different countries. In many countries, like Brazil, simple and reliable methodologies are still needed for the detection of drugs on site, mainly cannabinoids, considering its prevalence of use and oral fluid (OF) has been proved as an appropriate biological matrix for this purpose. Considering that, this work aims to review previous studies on immunochromatographic devices for on-site detection of cannabinoids in OF, discussing their sensitivity, specificity, cut-offs values and confirmatory methods. This data shows the importance of choosing a screening device and it reinforces the need for its implementation in Brazil. The research was conducted on 5 databases and all original articles, published in the last 10 years, were selected. A total of 32 articles were found, providing data for 17 screening devices of distinct brands. Only 2 screening devices showed satisfactory sensitivity and specificity in the evaluated studies (≥80% and ≥90% respectively). However, it should be considered that the screening devices still have some limitations, such as a higher cut-off than those recommended by international guidelines (cut-off > 2 ng/mL), therefore demonstrating the need for more studies in the area and the importance of confirmatory analysis usually fulfilled by LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS or GC-MS. Thus, the screening analyzes should not be evaluated by itself, but in association with confirmatory results and observational traits (behavioral changes), for a better understanding of the traffic scenario

Biological screening of herbal extracts and essential oil from Plectranthus species: α-amylase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibition and antioxidant and anti-Candida potentials

Abstract The phenolic compound content, the antioxidant and α-amylase inhibition potentials of different extracts of the Plectranthus amboinicus, P. barbatus and P. ornatus were evaluated. We also evaluated the influence of plant growth and harvest time on the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) of P. amboinicus, its antioxidant and anti-Candida activities and the α-amylase and lipoxygenase inhibitions. The turbo-extract of P. barbatus showed the greatest phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity. No α-amylase inhibition activity was observed in the analyzed extracts, but the turbo-extraction and refluxing extracts possessed high antioxidant activities. Protected cultivation and morning harvest conditions gave the best antioxidant activities, which was associated to the highest carvacrol content. P. amboinicus EO antioxidant activity could contribute to the reduction of oxidative stress in diabetes. Causal Candida strains of diabetic foot ulcers showed sensitivity to P. amboinicus EO. C. albicans and C. dubliniensis were the most sensitive of the selected Candida strains. Turbo-extracts or refluxing of the three species extracts and the EO of P. amboinicus should be considered as a potential candidate for the management the complications of type 2 diabetes.

Desafios no acolhimento com classificação de risco sob a ótica dos enfermeiros / Challenges in the reception with risk classification from the perspective of nurses / Desafíos en la recepción con clasificación de riesgo desde la perspectiva de las enfermeras

RESUMO Objetivo: compreender os desafios percebidos pelos enfermeiros no processo de acolhimento com classificação de risco. Método: trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, analítica, realizada com enfermeiros atuantes no acolhimento com classificação de risco em quatro Unidades de Pronto Atendimento do Centro-Norte de Goiás, Brasil, no período de outubro de 2019 a fevereiro de 2020. Resultados: emergiram as seguintes categorias temáticas caracterizadas como dificuldades enfrentadas no serviço de urgência em face da percepção do enfermeiro classificador: "Questões de demanda"; "Questões informacionais"; "Questões de atendimento" e "Questões organizacionais". Conclusão: apuraram-se desafios de demanda que contribuem para a superlotação como desfecho final, e desafios informacionais, de atendimento e organizacional compreendidos como desafios básicos. Esse estudo auxilia a intervenção de forma oportuna a modificar a realidade do serviço de saúde.

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the challenges perceived by nurses in the process of reception with risk classification. Method: this is a qualitative, analytical research, conducted with nurses working in the reception with risk classification in four Emergency Care Units in the North-Central region of Goiás, Brazil, in the period from October 2019 to February 2020. Results: the following thematic categories emerged, characterized as difficulties faced in the emergency service in view of the perception of the nurse classifier: "Demand issues"; "Informational issues"; "Care issues" and "Organizational issues". Conclusion: we found demand challenges that contribute to overcrowding as an outcome, and informational, care, and organizational challenges understood as basic challenges. This study helps the intervention in a timely manner to modify the reality of the health service.

RESUMEN Objetivo: comprender los desafíos percibidos por los enfermeros en el proceso de acogimiento con clasificación de riesgo. Método: se trata de una investigación cualitativa, analítica, realizada con enfermeras que trabajan en la recepción con clasificación de riesgo en cuatro Unidades de Atención de Emergencia en el Centro-Norte de Goiás, Brasil, en el período de octubre de 2019 a febrero de 2020. Resultados: surgieron las siguientes categorías temáticas, caracterizadas como dificultades enfrentadas en el servicio de urgencias a la vista de la percepción de la enfermera clasificadora: "Cuestiones de demanda"; "Cuestiones informativas"; "Cuestiones asistenciales" y "Cuestiones organizativas". Conclusión: se apuraron los desafíos de demanda que contribuyen a la superlotación como desfase final, y los desafíos informativos, de atención y organizativos comprendidos como desafíos básicos. Este estudio ayuda a la intervención de forma oportuna para modificar la realidad del servicio de salud.

Insegurança alimentar na atenção primária à saúde: manual de identificação dos domicílios e organização da rede / Food insecurity in Primary Health Care: manual for identifying households and organizing the network

A Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (SAN) consiste na realização do direito de todos ao acesso regular e permanente a alimentos de qualidade, em quantidade suficiente, sem comprometer o acesso a outras necessidades essenciais, tendo como base: práticas alimentares promotoras da saúde que respeitem a diversidade cultural e que sejam ambiental, cultural, econômica e socialmente sustentáveis. A Política Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição (Pnan), em sua nona diretriz ¿ Cooperação e articulação para a Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional ¿ versa sobre a importância de integrar as dimensões alimentar e nutricional do conceito de SAN durante a construção de políticas públicas que objetivam a garantia do Direito Humano à Alimentação Adequada (DHAA), da SAN e da promoção de saúde da população. Considerando a complexidade dos determinantes da SAN, a garantia desses direitos deve pautar-se na articulação intersetorial, integrando a Pnan às Políticas de Segurança Alimentar, de desenvolvimento econômico e social, de educação, de agricultura, além de incluir ações de diagnóstico, vigilância alimentar e nutricional e de promoção da alimentação adequada e saudável. O agravamento da situação de insegurança alimentar (IA) no Brasil desafia gestores, profissionais e toda a sociedade civil a pensar ações capazes de garantir a SAN e o DHAA. Este documento apresenta orientações para apoiar gestores e profissionais a organizar a atenção às pessoas em situação de IA, fortalecendo a articulação entre o SUS e outros setores que se relacionam com a garantia da SAN.

APS Sesa: acolhimento e classificação de risco (vídeo 05/09)

A referência técnica estadual de Atenção Primária da Sesa, Jordana Cristina Santos, fala sobre o acolhimento e classificação de risco a respeito da organização dos fluxos de serviços na rede de atenção à saúde. Esse vídeo faz parte de uma série de vídeo-aulas sobre a Agenda de resposta rápida para a Atenção Primária à Saúde no enfrentamento à Covid-19.

The impact on patients' time-to-theatre following colour coding classification in emergency operation theatre, Sarawak General Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: A proper prioritisation system of emergency cases allows appropriate timing of surgery and efficient allocation of resources and staff expertise. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of colour coding classification on Time-to- theatre (TTT) of patients in comparison with the normal practice. METHOD: Categorisation was a surgical judgment call after thorough clinical assessment. There were 4 levels of urgency with their respective TTT; Red (2 hours), Yellow (8 hours), Green (24 hours), Blue (72 hours). Caesarean cases were excluded in colour coding due to pre - existing classification. The data for mean TTT was collected 4 weeks before the implementation (Stage 1), and another 4 weeks after implementation (Stage II). As there was a violation in the assumption for parametric test, Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the means between these two groups. Using logarithmic (Ln) transformation for TTT, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted for multivariate analysis to adjust the effect of various departments. The mean TTT for each colour coding classification was also calculated. RESULTS: The mean TTT was reduced from 13 hours 48 min to 10 hours, although more cases were completed in Stage II (428 vs 481 cases). Based on Mann-Whitney U test, the difference in TTT for Stage I (Median=6.0, /IQR=18.9) and Stage II (Median=4.2, IQR=11.5) was significantly different (p=0.023). The result remained significant (p=0.039) even after controlled for various department in the analysis. The mean/median TTT after colour coding was Red- 2h 24min/1h, Yellow- 8h 26min/3h 45 min, Green- 15h 8min/8h 15min, and Blue- 13h 46min/13h 5min. CONCLUSION: Colour coding classification in emergency Operation (OT) was effective in reducing TTT of patients for non-caesarean section cases.

Correlation of Nasal Cannula End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide Concentration With Need for Critical Resources for Blunt Trauma Patients Triaged to Lower-Tier Trauma Activation.

Patients assigned lower-tier trauma activation may be undertriaged. Delayed recognition and intervention may adversely affect outcome. For critically injured intubated patients, research shows that abnormally low end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) values correlate with need for blood transfusion, surgery, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate EtCO2 monitoring for patients triaged to lower-tier trauma activation. EtCO2 monitoring may aid in the recognition of patients who have greater needs than anticipated. This is a prospective observational study conducted at a Level I trauma center. Potential subjects presenting from the field were identified by lower-tier trauma activation for blunt mechanism. EtCO2 measurements acquired using nasal cannula sidestream technology were prospectively recorded in the trauma bay during the initial assessment. The medical record and trauma registry were queried for demographics, injury data, mortality, and critical resource data defined as intubation, blood transfusion, surgery, intensive care unit admission, and vasoactive medication infusion. EtCO2 data were obtained for 682 subjects during a 10.5-month period. Following exclusions, 262 patients were enrolled for data collection. EtCO2 values less than 30 mmHg were significantly associated with blood transfusion (p = .03) but not with other critical resources or mortality. Although capnography had limited utility for patients triaged to lower-tier trauma activation, EtCO2 values less than 30 mmHg correlated with blood transfusion, consistent with previous studies of critically injured intubated patients. EtCO2 monitoring is noninvasive and may serve as a simple prompt for earlier initiation of blood transfusion, a resource-intensive intervention.

How Well Planned Urgency Class Come True in The Emergency Surgery? Timing of Acute Care Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Emergency surgery represents an essential aspect of surgical care, but little is known about realization of the planned emergency class. Different systems such as NCEPOD classification and Timing of Acute Care Surgery classification have been developed for the timing of the emergency surgery. The aim of the study was to find out how well planned urgency class is being implemented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The planned and realized waiting times for all emergency surgeries were studied during the 6-month period in the Oulu University Hospital. The catchment area of the hospital includes a population of 742,000. The urgency in the hospital is planned in a four-step scale: an extremely urgent (E) patient should be taken immediately to the operating theater. Class I urgency surgery should start within 3 h (180 min), class II within 8 h (480 min), and class III within 24 h (1440 min). Surgeon plans urgency at his discretion, and no specific urgency has been imposed on certain diagnoses thus the surgeon's perceptions of the illness or trauma affects the assessment. RESULTS: Extreme urgent patients had an average waiting time of 26 min. For class I patient, the average waiting time was 59 min, while 93% of surgeries were started within the target time. For class II and class III patients, these figures were 337 min and 86% and 830 min and 78%, respectively. CONCLUSION: With regard to urgency, the higher the degree of urgency, the greater the chance of the surgery being realized within the planned time.

Patient classification based on volume and case-mix in the emergency department and their association with performance.

Predicting daily patient volume is necessary for emergency department (ED) strategic and operational decisions, such as resource planning and workforce scheduling. For these purposes, forecast accuracy requires understanding the heterogeneity among patients with respect to their characteristics and reasons for visits. To capture the heterogeneity among ED patients (case-mix), we present a patient coding and classification scheme (PCCS) based on patient demographics and diagnostic information. The proposed PCCS allows us to mathematically formalize the arrival patterns of the patient population as well as each class of patients. We can then examine the volume and case-mix of patients presenting to an ED and investigate their relationship to the ED's quality and time-based performance metrics. We use data from five hospitals in February, July and November for the years of 2007, 2012, and 2017 in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We find meaningful arrival time patterns of the patient population as well as classes of patients in EDs. The regression results suggest that patient volume is the main predictor of time-based ED performance measures. Case-mix is, however, the key predictor of quality of care in EDs. We conclude that considering both patient volume and the mix of patients are necessary for more accurate strategic and operational planning in EDs.

Triaging ophthalmology outpatient referrals with machine learning: A pilot study.

IMPORTANCE: Triaging of outpatient referrals to ophthalmology services is required for the maintenance of patient care and appropriate resource allocation. Machine learning (ML), in particular natural language processing, may be able to assist with the triaging process. BACKGROUND: To determine whether ML can accurately predict triage category based on ophthalmology outpatient referrals. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: The data of 208 participants was included in the project. METHODS: The synopses of consecutive ophthalmology outpatient referrals at a tertiary hospital were extracted along with their triage categorizations. Following pre-processing, ML models were applied to determine how accurately they could predict the likely triage categorization allocated. Data was split into training and testing sets (75%/25% split). ML models were tested on an unseen test set, after development on the training dataset. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) for category one vs non-category one classification. RESULTS: For the main outcome measure, convolutional neural network (CNN) provided the best AUC (0.83) and accuracy on the test set (0.81), with the artificial neural network (AUC 0.81 and accuracy 0.77) being the next best performing model. When the CNN was applied to the classification task of identifying which referrals should be allocated a category one vs category two vs category three priority, a lower accuracy was achieved (0.65). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: ML may be able to accurately assist with the triaging of ophthalmology referrals. Future studies with data from multiple centres and larger sample sizes may be beneficial.

Screening of Ketoprofen-Poloxamer and Ketoprofen-Eudragit solid dispersions for improved physicochemical characteristics and dissolution profile

The aim of the present study was to enhance the dissolution rate of an NSAID drug Ketoprofen by formulating it into solid dispersions with water soluble carrier Poloxamer 188 and Eudragit S 100. The solid dispersions of Ketoprofen with Poloxamer 188 were prepared at 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2 (Ketoprofen: Poloxamer 188) ratio by Solvent evaporation methods. The same concentration ratio was used for the preparation of solid dispersion with Eudragit S 100 by melting/fusion technique. Further, solid dispersions were investigated by solubility, ATR-FTIR, XRD, DSC, surface morphology, in-vitro dissolution and accelerated stability study. Results demonstrated that both Poloxamer 188 and Eudragit S 100 improve solubility of drugs by 8­10 folds. The result of ATR-FTIR study showed the slight shifting/broadening of principle peaks. In vitro dissolution studies showed that in the solid dispersion system containing Ketoprofen: Poloxamer 188 batch P2 (1:1.5) gives faster dissolution rate of Ketoprofen than the physical mixtures. The solid dispersion with Eudragit S 100, batch E1 (1:1) gives faster dissolution rate of Ketoprofen than the physical mixtures. In phase solubility study with Poloxamer 188 showed concentration dependent solubilization of drug but Eudragit S 100 produced opposite result. The effect of pH on solubility of Eudragit S 100 was carried out which showed solubility at pH 7.4. The dissolution profile of solid dispersion with Eudragit S 100 at pH 7.4 gives excellent result. The Accelerated stability of solid dispersions & its physical mixtures were studied at 400±2 °C/75 ± 5% RH for a period of 1 month. In these studies, Solid Dispersion batches produced an unstable formulation. The Ketoprofen solid dispersions with Poloxamer 188 and Eudragit S 100 could be introduced as a suitable form with improved solubility

Patient-initiated emergency department visits without primary care follow-up: frequency and characteristics. / Atenciones en urgencias a demanda del paciente sin seguimiento posterior en atención primaria: frecuencia y características.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the volume of patient-initiated visits to the emergency department without follow-up by a primary care physician, and to identify factors related to this practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective, observational study of patients attended in a tertiary care hospital emergency department. We used a cluster/systematic sampling method to select 0.05% of the episodes discharged home every month. The following data were extracted: demographic variables, care times, prior primary care for the same episode, triage level, diagnosis, cost of prescriptions on discharge, instructions for follow-up, and adherence to those instructions. Associations were explored using multivariate logistic regression modelling. RESULTS: A total of 1277 episodes were analyzed; 48.1% were patient-initiated visits without primary care follow-up. These visits were associated with the following variables: young patients (P = .002) without prior primary care (odds ratio [OR], 1.74; 95% CI, 1.34-2.28); visits between 10 PM and 4 AM (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.55-3.80); triage level 4-5 (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04-1.69); ophthalmologic emergency (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.12-2.41); a prescription cost of less than €3 (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.87-3.06); and instruction to seek follow-up on discharge (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.37-2.65). CONCLUSION: Half of patients who independently seek care from the emergency department and are discharged home do not later seek care at their primary care clinic. The emergency physician should insist on the importance of ongoing primary care.

OBJETIVO: Cuantificar los episodios asistenciales del servicio de urgencias originados a iniciativa del paciente sin seguimiento posterior en atención pimaria (EIPSS), e identificar factores asociados a ello. METODO: Estudio retrospectivo observacional de pacientes atendidos en Urgencias de un hospital de tercer nivel durante 2 años, mediante muestreo sistemático por conglomerados correspondiente al 0,05% de los episodios de cada mes, con alta a domicilio. Se analizaron variables demográficas, tiempos asistenciales, abordaje previo en atención primaria por el mismo episodio (APAP), nivel de triaje, diagnóstico, importe de la prescripción al alta e indicación de seguimiento y realización del mismo. Se utilizó un modelo multivariante de regresión logística para la estimación del grado de asociación. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 1.277 episodios, encontrándose un EIPSS en el 48,1% de ellos. Estos fueron más frecuentes entre los más jóvenes (p = 0,002), sin APAP (OR: 1,74; IC 95% 1,34-2,28), en los que accedieron de 22-04 h (OR: 2,43; IC 95%: 1,55-3,80%), con un nivel de triaje 4-5 (OR: 1,33; IC 95%: 1,04-1,69), con una urgencia oftalmológica como motivo de consulta (OR: 1,64; IC 95%: 1,12-2,41), con un coste de la prescripción menor de 3 € (OR: 2,39; IC 95%: 1,87-3,06) y en quienes fue indicado seguimiento al alta (OR: 1,9; IC 95%: 1,37-2,65). CONCLUSIONES: La mitad de los pacientes que acuden por iniciativa propia al SUH y se van de alta a domicilio no realizan seguimiento posterior por atención primaria (AP). En este grupo de pacientes, el urgenciólogo debería insistir en la importancia de la asistencia previa y posterior por AP.

Pediatric televisits and telephone triage: impact on use of a hospital emergency department. / Impacto de las consultas y triajes telefónicos pediátricos en el uso del servicio de urgencias hospitalario.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the characteristics of remote telephone consultations (televisits) and triage of pediatric emergencies attended by the 24-hour emergency service of Catalonia (CatSalut Respon), and to describe the impact of televisits on callers' decisions about whether or not to come to the emergency department and their opinion of the call service. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study. During the call, cases were classified according the Spanish and Andorran triage system. Patients who were sent to the hospital underwent triage again, and the 2 assigned triage levels were compared. The families were later called to check data and ask their opinion of the service. Sociodemographic and clinical data related to the cases were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 370 televisits were made. Most cases (300, 81%) were not emergencies. Seventy-five callers (20.3%) were advised to go to an emergency department. Fever (P = .002) and questions about medication (P < .001) were the problems significantly associated with nonurgent cases. Nearly 46% of the cases classified as serious during telephone triage were also considered serious when the child was brought to the emergency department. The rate of agreement between the 2 triage levels was moderate. Over half the parents stated they had intended to go to the hospital before calling the service; 46% changed their mind based on the call. CONCLUSION: Fever and questions about medication were significantly associated with televisits for nonurgent cases. Nearly half the parents changed their mind about going to the emergency department after a televisit.

OBJETIVO: Analizar las características de las teleconsultas y triajes telefónicos pediátricos atendidos por CatSalut Respon y describir su impacto sobre la actitud y la decisión final de los padres-usuarios de acudir o no a urgencias. METODO: Estudio observacional transversal. Durante la teleconsulta los pacientes se clasificaron según los niveles del sistema español de triaje. Aquellos que fueron derivados a urgencias se volvieron a clasificar en el hospital, y se compararon los niveles de triaje. Posteriormente, se realizó una llamada de verificación. Se recogieron variables sociodemográficas y clínicas. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 370 teleconsultas, fundamentalmente no urgentes (n = 300; 81%). Un 20,3% (n = 75) fueron derivadas a urgencias. La fiebre (p = 0,002) y las dudas de medicación (p < 0,001) fueron motivos significativos de teleconsulta no urgente. Casi un 46% de los casos con niveles de gravedad altos en el triaje de la llamada también fueron clasificados con niveles de gravedad altos en el triaje posterior realizado en el servicio de urgencias hospitalario, mostrando una concordancia moderada. Más del 50% de los padres tenían intención de acudir a urgencias antes de la teleconsulta y un 46% cambiaron de actitud tras realizar esta llamada. CONCLUSIONES: Fiebre y dudas de medicación fueron motivos estadísticamente significativos de teleconsulta no urgente. La consulta telefónica produjo un cambio de actitud en casi la mitad de los padres.

[Effects of a Web-Based Korean Triage and Acuity Scale Learning Program on Triage Self-Efficacy and Triage Performance Ability for Nurses in Emergency Department].

PURPOSE: The Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) is a tool used to classify the severity and urgency of emergency department (ED) patients, focusing on their symptoms. In consideration of the importance of the KTAS, a web-based learning program has emerged as a new mode of education; it enables ED triage nurses to access it anytime and anywhere, and according to their own learning abilities. This study aimed to develop a web-based KTAS learning program and evaluate its effects on self-efficacy and triage performance ability in ED nurses. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest was used. The conceptual framework was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. There were 30 participants in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The experimental group attended an orientation and 4 sessions of a web-based KTAS learning program. The learning program lasted 280 minutes over five weeks, consisting of 40 minutes of orientation and four 60-minute sessions. RESULTS: The scores of self-efficacy, triage performance ability in KTAS level, and chief complaints significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. In addition, the numbers of under-triage in KTAS significantly decreased in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the learning program was effective in improving ED nurses' level of self-efficacy and triage performance ability (KTAS level and KTAS chief complaint). Accordingly, the web-based KTAS learning program can be applied as an education intervention to improve ED nurses' triage skill.

Indicated trauma emergency department utilization - A comparison between patients' self-assessment and professional evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Patient visits to emergency departments (EDs) increase in many countries. As a result, these facilities are often congested and the socioeconomic burden of growing workload is a well-known problem. In this study, patients' reasons attending an ED with non-emergent needs were analyzed. METHODS: From October 2015 to March 2016 patients (n = 499), attending the ED of an academic teaching hospital without referral from a General Practitioner (GP) were surveyed regarding circumstances of their visit, a self-assessment of illness-severity, and reasons for choosing the ED instead of a GP. Results were compared to responses of ED staff (n = 40). RESULTS: Most patients assessed their case as urgent (patients: 65% vs. ED staff: 28%, p < 0.001) and felt that their medical problem could not to be treated by a GP (74%). However, most patients ranked their injuries as mild (45.7%) or moderate (41.7%). Reasons to prefer an ED instead of a GP were not responded in 80.1% of cases. CONCLUSION: In contrast to the self-evaluation of patients, ED staff believed that a significant portion of medical problems could be treated by a GP. Understanding patient-centred reasons and the discrepancy between self-perceived emergencies and minor medical problems might help to reduce inappropriate ED-admissions.

[Evaluation of Validity of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale].

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the predictive validity of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). METHODS: This methodological study used data from National Emergency Department Information System for 2016. The KTAS disposition and emergency treatment results for emergency patients aged 15 years and older were analyzed to evaluate its predictive validity through its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. RESULTS: In case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the KTAS were 0.916, 0.581, 0.097, and 0.993, respectively. In case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive or non-intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.700, 0.642, 0.391, and 0.867, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the KTAS had high sensitivity but low specificity. It is necessary to constantly review and revise the KTAS level classification because it still results in a few errors of under and over-triage. Nevertheless, this study is meaningful in that it was an evaluation of the KTAS for the total cases of adult patients who sought help at regional and local emergency medical centers in 2016.

Missed Opportunities: Integrating Palliative Care into the Emergency Department for Older Adults Presenting as Level I Triage Priority from Long-Term Care Facilities.

BACKGROUND: Early integration of palliative care from the emergency department (ED) is an underutilized care modality with potential benefits, but few studies have identified who is appropriate for such care. OBJECTIVE: Our hypothesis is that patients aged 65 years or older who present to the ED as level I Emergency Severity Index from a long-term care (LTC) facility have high resource utilization and mortality and may benefit from early palliative care involvement. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients aged 65 years or older who arrived in the ED of an academic suburban southeastern level I trauma center from an LTC facility and triaged as level I priority. The ED course, hospital course, and final outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 198 patients studied, 54% were deceased 30 days after discharge, with only 29.8% alive at 12 months. Admitted patients had a median hospital length of stay of 5 days and 73% required intensive care. Formal palliative care intervention was provided in 40.4%, occuring a median of 4 days into hospitalization and leading to 85% downgrading their advanced directive wishes, and discharge occuring a median of 1 day later. Few formal palliative care interventions occurred in the ED (9.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients from LTC facilities presenting with severe acute illness have high mortality and seldom receive early palliative care. Introduction of palliative care has the ability to change the course of treatment in this vulnerable population and should be considered early in the hospitalization and, where available, be initiated in the ED.

[Distribution of triage categories in terrorist attacks with mass casualties : Analysis and evaluation of European results from 1985 to 2017]. / Verteilung der Sichtungskategorien bei Terroranschlägen mit einem Massenanfall von Verletzten : Analyse und Bewertung der Ereignisse in Europa von 1985 bis 2017.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and character of civil mass casualty incidents (MCI) has changed in the last decades, in particular because of the rising number of terrorist attacks. As a result, the question arises whether commonly used tools of prevention and prehospital planning, including the distribution of triage categories (T1 severely injured/T2 seriously injured/T3 slightly injured) with 15%/20%/60% have to be modified. The rescue workers make the classification of the triage categories in MCIs at the scene. The aim of this article is to verify the planning size of variable distribution of the triage categories. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 244 MCI with >9 casualties from 1 January 1985 to 31 May 2017 in Europe and Turkey were identified by a systematic literature search and analyzed with respect to the distribution of T in the first 24 h. RESULTS: An incidence of 10% T1, 17% T2, 49% T3 and 5% deaths was detected (median). Due to the previously use of the average of the triage categories in the contingency plan, the calculation showed a slightly different distribution from 15%/30%/55%. Of the events 7 were natural disasters, 227 terrorist attacks, 9 accidents and 1 mass panic. Natural disasters showed a higher than average death rate (11%), especially landslide incidents (67%). Civilian accidents showed a distribution of T of 10%/17%/55%, with train derailments having twice as many T1 patients and plane crashes just under twice as many T2 patients. In the case of terrorist attacks, the expected planning parameters were not quite achieved with 14%/15%/39%. Especially "combined hits" and amok driving had high incidences of T1 patients (18% and 21%, respectively). In addition, the T2 patients with 42% in amok driving and 48% in mass panics were well above the planning size of 20% and 30%, respectively. Calculation of the severity factor according to deBoer for amok driving and the result that at S ≥ 1.5 many seriously injured persons can be suspected, amok driving showed the highest degree of severity (S = 1.8) in our study. This indicates the severity of a disaster depending on the number of casualties per triage category.