A multi-organisation aged care emergency service for acute care management of older residents in aged care facilities

This case study describes a multi-organisation aged care emergency (ACE) service. The service was designed to enable point-of-care assessment and management for older people in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Design of the ACE service involved consultation and engagement of multiple key stakeholders. The ACE service was implemented in a large geographical region of a single Medicare Local (ML) in New South Wales, Australia. The service was developed over several phases. A case control pilot evaluation of one emergency department (ED) and four RACFs revealed a 16% reduction in presentations to the ED as well as reductions in admission to the hospital following ED presentation. Following initial pilot work, the ACE service transitioned across another five EDs and 85 RACFs in the local health district. The service has now been implemented in a further 10 sites (six metropolitan and four rural EDs) across New South Wales. Ongoing evaluation of the implementation continues to show positive outcomes. The ACE service offers a model shown to reduce ED presentations and admissions from RACFs, and provide quality care with a focus on the needs of the older person

Emergency department transfers and hospital admissions from residential aged care facilities: a controlled pre-post design study

Background: Older people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) are a vulnerable, frail and complex population. They are more likely than people who reside in the community to become acutely unwell, present to the Emergency Department (ED) and require admission to hospital. For many, hospitalisation carries with it risks. Importantly, evidence suggests that some admissions are avoidable. A new collaborative model of care, the Aged Care Emergency Service (ACE), was developed to provide clinical support to nurses in the RACFs, allowing residents to be managed in place and avoid transfer to the ED. This paper examines the effects of the ACE service on RACF residents' transfer to hospital using a controlled pre-post design. Methods: Four intervention RACFs were matched with eight control RACFs based on number of total beds, dementia specific beds, and ratio of high to low care beds in Newcastle, Australia, between March and November 2011. The intervention consisted of a clinical care manual to support care along with a nurse led telephone triage line, education, establishing goals of care prior to ED transfer, case management when in the ED, along with the development of collaborative relationships between stakeholders. Outcomes included ED presentations, length of stay, hospital admission and 28-day readmission pre- and post-intervention. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate mean differences in outcomes between intervention and controls RACFs, pre- and post-intervention means, and their interaction, accounting for repeated measures and adjusting for matching factors. Results: Residents had a mean age of 86 years. ED presentations ranged between 16 and 211 visits/100 RACF beds/year across all RACFs. There was no overall reduction in ED presentations (OR = 1.17, p = 0.56) with the ACE intervention. However, when compared to the controls, the intervention group reduced their ED length of stay by 45 min (p = 0.0575), and was 40 % less likely to be admitted to hospital, . The latter was highly significant (p = 0.0012). Transfers to ED and admission to hospital are common for residents of RACFs. This study has demonstrated that a complex multi-strategy intervention led by nursing staff can successfully reduce hospital admissions for older people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities. By defining goals of care prior to transfer to the ED, clinicians have the opportunity to better deliver care that patients require. Integrated care requires accountability from multiple stakeholders.The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration number is ACTRN12616000588493 It was registered on 6(th) May 2016

The Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation : fluids or vasopressors in emergency department sepsis (ARISE FLUIDS), a multi-centre observational study describing current practice in Australia and New Zealand

Objectives: To describe haemodynamic resuscitation practices in ED patients with suspected sepsis and hypotension. Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, observational study conducted in 70 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand between September 2018 and January 2019. Consecutive adults presenting to the ED during a 30-day period at each site, with suspected sepsis and hypotension (systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg) despite at least 1000 mL fluid resuscitation, were eligible. Data included baseline demographics, clinical and laboratory variables and intravenous fluid volume administered, vasopressor administration at baseline and 6- and 24-h post-enrolment, time to antimicrobial administration, intensive care admission, organ support and in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 4477 patients were screened and 591 were included with a mean (standard deviation) age of 62 (19) years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 15.2 (6.6) and a median (interquartile range) systolic blood pressure of 94 mmHg (87–100). Median time to first intravenous antimicrobials was 77 min (42–148). A vasopressor infusion was commenced within 24 h in 177 (30.2%) patients, with noradrenaline the most frequently used (n = 138, 78%). A median of 2000 mL (1500–3000) of intravenous fluids was administered prior to commencing vasopressors. The total volume of fluid administered from pre-enrolment to 24 h was 4200 mL (3000–5661), with a range from 1000 to 12 200 mL. Two hundred and eighteen patients (37.1%) were admitted to an intensive care unit. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.2% (95% confidence interval 4.4–8.5%). Conclusion: Current resuscitation practice in patients with sepsis and hypotension varies widely and occupies the spectrum between a restricted volume/earlier vasopressor and liberal fluid/later vasopressor strategy

Nurse-led ED support for Residential Aged Care Facility staff: An evaluation study

'Objectives': To evaluate the impact of a nurse-led telephone support service to Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) on a range of measures relating to the transfer of acutely unwell residents to the Emergency Department (ED) of a large tertiary referral hospital in New South Wales, Australia over a 9 month period. 'Methods': A pre- and post-intervention design determined the impact of the telephone service, associated clinical guidelines and education. Data from 4 intervention RACFs using the nurse-led telephone service were compared with 8 control RACFs. Data included the older patient's triage category, presenting problem(s), transfer rates from RACFs, ED admissions, and overall hospital length of stay. Interviews and focus groups with staff from RACFs and EDs were conducted to ascertain their experiences. 'Results': Reduced presentations of older people to the ED from the 4 pilot RACFs occurred. High levels of satisfaction among staff in RACFs were reported

Point of care troponin decreases time in the emergency department for patients with possible acute coronary syndrome: A randomised controlled trial

Objective: To determine the effect of cardiac troponin I testing with a point-of-care (POC) device versus central laboratory on length of stay (LOS) in emergency department (ED) patients presenting with possible acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods: A 12-week randomised controlled trial at two metropolitan ED in eastern Australia with a combined annual census of 80 000. Participants were all patients presenting with possible ACS. Exclusions were a diagnosis of ACS before arrival, ST elevation and failure to wait for complete assessment. Randomisation was by week when POC was made available. Primary outcome was LOS from patient arrival to physical departure from the ED. The proportion of patients meeting a government target of less than 8 h stay was compared. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results: Despite underutilisation of POC, LOS was shorter during weeks when it was available. The time savings translates into approximately 48 minutes (95% CI 12 to 84) per average LOS of almost 7 h, which did not reach statistical significance (p=0.063), or an absolute increase of 10% (95% CI 4.3 to 16.6) in the number of people discharged from the ED within the target LOS of less than 8 h, which did reach significance (p=0.007). These savings were more pronounced in the setting without 24 h central laboratory availability. Conclusions: POC testing for troponin in the ED tended to reduce the LOS for possible ACS patients. The degree of this benefit is likely to be markedly dependent on its acceptance and uptake by attending personnel, and on the ED setting in which it is used

A multi-organisation aged care emergency service for acute care management of older residents in aged care facilities

This case study describes a multi-organisation aged care emergency (ACE) service. The service was designed to enable point-of-care assessment and management for older people in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Design of the ACE service involved consultation and engagement of multiple key stakeholders. The ACE service was implemented in a large geographical region of a single Medicare Local (ML) in New South Wales, Australia. The service was developed over several phases. A case control pilot evaluation of one emergency department (ED) and four RACFs revealed a 16% reduction in presentations to the ED as well as reductions in admission to the hospital following ED presentation. Following initial pilot work, the ACE service transitioned across another five EDs and 85 RACFs in the local health district. The service has now been implemented in a further 10 sites (six metropolitan and four rural EDs) across New South Wales. Ongoing evaluation of the implementation continues to show positive outcomes. The ACE service offers a model shown to reduce ED presentations and admissions from RACFs, and provide quality care with a focus on the needs of the older person

Invasive meningococcal disease - improving management through structured review of cases in the Hunter New England area, Australia

Introduction: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is the most common infectious cause of death in childhood in developed countries. This disease may cause severe disability or death if a patient is sub-optimally managed. An audit was performed in Australia of all 2005–06 notified IMD cases to elicit correctable issues. Methods: Over the 2 year period, 24 cases were notified in the Hunter New England Health area. These cases were reviewed by an expert panel to highlight key correctable issues in recognition and management of IMD. Results: The 24 patients were aged between 1 month and 70 years. Thirteen (54%) were children and 14 (58%) were women. Six (25%) cases developed complications, two being severe (one death, one limb amputations). These patients had risk factors for IMD. The emergency department average delay between assessment and administration of antibiotics was 57.8 min. Conclusion: There were avoidable factors identified in both patients with a poor outcome. Length of delay in initiating antibiotic therapy has been associated with poor outcome, thus the delay in our series is of concern. The audit highlighted many potentially correctable issues in the medical, laboratory and public health management of IMD cases

An assistant workforce to improve screening rates and quality of care for older patients in the emergency department: findings of a pre- post, mixed methods study

Abstract Background Older people who present to the Emergency Department (ED) experience high rates of prevalent and incident delirium. This study aimed to determine whether an assistant workforce in the ED could effectively conduct screening to inform assessment and care planning for older people as well as enhance supportive care activities for prevention of delirium. Methods Using a pre-post design, data was collected before and after the introduction of Older Person Technical Assistants (OPTAs) in the ED. OPTA activity was recorded during the intervention period and a medical record audit undertaken prior to and 9 months after implementation. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics for OPTA activities. Weighted Kappa scores were calculated comparing concordance in screening scores between OPTAs and Aged Services Emergency Team Registered Nurses. Changes in the rates of documented screening and supportive care were analysed using Chi-square tests. Focus groups were conducted to explore clinicians’ experiences of the OPTA role. Results Three thousand five hundred fourty two people were seen by OPTAs in 4563 ED Presentations between 1st July 2011 and 2012. The reproducibility of all screening tools were found to be high between the OPTAs and the RNs, with Kappas and ICCs generally all above 0.9. The medical record audit showed significant improvement in the rates of documented screening, including cognition from 1.5 to 38% (p < 0.001) and review of pain from 29 to 75% (p < 0.001). Supportive care such as being given fluids or food also improved from 13 to 49% (p < 0.001) and pressure care from 4.8 to 30% (p < 0.001). This was accomplished with no increase in ED length of stay among this age group. Focus group interviews described mixed responses and support for the OPTA role. Conclusions An assistant workforce in an ED setting was found to provide comparable screening results and improve the rates of documented screening and supportive care provided to older people with or at risk of developing delirium in the ED. There is a need for a shared philosophy to the care of older people in the ED. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration number is ACTRN12617000742370. It was retrospectively registered on 22nd May 2017

Implementation and evaluation of a nurse-led intervention to augment an existing residential aged care facility outreach service with a visual telehealth consultation: stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background Up to 75% of residents from residential aged care facilities (RACF) are transferred to emergency departments (ED) annually to access assessment and care for unplanned or acute health events. Emergency department presentations of RACF residents can be both expensive and risky, and many are unnecessary and preventable. Processes or triage systems to assess residents with a health event, prior to transfer, may reduce unnecessary ED transfer. The Aged Care Emergency (ACE) service is a nurse-led ED outreach service that provides telephone support to RACF nurses regarding residents’ health events. This service is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 4 pm (ED ACE hours). The primary objective of this study was to assess whether the augmentation of the phone-based ED ACE service with the addition of a visual telehealth consultation (VTC) would reduce RACF rate of ED presentations compared to usual care. The secondary objectives were to 1) monitor presentations to ED within 48 h post VTC to detect any adverse events and 2) measure RACF staff perceptions of VTC useability and acceptability. Methods This implementation study used a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial design. Study settings were four public hospital EDs and 16 RACFs in two Local Health Districts. Each ED was linked to 4 RACFs with approximately 350 RACF beds, totalling 1435 beds across 16 participating RACFs. Facilities were randomised into eight clusters with each cluster comprising one ED and two RACFs. Results A negative binomial regression demonstrated a 29% post-implementation reduction in the rate of ED presentations (per 100 RACF beds), within ED ACE hours (IRR [95% CI]: 0.71 [0.46, 1. 09]; p = 0.122). A 29% reduction, whilst not statistically significant, is still clinically important and impactful for residents and EDs. A post-hoc logistic regression demonstrated a statistically significant 69% reduction in the probability that an episode of care resulted in an ED presentation within ED ACE hours post-implementation compared to pre-implementation (OR [95% CI]: 0.31 [0.11, 0.87]; p = 0.025). Conclusion Findings have shown the positive impact of augmenting ACE with a VTC. Any reduction of resident presentations to a busy ED is beneficial to healthcare overall, but more so to the individual older person who can recover safely and comfortably in their own RACF. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ID ACTR N12619001692123) (02/12/2019) https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=378629andisReview=tru