Emergency Department Residents Research Articles

Video Otoscopy as a Novel Teaching and Remote Otolaryngology Consultation Tool at an Academic Medical Center.

Assess the use of video otoscopy (VO) as a tool for teaching Emergency Department (ED) residents and remote Otolaryngology consultation. Survey and retrospective chart review. Tertiary care center. Emergency Medicine resident physicians completed an otologic skill self-assessment and pathology followed by an interactive training on VO and postintervention assessment after 9 months of use. Outcomes compared change in pre- to posttraining scores. ED consultations using VO during this time period were reviewed to detect differences between the presumed diagnosis/treatment based only on phone consultation and VO image compared to the final diagnosis/treatment after in-person Otolaryngology consultation. Forty-six (63.1%) ED residents participated. Diagnostic accuracy improved by 20.7% overall. The most improved diagnoses were of a normal ear canal (+75%), tympanosclerosis (+58.4%), and ear canal foreign body (+57.1%); most challenging were external auditory canal cyst (-13.6%), hemotympanum (-11.3%), and cerumen (-1.9%). Cholesteatoma did not improve because all responses were incorrect; neither did tympanic membrane perforation because all were correct. Confidence in the otologic exam and anatomy also increased (P < .01). Thirteen consults used VO and 3 (23.1%) had a change in diagnosis/treatment after in-person Otolaryngology evaluation. Training on the use of VO significantly improves the confidence and diagnostic skills of ED providers for many pathologies. This application suggests the efficacy of an otologic e-consultation model.

Success of the emergency physician to recognize pathological diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in acute stroke patients

This study is aimed to evaluate the proficiency of emergency physicians in identifying ischemic strokes via diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), and to determine the inter-rater agreement between emergency department (ED) residents and radiologists. The suspected ischemic stroke patients undergoing DW-MRI and not the candidates for thrombolytic therapy were eligible for the study. Diffusion MRI images were evaluated by the on-duty senior ED residents having two or more years in residency program, and a radiologist. Prior to the study, an instructor from radiology department delivered 2-hour theoretical and 2-hour practical lectures to ED physicians on the evaluation of diffusion MRI. A total of 604 patients were included in the study wherein 145 patients (24%) were detected with ischemic areas. The parietal lobe was the most prevalent ischemic area according to ED physicians’ and radiologist’s findings. ED residents and the radiologist had different interpretations for 54 patients. ED physicians ascribed 15 (3.4%) ischemic stroke patients as normal and 39 (23.1%) normal patients as stroke. ED physicians had 89.7% sensitivity (95% confidence interval (CI): 84% to 94%) and 91.5% specificity (95% CI: 89% to 94%) in diagnosing ischemic stroke. A good inter-rater agreement was found between ED physicians and the radiologist with kappa value of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.71 to 0.83). ED physicians have better success rate in interpreting DW-MRI to detect ischemic stroke in non-candidate cases of thrombolytic therapy (cases whose National Institutes of Health Stroke Skale (NIHSS) score is not appropriate, symptom onset exceeds 4.5 hours, and thrombolytic administration is contraindicated). There is a good inter-rater agreement between ED physicians and radiologist.

Impact of a Point-of Care Ultrasound Examination on the Management of Acute Respiratory or Circulatory Failure Patients in the Emergency Department: The Impulse Before-and-After Implementation Study

Background: Despite its diagnostic accuracy, the clinical impact of the use of Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS) in the emergency department (ED) is not well described, especially when performed by junior in-training residents. Aim of the study: To assess the effect of a short, structured POCUS training program on the management of ED patients by in-training residents. Method: IMPULSE is a before-and-after implementation study, evaluating the impact of a structured POCUS training program for ED in-training residents on the management of patients admitted for acute respiratory and/or circulatory failure in a Swiss regional hospital. The training curriculum was organized in three stages and combined an on-line training course, an 8-hour practical hands-on session, and 10 supervised POCUS exams. The ED residents who successfully completed the curriculum participated in the study. Observed outcomes were time to ED diagnosis, rate of correct diagnosis made during the ED stay and time needed to reach it, time to prescribe an appropriate treatment, and hospital mortality. Standard statistical analyses were performed with the use of Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests as appropriate, completed by a Bayesian analysis, with a Bayes Factor (BF) &gt;3 considered as significant. Results: Sixty-nine patients were included before the training program implementation and 54 after. After implementation, the median time to ED diagnosis was 25 minutes (IQR 44) vs 30 minutes (IQR 56) before implementation, a difference that was significant (BF 9.6). The rate of correct diagnosis was higher (95 vs 52%) (p&lt;0.001) and the time to make this correct diagnosis was significantly shorter after implementation (25 minutes, IQR 45, vs 43, IQR 60) (BF 5.0). This had an impact on the median time to prescribe the appropriate therapy, with a trend toward a shorter delay (47 minutes, IQR 76, vs 70, IQR 100) (BF 2.0). Eventually, there was a significant difference in hospital mortality (13% vs 5.5%, BF 15.7). Conclusion: The IMPULSE study shows that the implementation of a short, structured POCUS training program for ED residents to use ultrasound for the initial evaluation of acute respiratory and circulatory failure patients has an impact on diagnostic accuracy, on time to make a correct diagnosis and to prescribe an appropriate therapy, and eventually possibly on hospital mortality. If these results are reproduced in other settings, POCUS use by ED residents after short, structured training curriculum could become the standard of care for these patients.

Can chest computed tomography be useful to emergency residents in the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia?

&lt;b&gt;Aim:&lt;/b&gt; During the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the workload of emergency department residents (ER) has increased since emergency departments (EDs) are among the first health units to which patients apply. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of chest computed tomography (CT) interpretations of emergency department residents in the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Material and methods: &lt;/b&gt;Patients who admitted to the tertiary ED between 30.03.2020 and 30.12.2020 with suspected COVID-19 pneumonia and underwent chest CT imaging were retrospectively analyzed. Chest CT images previously reported by the radiologist were reinterpreted by the ER and the diagnostic performance of the ER for COVID-19 pneumonia was calculated.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Results: &lt;/b&gt;The study included 2045 patients with suspected COVID-19 pneumonia. Chest CT images of all patients were interpreted and compared by a radiologist and the ER In this study, interpretation by a radiologist was considered as the gold standard. In all patients, the diagnostic performance capacity of ER for COVID-19 pneumonia included a low sensitivity of 66%, a high specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 82%. When patients with positive COVID-19 RT-PCR test results were analyzed, the highest sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of ER were 96%, 82%, 95%, 95% and 86%, respectively.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/b&gt;ER detected COVID-19 pneumonia in COVID-19 (+) patients with high diagnostic value and excluded inconsistent findings. Chest CT interpretation in the ER has a high diagnostic value. It is as important as any other radiologist in outbreak management in the ED.

Effect of Provider Type on Overutilization of CT Angiograms of the Head and Neck for Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Nonfocal Neurologic Symptoms

PurposeOverutilization of neuroimaging in the emergency department (ED), especially CT angiogram of the head and neck (CTAHN) examinations, contributes to rising health care expenditures, exposes patients to radiation, and may result in delays in care. We evaluated the rate of CTAHN overutilization for patients with nonfocal neurologic complaints in the ED and its potential association with patient clinical data, demographic data, and ED provider type. MethodsThis study was retrospective, was approved by an institutional review board, and was performed at a single institution, spanning a 6-year period. ED patients with nonfocal neurologic complaints who had a CTAHN examination with no history of trauma, recent surgery, or intracranial malignancy were included. Each CTAHN examination was categorized into one of four groups (0 = negative, 1 = chronic findings not related to presentation, 2 = nonacute and/or nonemergent findings or findings that may account for the presentation, and 3 = acute and/or emergent findings that may account for the presentation). Basic demographic data including patient age, patient sex, ordering ED provider type (attending, resident, nonphysician practitioner [(NPP]) were collected and analyzed using a multiple logistic regression analysis. ResultsA total of 960 CTAHN examinations were reviewed. The mean age of patients was 50 years (SD = 18 years), with 63% female patients and 37% male patients. Headache was the most frequent presentation (76%). A total of 75% of cases were negative, and 7% had chronic imaging findings not related to their ED presentation. A total of 12.5% of cases had nonacute and/or nonemergent findings possibly related to the presentation, and only 5.5% had acute and/or emergent findings related to ED presentation. A significantly greater proportion of CTAHN examinations ordered by NPPs, followed by the proportion ordered by ED residents, were negative or had no findings related to the patient presentation, and these patients were ultimately discharged to home. DiscussionA total of 82% of ED CTAHN examinations performed for patients with nonfocal neurologic complaints had no actionable findings. These examinations are significantly more likely to be ordered by NPPs and ED residents.

Toraks bilgisayarlı tomografisinin yorumlanmasında acil tıp asistanlarının başarısı ve tanı koymadaki özgüvenleri

Purpose:&#x0D; Interpration of thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans by emergency department (ED) physicians is important especially in crowded EDs. The aim of this study is to assess the proficiency and confidence of ED physicians with varying levels of experience in interpreting thoracic CT.&#x0D; Materials and methods:&#x0D; A total of 25 pathological and 5 normal thoracic CT images were interpreted by 32 ED residents, initially without clinical information, then with. After each session the participants were asked to score their confidence on a scale of 1 to 10. At the end of the study, the results were compared between seniors and junior residents. &#x0D; Results:&#x0D; The median age of the participants was 29 years (24–34). Twenty (62.5%) of the residents were junior residents. There were no significant differences between the two resident groups in terms of accurate diagnosis rates, regardless of the clinical information (p=0.307 and p=0.061). The physicians’ certainty of their own diagnosis mostly does not seem to be statistically different in these diagnoses. The seniors are more confident in the diagnosis of the CT scans they evaluated without clinical information (p=0.004), while when the clinical information is added, the confidence of the junior physicians also increase (p=0.087).&#x0D; Conclusion:&#x0D; Both senior and junior emergency medical residents are able to interpret thoracic CT images with a high degree of accuracy, both for COVID-19 and for other emergency diagnoses. Senior physicians could confidently diagnose CT images solely by visual inspection, whereas junior residents display similar confidence when clinical information is available.

Satisfaction and Knowledge of Emergency Residents about Journal Club

Background: The key teaching-learning activity journal club provides a platform for developing critical evaluation skills. It makes it easier to stay current with new research, enabling residents to improve patient care, and assisting them in developing into knowledgeable specialists.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2023 among emergency department residents at King Saud Medical City (KSMC), King Salman Hospital, Aliman General Hospital, and Imam Abdulrahman Alfaisal Hospital. This study was conducted to find out how individuals felt about having journal club as part of the curriculum. 124 emergency registrars participated in a survey. The goal of the study was explained, and instructions for filling out the survey forms were given. In order to analyze the data, SPSS version 24 was used. The study variables were represented by descriptive statistics (the frequency with percentages for categorical variables), and the chi-square test was employed to determine statistical significance.&#x0D; Results: A total of 124 (N = 124) emergency residents responded to the survey. 45 (36.2%) residents from R1 and 33 (26.6%) from R2. 71% of participants were male and 29% were female. Journal clubs are not well known to the majority of R1 locals (48.7%). However, a significant portion of R4 residents (29.27%) are familiar with journal clubs. The majority of residents (39%), first learned about journal club from friends, followed by the internet (35%), journal club attendance (9%), and literature (16% of residents), in that order. The main justification offered for not incorporating a journal club into the curriculum is that it takes a lot of time to prepare.&#x0D; Conclusion: A journal club would increase residents’ capacity for lifelong learning. It is a useful educational tool to help them comprehend the processes involved in conducting research that would enhance patient care.

Anwendung regionalanästhesiologischer Verfahren zur präoperativen Analgesie bei proximalen Femurfrakturen in der Notaufnahme

Regional anesthesia (RA) techniques such as femoral nerve block (FNB) or fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) are effective analgesia techniques in the treatment of pain from proximal femoral fractures (PFF). While in Great Britain (GB) these are already frequently used in the emergency department for preoperative analgesia, in the German-speaking D‑A-CH area (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) this seems to occur much less frequently. Therefore, the aim of this study was to survey the type and frequency of RA procedures used and to compare international practice. In the D‑A-CH area as well as in GB, registered emergency departments were contacted and invited to participate in an online survey. The survey included questions on the frequency and type of RA procedures, reasons for non-use, equipment used, person performing the procedure and medications used. The participation rate was 17.4% (142/818 emergency departments). RA procedures for preoperative analgesia in PFF were used in 18.3% (21/115) of hospitals in the D‑A-CH region and in 96.3% (26/27) in GB. The most commonly used block was the FICB in GB at 96.2% (25/26) and the FNB in Germany at 66.7% (14/21). In the D‑A-CH area, RA procedures are primarily performed by anesthesiology specialists 71.4% (15/21), and in GB by emergency department residents 65.4% (17/26). RA procedures are still performed too rarely following PFF in emergency departments in the D‑A-CH area. In international comparison with GB there is potential for improvement.

Effect of an artificial-intelligent chest radiographs reporting system in an emergency department

Though chest radiography is a first-line diagnostic tool in the emergency department (ED), interpretation has a high error rate. We aimed to evaluate the usability and acceptability of deep learning-based computer-aided detection for chest radiography (DeepCADCR) in an ED environment. We conducted a single-institution survey of emergency physicians (EPs) who had used DeepCADCR (Lunit INSIGHT Chest Xray (CXR), version 3.1.4.1) as part of their ED workflow for at least three months. We developed 22 questions that assessed the subscales of effectiveness, efficiency, safety, satisfaction, and reliability. A seven-point Likert agreement scale was used to rate the responses. A total of 23 EPs who completed the survey was enrolled in the study. When averaged by subscale, satisfaction scores were highest (mean 4.71, standard deviation (SD) 1.43), and safety scores were lowest (mean 4.3, SD 0.72). When scores were converted to acceptability, the total average acceptance of DeepCADCR was 86.0%, with higher scores in ED residents than ED specialists for all subscales. Use of DeepCADCR in the ED workflow was well accepted by EPs.

Effects of vitamin D insufficiency on sepsis severity and risk of hospitalisation in emergency department patients: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level on sepsis severity and risk of hospitalisation in emergency department (ED) septic patients when categorised as vitamin D insufficiency according to...

Primary palliative care education in emergency medicine residency: A mixed-methods analysis of a yearlong, multimodal intervention.

Emergency medicine (EM) physicians frequently care for seriously ill patients at the end of life. Palliative care initiated in the emergency department (ED) can improve symptom management and quality of life, align treatments with patient preferences, and reduce length of hospitalization. We evaluated an educational intervention with digital tools for palliative care discussions in an urban EM residency using the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Our intervention, conducted from July 2020 to August 2021, included education on palliative care techniques, digital tools, and incentives for participation. We tracked goals of care conversations and palliative care consults using electronic medical record data, conducted pre- and posttraining surveys, and used semistructured interviews to assess resident perspectives on palliative care conversations in the ED. Outcomes included number of goals of care conversations recorded by EM residents, consults to palliative care from the ED, and resident perspectives on palliative care in EM. The results were as follows: reach-45 residents participated in the intervention; effectiveness-89 goals of care conversations were documented by 23 ED residents, and palliative care consults increased from approximately four to 10 monthly; adoption-over half the residents who participated in the intervention documented goals of care discussions using an electronic dotphrase; implementation-by the completion of the intervention, residents reported increased comfort with goals of care conversations, saw palliative care as part of their responsibility as EM physicians, and effectively documented goals of care discussions; and maintenance-at 2-month follow up, palliative care consults from the ED remained at approximately 10 monthly, and digital tools to prompt and track palliative care discussions remained in use. An integrated palliative care training for EM residents with technological assists was successful in facilitating goals of care discussions and increasing palliative care consults from the ED.

Emergency Department Clinician Experience with Embedded Palliative Care.

Background: While the benefits of embedding palliative care (PC) clinicians into the emergency department (ED) are now more widely appreciated, only a handful of programs have been reported in the literature. None has previously evaluated the attitudes and experiences of the multidisciplinary ED team with such an intervention. Objectives: We evaluated the experience of ED attendings, residents, nurses, social workers, and chaplains with an embedded PC clinician in the ED. Design/Subjects: We embedded PC clinicians into an urban, academic ED in the United States and surveyed 142 ED clinicians about their experiences. We analyzed survey results using descriptive analysis for closed-ended responses and thematic analyses for open-ended responses. Measurements/Results: One hundred six of 141 clinicians responded (75% response rate). Quantitative analysis found that 99% of participants found the program valuable. Benefits of embedded PC included changing patients' management or care trajectory, freeing up ED providers for other tasks, contributing to provider education, helping providers feel more supported during their shifts, and adding to providers' skill sets and confidence in practicing primary PC. Most participants reported minimal barriers to engaging with PC. The qualitative analysis identified program approval, desire for expansion/continuation of the program, and ongoing education of ED staff. Important themes for future programs include staff education, PC proactivity, importance of adapting to the needs of the ED, and education regarding PC consultation criteria. Conclusions: ED clinicians' attitudes toward embedded PC reflected overall approval, with underlying themes of providers feeling more supported during their shifts, improved resource management, the perception of better patient care, and nursing empowerment.

Resident attitudes, experiences, and preferences on initiating buprenorphine in the emergency department: A national survey.

The objective was to describe emergency medicine (EM) resident attitudes, preferences, and experiences around the knowledge and skills around the evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the emergency department (ED). We created an online survey that was distributed by the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association research committee listserv to approximately 6600 resident physicians at all levels of EM residency training. Data were collected between June 2020 and October 2020. This 12-question voluntary, anonymous survey included questions exploring EM resident preferences and experiences around the education and exposure to the evidence-based management of patients with OUD in the ED setting. Descriptive statistics were used. A total of 288 of 6600 invited EM residents (response rate 4.4%) from 127 different EM residency programs across 38 states in the United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico completed the survey. Most respondents (165/288; 57.3%) reported that it was "very important" for emergency physicians to have training to initiate buprenorphine treatment for patients with OUD. Just under half (140/288; 48.6%) reported they have or will receive X-waiver training during residency and 46.9% (135/288) reported experience prescribing buprenorphine in the ED. The estimated proportions of EM faculty at responding residents' primary teaching hospital with an X-waiver was "most or all" (48/285; 16.8%), "about half" (23/285; 8.1%), "a handful" (79/285; 27.7%), "one or two" (33/285; 11.6%), "none" (19/285; 6.7%), or "not sure" (83/285; 29.1%). Survey results suggest that resident emergency physicians perceive the evidence-based management of OUD to be relevant to EM residency training and are interested in receiving training on initiating medications for OUD treatment in the ED. Opportunities to improve resident education and clinical use of buprenorphine during ED residency training were identified.

Training Emergency Department Residents in the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage: Comparison of Two Approaches [A183

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major contributor to maternal mortality, accounting for 15% of all maternal deaths in the United States. Mortality and morbidity from PPH can be prevented with recognition and rapid intervention. The emergency department (ED) is the first place where women with postpartum hemorrhage present, particularly in areas where obstetric care is limited. Maternity care deserts are defined as counties without a hospital offering obstetric care and no obstetric providers. A total of 34.9% of the counties in the United Sates qualify as maternity care deserts, accounting for 146,451 births. It is critical that ED physicians be trained in the management of PPH. METHODS: The study design is a blinded randomized control trial. Thirty ED residents from Yale New Haven Hospital enrolled completed a pre-intervention survey assessing their baseline knowledge and confidence in managing PPH. Residents received a lecture on the management of PPH. Participants were then randomized into a group that received no further intervention and a group that participated in a simulation and debriefing. One week later, the residents’ clinical skills were evaluated in a simulation and repeated the survey. Clinical skills evaluation and survey test scores of the two groups were compared using t test. Covariates were analyzed by linear regression. RESULTS: All participants improved their knowledge and confidence regardless of the method used. Simulation did not appear to confer additional benefit. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that through delivery of a curriculum, we can improve the confidence and the knowledge of ED residents in the management of PPH.

Effectiveness of a Mobile App in Reducing Therapeutic Turnaround Time and Facilitating Communication between Caregivers in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

For maintaining collaboration and coordination among emergency department (ED) caregivers, it is essential to effectively share patient-centered information. Indirect activities on patients, such as searching for laboratory results and sharing information with scattered colleagues, waste resources to the detriment of patients and staff. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the initial efficacy of a mobile app to facilitate rapid mobile access to central laboratory results and remote interprofessional communication. A total of 10 ED residents and registered nurses were randomized regarding the use of the app versus conventional methods during semi-simulated scenarios in a pediatric ED (PED). The primary outcome was the elapsed time in minutes in each group from the availability of laboratory results to their consideration by participants. The secondary outcome was the elapsed time to find a colleague upon request. Time to consider laboratory results was significantly reduced from 23 min (IQR 10.5–49.0) to 1 min (IQR 0–5.0) with the use of the app compared to conventional methods (92.2% reduction in mean times, p = 0.0079). Time to find a colleague was reduced from 24 min to 1 min (i.e., 93.0% reduction). Dedicated mobile apps have the potential to improve information sharing and remote communication in emergency care.

Accuracy of point-of-care ultrasonography compared to abdominal X-ray in the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction in emergency patients

Background: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common cause of acute abdominal pain. Many diagnostic modalities are used to diagnose or rule out SBO. Objective: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of SBO for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to that of abdominal X-ray (AXR) using computerized tomography (CT) and/or patients&amp;apos; follow-up as the gold standard. Methods: This was a prospective, cohort study of a convenience sample of adult patients, who presented to the emergency department (ED) with signs and symptoms suggestive of SBO. Emergency medicine residents performed POCUS looking for sonographic signs of SBO. Abdominal X-ray and CT results were based on the radiologist&amp;apos;s final report. Results: A total of 77 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 56 years, and the mean BMI was 28 kg/m2. Point-of-care ultrasound had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 61%, +likelihood ratio (LR) of 2.3, and -LR of 0.159, compared to AXR, which had a sensitivity of 57%, specificity of 62%, +LR of 1.5, and -LR 0.69. Conclusion: POCUS performed by ED residents for the diagnosis of SBO has high diagnostic accuracy as compared to that of AXR, with a p-value of 0.046. The accuracy is higher if all the sonographic signs are present or absent.

Comparing Resident Procedures in Rural Versus Urban Emergency Departments.

Background: Rural rotations can be a valuable experience for emergency medicine (EM) residents. To date, there has not been a retrospective cohort study comparing procedures performed at urban versus rural emergency departments (EDs).Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare procedures performed by EM residents in urban versus rural EDs, with the hypothesis that there will be no significant difference in the procedures performed.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing procedures performed by second- and third-year EM residents based on medical chart review. The procedures were counted at three locations in West Virginia, including a small rural ED, a large rural ED, and a tertiary care ED. Procedure notes were collected from September 2018 to September 2019. The final analysis included nine months, as three months did not have residents at all locations. Eight procedures were standardized based on the number of procedures performed per 100 hours worked by residents. A comparison of total procedures and complex versus simple procedures was performed. A Kruskal-Wallis H test was performed to compare resident hours for procedures between each of the three locations. To compare each of the hospitals to one another separately, Mann-Whitney U tests were performed.Results: The total resident hours worked included 1,800 at the small rural ED, 13,725.5 at the tertiary care ED, and 5,319 at the large rural ED. A p-value of 0.0311 for the Kruskal-Wallis H Test indicated a difference between at least two of the ED sites. A statistically significant difference exists (p-value = 0.0135) between the urban ED (95% CI: 0.15-0.62) and the large rural ED (95% CI: 0.54-1.53). There was no significant difference in complex versus simple procedures among the three locations (p-value = 0.4159).Conclusions: When compared with the tertiary care ED, residents performed more total procedures at the large rural ED and similar total procedure numbers at the small rural ED when standardized for hours worked. There was no significant difference when comparing complex and simple procedures among the three locations.

141 Effectiveness of De-escalation Training in the Emergency Department

Managing agitated patients in the emergency department (ED) can cause a significant amount of anxiety to providers. Traditionally, medical staff were trained to use physical and/or chemical restraints as a first step approach when treating this patient population. Recent literature now encourages a greater emphasis on the use of de-escalation techniques, where the physician and patient work together to help the patient manage his or her emotions and behavior. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge on how to provide effective de-escalation training for emergency medicine providers and the training’s impact on patient care. The goal of this project is to better understand if interactive training on the crisis development model with a focus on verbal de-escalation techniques will increase the comfort levels of providers while caring for behavioral health patients in the ED. A secondary objective is to understand the staff’s perception of the ED working environment. Participants were selected from Penn State Medical Center ED physicians, residents, and mid-level providers who attended one of the de-escalation training seminars. Two 2-hour interactive training sessions consisting of didactics and interactive role-playing scenarios to practice the crisis development model were provided. Surveys containing qualitative and quantitative questions to analyze the course's effectiveness and to understand ED clinicians' experiences were completed by attendees immediately prior to and directly after the training. The results of this study will inform future de-escalation training practices within the ED. In the pilot study consisting of two training sessions, a total of 58 attendees completed the pre-training survey and 42 attendees completed the post-training survey. When the group was asked to rate their comfort level using verbal de-escalation techniques in the care of the ED behavioral health patient on a scale of 1-10 prior to and immediately after the training session, the average score increased from 5.9 to 7.5 with a p-value < 0.01. After the de-escalation course, 34 of 42 (76.2%) participants reported they would be less likely to immediately just to physical restraints p-value < 0.01 and 46 of 47 (97.9%) participants reported the de-escalation course helped them re-evaluate how they approach behavioral health patients p-value < 0.01. Participants reported the mode of being verbally insulted by patients in the ED was monthly and 38% responded they did not have any coping mechanisms to deal with this stress. The results of the initial pilot study indicate that the majority of attendees feel the de-escalation training taught as an interactive lecture has changed the way they will approach behavioral health patients. One limitation was that not all attendees completed the post-evaluation survey, which may have introduced biases in the results. Additionally, the current methods do not provide a means to examine whether the new skill set was actually implemented by clinicians. However, the high proportion of clinicians who self-reported that they would be implementing the techniques are extremely promising.

Comparison of Direct Staffing Costs of Advanced Practice Providers and Residents in a High Acuity Area of a Community Emergency Department

Background: Resident physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) both have roles in providing care within emergency departments (ED). While both bring unique skill sets and capabilities to the health care team, little is known about the comparative financial impact of APPs and residents in a community ED. The objective of this study was to compare direct staffing costs per relative value unit (RVU) generated of emergency medicine (EM) residents and APPs in a community ED setting.

Bedside lung ultrasonography by emergency department residents as an aid for identifying heart failure in patients with acute dyspnea after a 2-h training course

BackgroundUltrasonographic B-lines have recently emerged as a bedside imaging tool for the differential diagnosis of acute dyspnea in the Emergency Department (ED). However, despite its simplicity, LUS has not fully penetrated emergency department. This study aimed to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasonographic B-lines performed by emergency medicine (EM) residents for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients admitted to ED for acute dyspnea.Patients and methodsThis is a cross-sectional prospective study conducted between January 2016 and October 2017 including patients aged over 18 years admitted to ED for acute dyspnea. At admission, two consecutive bedside LUS study were performed by a pair of EM residents who received a 2-h course for recognition of sonographic B-lines to determine independently B-lines score and B-profile pattern. All participating sonographers were blinded to patients’ clinical data. B-lines score ≥ 15 or a B-profile pattern was considered as suggestive of CHF. The final leading diagnosis was assessed by two expert sonographers, who were blinded to the residents’ interpretations, based on clinical findings, chest X-ray, brain natriuretic peptide, cardiac and lung ultrasound testing. Accuracy and agreement of B-lines score and B-profile pattern were calculated.ResultsWe included 700 patients with a mean age of 68 ± 12.6 years and a sex ratio (M/F) of 1.43. The diagnosis of CHF was recorded in 371 patients (53%). The diagnostic performance of B-lines score at a cut-off 15 and B-profile pattern was, respectively, 88% and 82.5% for sensitivity, 75% and 84% for specificity, 80% and 85% for positive predictive value, 84% and 81% for negative predictive value. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.86 [0.83–0.89] and 0.83 [0.80–0.86], respectively, for B-lines score and B-profile pattern. There was an excellent agreement between residents for the diagnosis of CHF using both scores (kappa = 0.81 and 0.85, respectively, for ordinal scale B-lines score and B-profile pattern).ConclusionLung ultrasound B-lines assessment has a good accuracy and an excellent reproducibility in the diagnosis of CHF in the hand of EM residents following a short training program.Trial registration Name of the registry: clinicaltrials.gov; Trial registration number: NCT03717779; Date of registration: October 24, 2018 ‘Retrospectively registered’; URL of trial registry record: clinicaltrials.gov