A Pilot Study of a Telemedicine-based Substance Use Disorder Evaluation to Enhance Access to Treatment Following Near-Fatal Opioid Overdose

The opioid epidemic is a growing public health emergency in the United States, with deaths from opioid overdose having increased five-fold since 1999. Emergency departments (EDs) are the primary sites of medical care after near-fatal opioid overdose but are poorly equipped to provide adequate substance use treatment planning prior to discharge. In many underserved locales, limited access to clinicians trained in addiction medicine and behavioral health exacerbates this disparity. In an effort to improve post- overdose care in the ED, we developed a telemedicine protocol to facilitate timely access to substance use disorder evaluations. In this paper, we describe the conception and refinement of the telemedicine program, our experience with the first 20 participants, and potential implications of the platform on health disparities for individuals with opioid use disorder

Development and usability testing of a fully immersive VR simulation for REBOA training.

BACKGROUND Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a potentially life-saving procedure for bleeding trauma patients. Being a rare and complex procedure performed in extreme situations, repetitive training of REBOA teams is critical. Evidence-based guidelines on how to train REBOA are missing, although simulation-based training has been shown to be effective but can be costly and complex. We aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptance of REBOA training using a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) REBOA simulation, as well as assess the confidence in conducting the REBOA procedure before and after the training. METHODS Prospective feasibility pilot study of prehospital emergency physicians and paramedics in Bern, Switzerland, from November 2020 until March 2021. Baseline characteristics of trainees, prior training and experience in REBOA and with VR, variables of media use (usability: system usability scale, immersion/presence: Slater-Usoh-Steed, workload: NASA-TLX, user satisfaction: USEQ) as well as confidence prior and after VR training were accessed. RESULTS REBOA training in VR was found to be feasible without relevant VR-specific side-effects. Usability (SUS median 77.5, IQR 71.3-85) and sense of presence and immersion (Slater-Usoh-Steed median 4.8, IQR 3.8-5.5) were good, the workload without under-nor overstraining (NASA-TLX median 39, IQR 32.8-50.2) and user satisfaction high (USEQ median 26, IQR 23-29). Confidence of trainees in conducting REBOA increased significantly after training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Procedural training of the REBOA procedure in immersive virtual reality is possible with a good acceptance and high usability. REBOA VR training can be an important part of a training curriculum, with the virtual reality-specific advantages of a time- and instructor-independent learning

Feasibility of Post-Operative Mobile Health Monitoring Among Colorectal Surgery Patients

Post-operative readmission following colorectal surgery is a common and costly occurrence. Remote health monitoring via mobile applications has the potential to reduce post-operative readmissions by early identification of complications. This intervention depends on patient acceptance and compliance with available technology. The feasibility of home monitoring using automated daily surveys and wound photo uploads, delivered via a mobile health application, was tested in the immediate post-operative period after colorectal surgery. Patient compliance, the association between generated alerts and readmissions, and patient satisfaction were measured. Patient satisfaction was high; 80.5% of patients reported that they felt safer going home knowing that they were monitored and 76.2% of patients reported that they would use the current app for post-operative monitoring again. However, only 37.0% of patients answered the survey at least 80% of the time in the first 2 weeks following discharge. Patient compliance significantly limited the feasibility of post-operative monitoring using our mobile health application

Determination of Antimicrobial Prescribing Practices in an Integrated Health System Emergency Department

Introduction. Antibiotic stewardship utilizes interprofessional collaborative practices, including professionals from medicine, pharmacy, nursing, social services, and clinical laboratory science, to identify potential problems proactively. A tertiary care integrated health system’s Emergency Department (ED) aimed to identify antimicrobials prescribed to the outpatient community as part of a proactive antimicrobial stewardship project. Methods. A pilot, prospective, snapshot of a tertiary community hospital’s outpatient antimicrobial prescribing habits was conducted. All subjects were identified via a daily report of patients discharged from the ED over 30 days in the summer of 2017 and individually reviewed for prescribed antimicrobial(s). Exclusions were hospital admission, antimicrobial sensitivity, and antimicrobial courses less than five days or more than 14 days. The primary goal was determining the number of antimicrobial oral tablets/capsule prescriptions to adult outpatients within a 5 to 14-day treatment window. Secondary goals were to include the diagnosis, non-capsule/tablet antimicrobial, pediatric patients, and prescriptions outside the treatment window. Results. Total number of antimicrobial prescriptions over the 30-day period was 653 in 5,520 individual visits. Total number of adults prescribed oral antimicrobials was 467 (15.6 daily). Patients were diagnosed with infections including urinary tract, cellulitis, soft tissue injury, abscess, upper respiratory, dental caries, gastrointestinal, sexually transmitted, otitis media/externa, pneumonia, viral, pyelonephritis, tick-borne, fungal, Bell’s Palsy, and sepsis. The number of non-adult, non-oral, and outside window treatment antimicrobial prescriptions were 186 (6.2 daily). With an average 184 patients treated in the ED daily, approximately 11.8% received antimicrobial treatment on discharge. Conclusion. Important aspects of the project were the evaluation of antimicrobial prescribing habits for a midwest ED and identification of potential complications requiring future interventions for follow-up or preventative measures to assist in patient care and community health. Areas of practice improvement were identified inadvertently as a result of this project. Potential future studies included seasonal variability, whether the patient obtained a prescription and complied with treatment, and differences between inpatient and outpatient antimicrobial prescribing practices

A novel digital patient-reported outcome platform (noona) for clinical use in patients with cancer : Pilot study assessing suitability

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 JMIR Formative Research. All rights reserved.Background: As the incidence of cancer is on the rise, there is a need to develop modern communication tools between patients and the medical personnel. Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) measures increase the safety of cancer treatments and may have an impact on treatment outcome as well. ePRO may also provide a cost-efficient way to organize follow-up for patients with cancer. Noona is an internet-based system for patients to self-report symptoms and adverse events of cancer treatments from home via a computer or a smart device (eg, smartphone, tablet). Objective: In this pilot study, we assessed the suitability of a novel ePRO application (Noona) for patients with cancer, nurses, and doctors at the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. Methods: The study included 44 patients with cancer (different solid tumor types) and 17 health care professionals (nurses or medical doctors). Patients were either operated or received systemic treatment or radiotherapy. Patients reported their symptoms to the medical staff via Noona. In addition, patients and clinicians answered a questionnaire, based on which Noona's suitability for clinical use was evaluated in terms of usability (ease of use, operability, and learnability), reliability (subjective opinion of the participant), and incidence of harmful events reported by the participants. Results: A total of 41/44 (93%) patients and 15/17 (88%) professionals reported that the program was easy or quite easy to use; 38/44 (86%) patients and 11/17 (65%) professionals found Noona reliable, and 38/44 (86%) patients and 10/17 (59%) professionals would recommend Noona to other patients or their colleagues. No harmful incidences caused by the use of Noona were reported by the patients; however, 1 harmful incidence was reported by one of the professionals. Conclusions: The majority of the participants felt that Noona appeared reliable and it was easy to use. Noona seems to be a useful tool for monitoring patient's symptoms during cancer therapy. Future studies will determine the impact of this ePRO platform in routine clinical practice.Peer reviewe

USING A KINDLE TO IMPROVE PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF PAIN IN THEIR CHILDREN: A DNP SCHOLARLY PROJECT

Patient satisfaction is an important goal for health care providers, as it is associated with treatment success, and patients are more likely to adhere to medical treatments when they are satisfied. Emergency departments are among the lowest ranked healthcare settings nationwide in terms of patient satisfaction. Pediatric patients often experience pain and/or anxiety while in the hospital setting and are at an increased risk of having unpleasant experiences while receiving care. The purpose of this DNP scholarly project is to determine whether the introduction of a Kindle Fire tablet was effective in decreasing parental perceptions of pain while their child underwent an invasive procedure in a rural emergency department. The study is an experimental, randomized controlled trial that utilized a convenience sample of how-many parental dyads. The theoretical framework utilized for this scholarly project is Good’s (1998) acute pain management theory. A modified version of the Pediatric Pain Survey (Shahid, Benedict, Mishra, Mulye, & Guo, 2015) utilized a Likert scale and assessed responses to five questions. After the data were collected, a Fisher’s exact test of independence was used to compare differences in the distribution of responses, and p values were used to determine the statistical significance while comparing the control and the intervention groups. There was no statistical evidence to indicate that the intervention changed the perceptions the parents had on their child’s pain or anxiety

Coronary computed tomography angiography in acute chest pain: a sustainable model with remote support

Purpose: To propose a sustainable model of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) use in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in emergency department (ED) using a partially based teleradiology reporting model. We also analyzed impact of the protocol on short- and long-term patient's outcome. Methods: During a 12-month period, 104 consecutive patients admitted to the ED for acute chest pain (ACP) with low-to-intermediate risk of ACS were selected and underwent CCTA. Medical reporting was based on a model combining on-site physician and a remote radiologist supported by a web client-based teleradiology system, covering a 24/7 service. CCTA findings were correlated with the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) over a 5-year follow-up. Results: CCTA ruled-out CAD in 76 patients (73.1%). Moderate (7.7%) to severe (19.2%) CAD was identified in 28 patients who were directly referred to functional tests or invasive angiography. The mean discharge time was 10.8&nbsp;±&nbsp;5.8&nbsp;h; patients with absent to mild disease were safely and quickly discharged. Remote reporting using a teleradiology platform was performed in 82/104 cases (78.9%), with slight impact on patient's discharge time (10.4&nbsp;±&nbsp;5.6 vs. 12.1&nbsp;±&nbsp;6.1 h, p: 0.24). MACEs at 6-month and at 5-year follow-up were 0.96% (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;1/104) and 15.5% (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;14/90). Conclusion: CCTA assessment of patients with ACP enables to quickly rule-out ACS, avoiding waste of time and resources, to identify patients with obstructive CAD which should be referred to subsequent tests and to stratify the risk of MACEs at short and long time. A partial teleradiology based 24/7 CCTA service is feasible and sustainable, even in small ED

Perspective des patients et des médecins à l'égard du dépistage VIH aux urgences: Une étude prospective transversale

Background At our emergency department (ED), 1% of all patients seen are tested for HIV. This study explored patient- and physician-led barriers and acceptability of rapid HIV testing. Methods Between October 2014 and May 2015, 100 patient-physician pairs were interviewed in the ED of Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. Patients completed a questionnaire on HIV risk factors and were offered free rapid HIV testing (INSTITM). For every patient included, the treating physician was asked if HIV testing had been indicated according to the national testing recommendations, mentioned, or offered during the consultation. Results: Of 100 patients, 30 had indications for HIV testing through risk factors or a suggestive presenting complaint. Although 17 patients wished to be tested during their ED consultation, none raised the subject with their physician. Fifty patients accepted rapid testing; no test was reactive. Of 50 patients declining testing, 82% considered themselves not at risk or had recently tested negative and 16% wished to focus on their presenting complaint (PC). Twenty physicians identified patients with testing indications and six offered testing. The main reason for not mentioning or offering testing was the wish to focus on the PC. Conclusion: Patients and physicians at our ED share the barrier of wishing to focus on the PC. Rapid HIV testing offered in parallel to the patient-physician consultation increased the testing rate from 6% (offered by physicians) to 50%. Introducing this service would enable testing of patients not offered tested by their physicians and optimise early HIV diagnoses