Eligible Encounters Research Articles

Combining structured and unstructured data in EMRs to create clinically-defined EMR-derived cohorts

BackgroundThere have been few studies describing how production EMR systems can be systematically queried to identify clinically-defined populations and limited studies utilising free-text in this process. The aim of this study is to provide a generalisable methodology for constructing clinically-defined EMR-derived patient cohorts using structured and unstructured data in EMRs.MethodsPatients with possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were used as an exemplar. Cardiologists defined clinical criteria for patients presenting with possible ACS. These were mapped to data tables within the production EMR system creating seven inclusion criteria comprised of structured data fields (orders and investigations, procedures, scanned electrocardiogram (ECG) images, and diagnostic codes) and unstructured clinical documentation. Data were extracted from two local health districts (LHD) in Sydney, Australia. Outcome measures included examination of the relative contribution of individual inclusion criteria to the identification of eligible encounters, comparisons between inclusion criterion and evaluation of consistency of data extracts across years and LHDs.ResultsAmong 802,742 encounters in a 5 year dataset (1/1/13–30/12/17), the presence of an ECG image (54.8% of encounters) and symptoms and keywords in clinical documentation (41.4–64.0%) were used most often to identify presentations of possible ACS. Orders and investigations (27.3%) and procedures (1.4%), were less often present for identified presentations. Relevant ICD-10/SNOMED CT codes were present for 3.7% of identified encounters. Similar trends were seen when the two LHDs were examined separately, and across years.ConclusionsClinically-defined EMR-derived cohorts combining structured and unstructured data during cohort identification is a necessary prerequisite for critical validation work required for development of real-time clinical decision support and learning health systems.

52528 Implementation of Web-Based Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in the Clinical Care of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Multi-Center Prospective Cohort Study

ABSTRACT IMPACT: The integration of patient-reported outcome measures into clinical care is feasible and can facilitate patient-centered care for individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are powerful tools which can facilitate patient-centered care by highlighting individuals’ experience of illness. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and impact of implementing web-based PROMs in the routine clinical care of outpatients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Outpatients with SLE were enrolled in this longitudinal cohort study at two academic medical centers. Participants completed PROMIS computerized adaptive tests assessing multiple quality of life domains at enrollment and prior to two consecutive routinely scheduled rheumatology visits using the ArthritisPower research registry mobile or web-based application. Score reports were shared with patients and providers before the visits. Patients and rheumatologists completed post-visit surveys evaluating the utility of PROMs in the clinical encounters. Proportions with confidence intervals were calculated to evaluate survey completion rates and responses. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A total of 105 SLE patients and 16 rheumatologists participated in the study. Subjects completed PROMs in 159 of 184 eligible encounters (86%, 95% CI 81 - 91), including 90% of visit 1’s (95% CI 82 - 95) and 82% of visit 2’s (95% CI 72 - 90. Patients and rheumatologists found that PROMs were useful (91% and 83% of encounters respectively) and improved communication (86% and 72%). Rheumatologists reported that PROMs impacted patient management in 51% of visits, primarily by guiding conversations (84%), but also by influencing medication changes (15%) and prompting referrals (10%). There was no statistically significant difference in visit length before (mean=19.5 min) and after (mean=20.4 min) implementation of PROMs (p=0.52). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: The remote capture and integration of web-based PROMs into clinical care was feasible in a diverse cohort of SLE outpatients. PROMs were useful to SLE patients and rheumatologists and promoted patient-centered care by facilitating communication.

The impact of provider training on patient education for pediatric early food introduction

Pediatric food allergies (FAs) present significant health and economic problems. Currently, there are no cures for FAs. Recent studies suggest that early introduction (EI), between 4 and 6 months of age, of commonly allergenic foods (CAFs) may reduce the risk of developing FAs. This contradicts the current standard of care, food avoidance. A federally qualified health center saw 894 patients aged 0-24 months during a 12-month period with only 18.9% receiving nutrition education. New dietary recommendations to prevent FA were not in place. A retrospective chart review was used to evaluate use of an order set with patient education on EI to CAFs in the electronic medical record (EMR). Providers attended training on EI to CAFs and use of the EMR order set. Data were collected on the use of the order set over a 3-month period. Provider training significantly improved knowledge of FA as well as EI guidelines. After 3 months of implementation, 25.95% of eligible encounters contained the EI order set; 52% of patients received the order set during the measurement period. In the impact population, patients 4-12 months of age, 74.55% of patients received the order set. Evidence-based clinical content in EMR order sets coupled with provider training ensure clinical decision support in identifying, monitoring, and optimizing quality care standards.

Safety and Effectiveness of a Non-Electric Infant Warmer for Hypothermia in Rwanda: A Cluster-Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial

Background: Neonatal hypothermia is a common source of morbidity and mortality in low resource settings. We developed the Dream Warmer, a low cost, re-usable non-electric infant warmer to prevent and treat hypothermia. Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized stepped-wedge trial. The primary aim was to assess the effect on overall euthermia rates of introducing the warmer compared to standard of care in rural Rwandan hospitals. The secondary aims were to assess effects of warmer introduction on mortality, as well as the safety and feasibility of the warmer. Ten district hospitals participated in the study. Patients were eligible to use the warmer if they were 1) hypothermic (temp < 36·5 o C) or 2) or at risk of hypothermia (weight < 2·5 kg or estimated post menstrual age < 35 weeks) when Kangaroo Mother Care was not available. An encounter was defined as the data from an individual infant on a single day. Findings: Over the study period, 3179 patients were enrolled across the ten neonatal wards, yielding 12,748 encounters; 464 unique infants used the warmer 892 times, 79% eligible due to hypothermia. Because of limited study nurse resources, the warmer was used in only 18% of eligible encounters. Despite this low rate of warmer use, the rate of euthermia rose from 51% (95% CI 50−52%) of encounters pre-intervention to 67% (66−68%) post-intervention; p< 0·0001. Among the encounters in which the warmer was used, only 11% (9-13%) remained hypothermic. While mortality rates pre- and post-intervention did not change, mortality rate among those who used the warmer was significantly lower than among those who did not (0·9% vs 2·8%, p=0·01). Use of the warmer did not affect hyperthermia rates. There were no safety concerns or instances of incorrect warmer use. Interpretation: Introduction of the warmer increased rates of euthermia with no associated safety concerns. Trial Registration: Trial of a Non Electric Infant Warmer for Prevention and Treatment of Hypothermia in Rwanda [NCT03890211]. Funding Statement: The study was funded by the Banyan Gates Foundation. Declaration of Interests: Anne Hansen is the President and CEO, and Ashok Gadgil is member of the Board, of Global Newborn Solutions, a nonprofit founded to manufacture and distribute the Dream Warmer. Neither has ever received any financial compensation for their role. No conflicts of interest exist for other authors. Ethics Approval Statement: Informed consent was obtained from caretakers of all study participants from whom we only collected data. If an infant became eligible to use the warmer, a second consent was requested specifically for warmer use. The study was approved by human research review: BCH Institutional Review Board (IRB-P00030705), the Rwanda National Ethics Committee (reference # 0076/RNEC 2018), Rwanda National Health Research Committee (reference # 514) and the Rwanda MOH.

HbA1c and Glucose Management Indicator Discordance: A Real-World Analysis.

Background: There can be marked discordance between laboratory and estimated (using the glucose management indicator [GMI]) glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). This may cause errors in diabetes management. This study evaluates discordance between laboratory and CGM-estimated HbA1c (eA1C). Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients with diabetes who use CGM. The patients were seen at the University of Washington (UW) Diabetes Care Center from 2012 to 2019. We used UW's Institute of Translational Health Sciences to extract eligible encounters from the electronic medical record. We required that patients use CGM and that HbA1c and sensor data be obtained fewer than 4 weeks apart. There were no exclusion criteria. We calculated HbA1c-GMI discordance for each subject and assessed for any impact of comorbidities. We defined HbA1c-GMI discordance as absolute difference between laboratory and eA1C. Results: This study included 641 separate office encounters. Ninety-one percent of patients had type 1 diabetes. Most patients had diabetes for greater than 20 years. The mean duration of CGM wear was 24.5 ± 8 days. Only 11% of patients had HbA1c-GMI discordance <0.1%, but 50% and 22% had differences ≥0.5% and ≥1%. There was increased discordance with advanced chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60). Discussion: We found substantial discordance between laboratory and eA1C in a real-world setting. Clinicians need be aware that HbA1c may not as accurately reflect mean glucose as previously appreciated.

Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters Present on Admission and the Risk of Central-Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection

Background: Patients presenting to hospitals often arrive with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in place upon admission. The admitting facility may not be familiar with that device’s history and the unknown risk for bloodstream infection associated with it often prompts requests for device replacement. A blanket approach to “change all lines” must be balanced with the potential for patient discomfort and insertion-related complications. To better inform our approach to prevention, we determined the incidence of central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in adult patients presenting to hospitals in our health system with a PICC present on admission (POA), relative to those who have a PICC placed after admission (PAA). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all adult hospital encounters at 11 Cleveland Clinic acute-care hospitals lasting &gt; 2 days in 2018 with electronic medical record nursing care flowsheet documentation of a PICC during the stay. Patients whose admission diagnosis was related to intravascular catheter infection, children aged &lt;18 years, and observation unit encounters were excluded. Patients were categorized as having a PICC POA if a nurse selected that option on a PICC flowsheet, otherwise the patient was categorized has having a PICC PAA. Surveillance for CLABSI was performed in all inpatient locations at all hospitals according to the NHSN protocol. Patients with ≥1 CLABSI were matched to encounters by name and date of admission. Repeat infections occurring to the same patient were excluded. Results: Of the 8,827 eligible hospital encounters, 1,799 (20%) involved a PICC POA and 7,028 (80%) had PICCs PAA. Across 11 hospitals, the median proportion of PICC-associated encounters with a device POA was 15% (range, 8%–25%). Moreover, 23 of the 112 CLABSIs (21%) in our cohort occurred in patients with a PICC POA and 89 (79%) occurred in patients with a PICC PAA (Table 1). The overall relative risk of CLABSI, whether the PICC was placed before or after admission, was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.64–1.60). Conclusions: Patients with a PICC present on admission to our hospitals were no more likely to experience a CLABSI than patients who had a PICC placed after admission. Replacing vascular catheters that are POA may not reduce the risk of CLABSI. With up to 25% of PICC-associated encounters having the device POA, universal device replacement at admission would involve hundreds of patients per year at our multihospital health system.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Contribution of Penicillin Allergy Labels to Second-Line Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections

IntroductionAntibiotic allergies are overdiagnosed. This may lead to unnecessary use of second-line broader-spectrum agents in place of narrower-spectrum guideline-recommended first-line therapies especially for uncomplicated respiratory tract infections. The extent to which this occurs for children with respiratory tract infections is unknown.MethodsWe included outpatient encounters for patients < 18 years with acute respiratory tract infections (sinusitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, upper respiratory tract infection, pharyngitis, otitis media). Patients were classified as penicillin allergic based on the presence of an allergy label in the electronic medical record. First-line guideline-recommended antibiotics included penicillin, amoxicillin or amoxicillin-clavulanate; all others were considered second line. The percentage of patients treated with first-line versus second-line antibiotics was compared between those with and without penicillin allergy. Additionally, we calculated the contribution of penicillin allergy to overall use of second-line antibiotics.ResultsAmong 17,578 eligible encounters for respiratory tract infections, 1332 (8%) included patients with a penicillin allergy label. Overall, second-line antibiotics were prescribed in 15% of encounters. Second-line antibiotics were prescribed in 91% of encounters for penicillin-allergic patients, compared with 8% of encounters for non-allergic patients (P < 0.001). Patients with penicillin allergy labels accounted for 47% of all second-line antibiotic prescriptions.ConclusionIn a large population of pediatric outpatient encounters for acute respiratory tract infections, patients labeled with a penicillin allergy accounted for nearly half of second-line antibiotics, which are often broader spectrum. Efforts to de-label children with penicillin allergies have the potential to reduce broader-spectrum antibiotic use.

Accuracy of ICD-10-CM claims-based definitions for epilepsy and seizure type

ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of ICD-10-CM claims-based definitions for epilepsy and classifying seizure types in the outpatient setting. MethodsWe reviewed electronic health records (EHR) for a cohort of adults aged 18+ years seen by six neurologists who had an outpatient visit at a level 4 epilepsy center between 01/2019−09/2019. The neurologists used a standardized documentation template to capture the diagnosis of epilepsy (yes/no/unsure), seizure type (focal/generalized/unknown), and seizure frequency in the EHR. Using linked ICD-10-CM codes assigned by the provider, we assessed the accuracy of claims-based definitions for epilepsy, focal seizure type, and generalized seizure type against the reference-standard EHR documentation by estimating sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). ResultsThere were 673 eligible outpatient encounters. After review of EHRs for standardized documentation, an analytic sample consisted of 520 encounters representing 402 unique patients. In the EHR documentation, 93.5 % (n = 486/520) of encounters were with patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy. Of those, 66.0 % (n = 321/486) had ≥1 focal seizure, 41.6 % (n = 202/486) had ≥1 generalized seizure, and 7% (n = 34/486) had ≥1 unknown seizure. An ICD-10-CM definition for epilepsy (i.e., ICD-10 G40.X) achieved Sn = 84.4 % (95 % CI 80.8−87.5%), Sp = 79.4 % (95 % CI 62.1−91.3%), PPV = 98.3 % (95 % CI 96.6−99.3%), and NPV = 26.2 % (95 % CI 18.0−35.8%). The classification of focal vs generalized/unknown seizures achieved Sn = 69.8 % (95 % CI 64.4−74.8%), Sp = 79.4 % (95 % CI 72.4−85.3%), PPV = 86.8 % (95 % CI 82.1−90.7%), and NPV = 57.5 % (95 % CI 50.8−64.0%). ConclusionsClaims-based definitions using groups of ICD-10-CM codes assigned by neurologists in routine outpatient clinic visits at a level 4 epilepsy center performed well in discriminating between patients with and without a diagnosis of epilepsy and between seizure types.

Implementation of Pregnancy Checklist into Clinic Workflow: AQuality Improvement Initiative.

This project aims to implement the Pregnancy Reasonably Excluded Guide in an outpatient family planning teen clinic using the EPIDEM quality improvement (QI) framework. Quality improvement. Outpatient family planning teen clinic in an urban center. Female teen clinic patients (13-19years of age). We used the EPIDEM (Explore relevant issues and contextual factors, Promote to the right people, Implement timely solutions, Document steps, Evaluate with meaningful measures, Make modifications to improve interventions further) QI framework to implement the Pregnancy Reasonably Excluded Guidein our clinic. The primary outcome was the percentage of eligible visits in which the checklist was used. The secondary outcome was the percentage of encounters in which a UPT was ordered pre- and post-implementation. A total of 383 eligible encounters were reviewed pre- and post-implementation. Before implementation, there was no use of the checklist in clinic. After implementation, 81.8% of eligible encounters used the checklist. Before implementation, 37.3 % of encounters had a UPT ordered. After implementation, 27.0% of encounters had a UPT ordered; there was a 27.6% decrease in UPTs ordered (P=.036). The pregnancy checklist can be successfully implemented using QI methodology, and the EPIDEM QI framework is a valuable clinical tool for the implementation of a context-sensitive protocol. Use of the pregnancy checklist is standard of care and has the capacity to reduce the number of unnecessary UPTs, which may provide time and cost savings in a broad range of clinical settings.

ICareTrack: measuring the appropriateness of eyecare delivery in Australia.

To meet the needs of an ageing population and optimise health expenditure, delivery of care should be based on evidence. However, the level of evidence-based care delivered to patients with eye conditions is rarely assessed. This study thus aimed to determine the percentage of eyecare encounters at which a sample of adult Australians received appropriate care (i.e., eyecare in line with evidence-based or consensus-based guidelines). A cross-sectional retrospective review of optometry practice records was conducted using random stratified (by state) sampling in mainland Australia. Eighty-five clinical indicators were developed from evidence-based clinical practice guideline recommendations and refined by panels of experts using a modified Delphi process. Healthcare records of patients 18years and over were examined against these indicators, representing appropriate care for three common eye conditions (preventative eyecare, glaucoma, and diabetic eyecare). Encounters occurred in optometry practices that were selected to be representative of the socioeconomic profile of Australian practices. The primary outcome measure was percentage compliance of eyecare delivery against the clinical indicators. From 426 optometry practices contacted by mail or telephone, 90 (21%) replied, 46 proved eligible and 42 were included in the study and visited for data collection. From these 1260 patient records were reviewed. Appropriate eyecare was received by Australian patients at an average of 71% (95%CI 70%, 73%) of eligible encounters. The percentage of appropriateness of eyecare at the condition level for preventative, glaucoma and diabetic eyecare was 81% (95%CI 79%, 83%), 63% (95%CI 61%, 64%), and 69% (95%CI 66%, 73%), respectively. Appropriateness of eyecare delivery was lowest for the domains of history taking and physical examination for all eye conditions. There were pockets of excellence but consistent delivery of appropriate eyecare needs improvement, and gaps in eyecare delivery should be addressed.

60-day major adverse cardiac events in emergency department patients with non-low modified HEART scores.

A low (0-3) History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART) score reliably identifies ED chest pain patients who are low risk for near-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE). To optimize sensitivity, many clinicians employ a modified HEART score by repeating troponin measurements and excluding patients with abnormal troponin values or ischemic electrocardiograms (ECGs). The residual MACE risk among patients with otherwise non-low (≥4) modified HEART scores is thus likely much lower than with non-low original HEART scores. To explore residual 60-day MACE risks among patients with non-low modified HEART scores. Secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort of ED patients presenting with chest pain to an integrated healthcare system between 2013 and 2015. Patients with serial troponin measurements within 6h of ED arrival were considered for inclusion. Exclusions included an ischemic ECG, troponin values above the 99th percentile or a lack of continuous health plan coverage through the 60-day follow-up period. MACE was defined as a composite of myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock or death. There were 22,976 study eligible patients encounters, 13,521 (59%) of which had non-low (≥4) modified HEART scores. The observed 60-day MACE risk among non-low HEART score patients was 2.0% (95% CI 1.8-2.3). When including all coronary revascularizations (MACE-R), the risk was 4.4% (95% CI 4.1-4.4). Risk of near-term MACE among patients with non-low modified HEART scores (excluding those with abnormal troponin or ischemic ECGs) appears to be much lower than in the original HEART score validation studies.

An analysis of inpatient and ED admissions within 30 days of chemotherapy: An OP-35 review.

e19302 Background: To evaluate patients who were within 30 days of outpatient chemotherapy infusion for an admission or ED visit associated with a primary or secondary diagnosis of anemia, dehydration, diarrhea, emesis, fever, nausea, neutropenia, pain, pneumonia or sepsis. Methods: A review of Epic was performed on all Mercy patients with cancer who received at least one outpatient chemotherapy between 1/1/16-12/31/18. Non leukemia patients ≥ 18 years of age with an inpatient admission(IPA) or ED visit (EDV) were further evaluated for either the primary or secondary diagnosis for referral with at least one of the following diagnoses: anemia, dehydration, diarrhea, emesis, fever, nausea, neutropenia, pain, pneumonia, or sepsis. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify significant clinical variables associated with the risk of referral. Adjusted Odds Ratios were calculated for the significant variables with a p value &lt; 0.05 being significant. Results: Of the 9,590 cancer patients who presented to an outpatient infusion center during the study interval, there were 8,319 eligible patients excluding those with leukemia or age &lt; 18 (n = 503) or for a presentation in which a chemotherapy agent was not infused. There were 90,030 eligible chemotherapy encounters of which 16.8% of patients (n = 1400) had an IPA and 11.8% (n = 980) had an EDV within 30 days of infusion. Age, social deprivation status, NCI comorbidity index, Epic readmission score, ECOG performance score, smoking, and malnutrition were significantly associated with either an IPA or EDV in both settings. Sepsis, pneumonia, and anemia were the most common OP35 related diagnoses for an IPA at 47.2%, 26.9%, and 23.2%, respectively. Similarly, pain, dehydration and nausea were the most common OP35 related diagnosis for an EDV at 48.1%, 14.2%, and 14.1% respectively. Factors having the strongest association with an IPA were malnutrition (OR: 2.34 2.08-2.65; p &lt; 0.00001) and an antibiotic type of chemotherapy (OR: 2.16 1.72-2.72; p &lt; 0.0001). Factors having strongest association with an EDV were severe pain score (OR: 2.56 2.21-2.97; p &lt; 0.0001) and moderate to most deprived social deprivation status (OR: 2.10 1.62-2.72; p &lt; 0.0001). ER referrals for pain, dehydration, and anemia most commonly occurred during clinic hours. Conclusions: Many clinical variables were found to be significantly associated with an IPV or EDV. These variables are opportunities for outpatient interventional algorithms to enhance patient care.

The Champagne Tap: Time to Pop the Cork?

A "champagne tap" is a lumbar puncture with no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) red blood cells (RBCs). Clinicians disagree whether the absence of CSF white blood cells (WBCs) is also required. As supervising providers frequently reward trainees after a champagne tap, we investigated how varying the definition impacted the frequency of trainee accolades. We performed a secondary analysis of a retrospective cross-sectional study of infants ≤60days of age who had a CSF culture performed in the emergency department (ED) at one of 20 centers participating in a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee (PEM CRC) endorsed study. Our primary outcomes were a champagne tap defined by either a CSF RBC count of 0cells/mm3 regardless of CSF WBC count or both CSF RBC and WBC counts of 0cells/mm3 . Of the 23,618 eligible encounters, 20,358 (86.2%) had both a CSF RBC and WBC count obtained. Overall, 3,147 (13.3%) had a CSF RBC count of 0cells/mm3 and 377 (1.6%) had both CSF WBC and RBC counts of 0cells/mm3 (relative rate 8.35, 95% confidence interval 7.51 to 9.27). In infants, a lumbar puncture with a CSF RBC count of 0cells/mm3 regardless of the CSF WBC count occurred eight-times more frequently than one with both CSF WBC and RBC counts of 0cells/mm3 . A broader champagne tap definition would allow more frequent recognition of procedural success, with the potential to foster a supportive community during medical training, potentially protecting against burnout.

Validity of administrative claims-based algorithms for ventricular arrhythmia and cardiac arrest in the pediatric population.

Identify administrative claims-based algorithms for capturing out-of-hospital ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and cardiac arrests (CA) due to cardiac causes in the pediatric population with high positive-predictive value (PPV). Within a single pediatric center, a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized or seen in the emergency room for VA or CA were identified from the electronic health records. Eligible encounters were blindly reviewed and linked to administrative data, including ICD-9/ICD-10 codes. Test characteristics, including PPV, for different diagnostic and procedure codes were generated using a 50% training sample. The gold standard was definite or suspected out-of-hospital VA or CA due to cardiac cause verified based on clinical criteria. Algorithms with the highest PPV were then applied to a 50% validation sample to validate performance. From 2004-2017, 598 encounters met eligibility criteria. 174 (29%) had an outcome of interest, with remainder being an inpatient event or CA due to other cause. Within the training sample (n = 263), VA codes in primary position had a PPV 94% (95%CI 81%-99%) with low sensitivity (44%, 95%CI 33%-56%). CA codes in any position or VA codes in nonprimary positions had low PPV (18%-19%, 31% respectively). Applying the top three performing algorithms to the validation sample (n = 252) yielded similar PPV values. Contrary to adults, algorithms including a CA code do not perform well for identifying out-of-hospital VA and CA due to cardiac cause in the pediatric populations. Researchers should be aware of the potential implications for future pediatric drug safety studies for these outcomes.

Attending-Provider Handoffs and Pediatric Emergency Department Revisits.

The objective of this study was to determine if intradepartment attending-provider transitions of care (handoffs) during a pediatric emergency department (ED) encounter were associated with return ED visits resulting in hospitalization. We analyzed ED encounters for patients younger than 21 years discharged from a single pediatric ED from January 2013 to February 2017. We classified an encounter as having a handoff when the initial attending and discharging attending differed. Our primary outcome was a revisit within 72 hours resulting in hospitalization. Our secondary outcomes were any revisit within 72 hours and revisits resulting in hospitalization with potential deficiencies in care. We compared outcome rates for ED encounters with and without provider handoffs, both with and without adjustment for demographic, clinical, and visit characteristics. Of the 177,350 eligible ED encounters, 1961 (1.1%) had a return visit resulting in hospitalization and 6821 (3.9%) had any return visit. In unadjusted analyses, handoffs were associated with an increased likelihood of a return visit resulting in hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-1.70) or any return visit (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.10-1.31). However, after adjustment, provider handoffs were not associated with return ED visits resulting in hospitalization (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.81-1.13) or any return ED visits (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.90-1.10). Provider handoffs in a pediatric ED did not increase the risk of return ED visits or return ED visits with deficiencies in care after adjustment for demographic, clinical, and visit factors.

Assessing Anticoagulation Management and Shared Decision-Making Documentation From Providers Participating in the SUPPORT-AF II Study.

A previously tested intervention featured educational outreach with modified academic detailing (AD) to increase anticoagulation use in patients with atrial fibrillation. Currently, this study compares providers receiving and not receiving AD in terms of inclusion of AD educational topics and shared decision-making elements in documentation. Physicians reviewed themes discussed with providers during AD and evaluated charts for evidence of shared decision-making. Frequencies of documentation of individual items for providers receiving AD versus non-AD providers were compared. To understand baseline documentation practices of AD providers, encounters of AD providers before their AD participation were randomly selected. There were 113 eligible encounters in the four months after AD-36 from AD providers and 77 from non-AD providers. Thirty-five encounters were identified from AD providers before participating in the intervention. Providers infrequently documented many reviewed items (% documenting): anticoagulation mentioned (44%), multiple options for anticoagulation (5%), CHA2DS2-VASc score (11%), bleeding risk factors (2%). Compared with non-AD providers, AD providers had statistically significant higher percentages for the following items: mention of anticoagulation (64% versus 35%), stroke risk (11% versus 0%), anticoagulation benefits (8% versus 0%), and patient involvement (17% versus 0%). There was no improvement, however, for AD providers compared with baseline documentation percentages. Providers infrequently documented important items in anticoagulation management and shared decision-making. AD participation did not improve documentation. Improving adoption of AD educational items may require more prolonged interaction with providers. Improving shared decision-making may require an intervention more focused on it and its documentation.

The quality of preventive care for pre-school aged children in Australian general practice

BackgroundVariable and poor care quality are important causes of preventable patient harm. Many patients receive less than recommended care, but the extent of the problem remains largely unknown. The CareTrack Kids (CTK) research programme sought to address this evidence gap by developing a set of indicators to measure the quality of care for common paediatric conditions. In this study, we focus on one clinical area, ‘preventive care’ for pre-school aged children. Our objectives were two-fold: (i) develop and validate preventive care quality indicators and (ii) apply them in general medical practice to measure adherence.MethodsClinical experts (n = 6) developed indicator questions (IQs) from clinical practice guideline (CPG) recommendations using a multi-stage modified Delphi process, which were pilot tested in general practice. The medical records of Australian children (n = 976) from general practices (n = 80) in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia identified as having a consultation for one of 17 CTK conditions of interest were retrospectively reviewed by trained paediatric nurses. Statistical analyses were performed to estimate percentage compliance and its 95% confidence intervals.ResultsIQs (n = 43) and eight care ‘bundles’ were developed and validated. Care was delivered in line with the IQs in 43.3% of eligible healthcare encounters (95% CI 30.5–56.7). The bundles of care with the highest compliance were ‘immunisation’ (80.1%, 95% CI 65.7–90.4), ‘anthropometric measurements’ (52.7%, 95% CI 35.6–69.4) and ‘nutrition assessments’ (38.5%, 95% CI 24.3–54.3), and lowest for ‘visual assessment’ (17.9%, 95% CI 8.2–31.9), ‘musculoskeletal examinations’ (24.4%, 95% CI 13.1–39.1) and ‘cardiovascular examinations’ (30.9%, 95% CI 12.3–55.5).ConclusionsThis study is the first known attempt to develop specific preventive care quality indicators and measure their delivery to Australian children in general practice. Our findings that preventive care is not reliably delivered to all Australian children and that there is substantial variation in adherence with the IQs provide a starting point for clinicians, researchers and policy makers when considering how the gap between recommended and actual care may be narrowed. The findings may also help inform the development of specific improvement interventions, incentives and national standards.

Emergency Medical Services Time Intervals for Acute Chest Pain in the United States, 2015–2016

Background: Chest pain is a leading complaint in emergency settings. Timely emergency medical services (EMS) responses can reduce delays to treatment and improve clinical outcomes for acute myocardial infarction patients and other medical emergencies. We investigated national-level EMS response, scene, and transport times for acute chest pain patients in the United States. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using 2015–2016 data from the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS). Eligible patients were identified as having a provider impression of chest pain or discomfort and not due to trauma or resulting in cardiac arrest during EMS care. Descriptive analyses of prehospital time intervals and patient-, response-, and system-level covariates were performed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure associations between meeting response and scene time benchmarks (8-min and 15-min, respectively) and covariates. Results: Our study identified 1,672,893 eligible EMS encounters of chest pain. Patients had a mean age of 63.1 years (SD = 14.8). The population was evenly distributed by sex (51% male; 49% female). Most encounters occurred in home or residence (58%) and had lights and sirens response to scene (84%). Most encounters were in urban areas (78%). The median (interquartile range, IQR) response time was 7 (5–10) minutes. The median (IQR) scene time was 16 (12–20) minutes. The median (IQR) transport time was 13 (8–20) minutes. Generally, median response and transport times were longer in rural and frontier areas compared to urban and suburban areas. Only 65% and 49% met the 8-min response and 15-min scene time benchmarks. Responding with lights and sirens was associated with greater compliance with EMS response time benchmark. EMS care of older age groups and females was less likely to meet the scene time benchmark. Conclusions: Substantial proportions of EMS encounters for chest pain did not meet response and scene time benchmarks. Regional and urban-rural differences were observed in adherence with the response time benchmark. Our findings also suggest age and gender disparities in on-scene delays by EMS. Our study contributes important evidence on timely EMS responses for cardiac chest pain and provides suggestions for EMS system benchmarking and quality improvement.

Rates and Predictors of Using Opioids in the Emergency Department to Treat Migraine in Adolescents and Young Adults.

This study aimed to determine the rate and context in which opioids are used to treat migraine in adolescents and young adults seen in emergency care settings. Data from 2010 to 2016 in the Cerner Health Facts electronic health record data warehouse were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression to estimate the population likelihood of an opioid being used in the emergency department (ED) to treat a primary diagnosis of migraine in adolescents and young adults and to evaluate the extent to which this likelihood varies as a function of characteristics of the patient (age, sex, race, and insurance), encounter (referral source, provider specialty, and encounter duration and year), and ED (region, setting, size, payer mix, and academic status). The study identified 14,494 eligible ED encounters with unique patients, of which 23% involved an opioid. Likelihood of being treated with opioids was significantly higher for patients who were older, female, white, and seen by a surgeon and who had longer encounters and encounters earlier in the time period sampled. Sites varied widely in percentage of encounters involving opioids (mean, 26.4% ± 20.1%; range, 0-100%), with higher rates associated with smaller sites with relatively higher proportions of commercially insured patients. Use of opioids in the ED to treat migraine in youth is fairly common, with rate variation reflecting broader trends in for whom opioids tend to be more likely to be prescribed. These findings may be helpful for benchmarking and informing quality improvement efforts aimed at reducing unwarranted opioid exposure in youth.

2372-PUB: An EHR-Based Tool to Aid Treatment Decisions and Combat Therapeutic Inertia in Patients with Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes—A Pilot Study

An electronic health record (EHR)-based tool was developed for EPIC My Practice at Cleveland Clinic to aid treatment decisions and combat therapeutic inertia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and suboptimal glycemic control (A1C ≥8%). The tool consists of three separate components activated during an office visit: a best practice alert (BPA) if a patient had an A1C ≥ 8% within the past 6 months, a Smartform (patient summary and order entry form), and a Smartset for T2D medications to achieve patient-centered treatment goals, supplies, laboratory, and consult orders. The provider may acknowledge the BPA and pursue therapy intensification or defer. The tool was piloted for 3 months (primary care providers (PCP) n=12, endocrinology providers n=5). BPA acknowledgement and utilization practices were recorded by specialty. The CollaboRATE survey (3 items, scale 0-9) was used to assess patient perceptions of shared decision-making afforded by the tool. The BPA appeared for 420/1,766 T2D patients at an office-based encounter with a PCP or endocrinology provider. While the BPA was acknowledged at most endocrinology visits (95%) and approximately 50% of primary care visits, use of all three components of the tool only occurred in ∼10% of eligible encounters. The CollaboRATE survey was administered to a subset of 83 patients exposed to the tool. Most chose the highest rating for questions assessing if efforts were made to: 1. help them better understand their health issue (87%), 2. listen to what matters most to them about their health issue (93%) and 3. integrate what matters to them into next steps (92%). Use of an EHR-based tool to aid treatment decisions is variable by specialty, though appears to lead to a high perception of shared decision-making for T2D patients. Additional provider education and improved incorporation of the tool into PCP work-flow may help to address therapeutic inertia in routine clinical practice. Disclosure K.M. Pantalone: Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Merck &amp; Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Merck &amp; Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. Speaker's Bureau; Self; AstraZeneca, Merck &amp; Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. A.D. Misra-Hebert: Research Support; Self; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Merck &amp; Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. S. Rajpathak: None. T. Weiss: Employee; Self; Merck &amp; Co., Inc. M. Hamaty: Consultant; Self; Applied Clinical Intelligence, LLC. R.S. Zimmerman: Consultant; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc. Research Support; Self; Merck &amp; Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Johnson &amp; Johnson Diabetes Institute, Merck &amp; Co., Inc.