The National Emergency Department Safety Study: study rationale and design

Effect of Systematic Physician Cross-checking on Reducing Adverse Events in the Emergency Department: The CHARMED Cluster Randomized Trial

IMPORTANCE

Emergency departments (ED) are environments that are at high risk for medical errors. Previous studies suggested that the proportion of medical errors may decrease when more than 1 physician is involved.

OBJECTIVE

To reduce the proportion of medical errors by implementing systematic cross-checking between emergency physicians.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cluster randomized crossover trial includes a random sample of 14 adult patients (age ≥18 years) per day during two 10-day period in 6 EDs (n = 1680 patients) in France.

INTERVENTIONS

Systematic cross-checking between emergency physicians, 3 times a day, which included a brief presentation of one physician's case to another, followed by the second physician's feedback to the first.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Medical error in the ED, defined as an adverse event (either a near miss or a serious adverse event). The primary end point was identified using a 2-level error detection surveillance system, blinded to the strategy allocation.

RESULTS

Among the 1680 included patients (mean [SD] age, 57.5 [21.7] years), 144 (8.6%) had an adverse event. There were 54 adverse events among 840 patients (6.4%) in the cross-check group compared with 90 adverse events among 840 patients (10.7%) in the standard care group (relative risk reduction [RRR], 40% [95% CI, 12% to 59%]; absolute risk reduction [ARR], 4.3%; number needed to treat [NNT], 24). There was also a significant reduction rate of near misses (RRR, 47% [95% CI, 15% to 67%]; ARR, 2.7%; NNT, 37) but not of the rate of preventable serious adverse events (RRR, 29% [95% CI, -18% to 57%]; ARR, 1.2%; NNT, 83).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The implementation of systematic cross-checking between emergency physicians was associated with a significant reduction in adverse events, mainly driven by a reduction in near misses.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02356926.

Cross-checking to reduce adverse events resulting from medical errors in the emergency department: study protocol of the CHARMED cluster randomized study

BACKGROUND

Medical errors and preventable adverse events are a major cause of concern, especially in the emergency department (ED) where its prevalence has been reported to be roughly of 5-10% of visits. Due to a short length of stay, emergency patients are often managed by a sole physician - in contrast with other specialties where they can benefit from multiples handover, ward rounds and staff meetings. As some studies report that the rate and severity of errors may decrease when there is more than one physician involved in the management in different settings, we sought to assess the impact of regular systematic cross-checkings between physicians in the ED.

DESIGN

The CHARMED (Cross-checking to reduce adverse events resulting from medical errors in the emergency department) study is a multicenter cluster randomized study that aim to evaluate the reduction of the rate of severe medical errors with implementation of systematic cross checkings between emergency physician, compared to a control period with usual care. This study will evaluate the effect of this intervention on the rate of severe medical errors (i.e. preventable adverse events or near miss) using a previously described two-level chart abstraction. We made the hypothesis that implementing frequent and systematic cross checking will reduce the rate of severe medical errors from 10 to 6% - 1584 patients will be included, 140 for each period in each center.

DISCUSSION

The CHARMED study will be the largest study that analyse unselected ED charts for medical errors. This could provide evidence that frequent systematic cross-checking will reduce the incidence of severe medical errors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials, NCT02356926.

Emergency department crowding and risk of preventable medical errors

The objective of the study is to determine the association between emergency department (ED) crowding and preventable medical errors (PME). This was a retrospective cohort study of 533 ED patients enrolled in the National ED Safety Study (NEDSS) in four Massachusetts EDs. Individual patients' average exposure to ED crowding during their ED visit was compared with the occurrence of a PME (yes/no) for the three diagnostic categories in NEDSS: acute myocardial infarction, asthma exacerbation, and dislocation requiring procedural sedation. To accommodate site-to-site differences in available administrative data, ED crowding was measured using one of three previously validated crowding metrics (ED Work Index, ED Workscore, and ED Occupancy). At each site, the continuous measure was placed into site-specific quartiles, and these quartiles then were combined across sites. We found that 46 (8.6%; 95% confidence interval, 6.4-11.3%) of the 533 patients experienced a PME. For those seen during higher levels of ED crowding (quartile 4 vs. quartile 1), the occurrence of PMEs was more than twofold higher, both on unadjusted analysis and adjusting for two potential confounders (diagnosis, site). The association appeared non-linear, with most PMEs occurring at the highest crowding level. We identified a direct association between high levels of ED crowding and risk of preventable medical errors. Further study is needed to determine the generalizability of these results. Should such research confirm our findings, we would suggest that mitigating ED crowding may reduce the occurrence of preventable medical errors.

Quality of care for acute myocardial infarction in 58 U.S. emergency departments

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to determine concordance of emergency department (ED) management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with guideline recommendations and to identify ED and patient characteristics predictive of higher guideline concordance.

METHODS

The authors conducted a chart review study of ED AMI care as part of the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS). Using a primary hospital discharge diagnosis of AMI (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM], codes 410.XX), a random sample of ED visits for AMI in 58 urban EDs across 20 U.S. states between 2003 and 2006 were identified. Concordance with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline recommendations was evaluated using five individual quality measures and a composite concordance score. Concordance scores were calculated as the percentage of eligible patients who received guidelines-recommended care. These percentage scores were rescaled from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating perfect concordance.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 3,819 subjects; their median age was 65 years, and 62% were men. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) ED composite concordance score was 61 ± 8), with a broad range of values (42 to 84). Except for aspirin use (mean concordance, 82), ED concordance scores were low (beta-blocker use, 56; timely electrocardiogram [ECG], 41; timely fibrinolytic therapy, 26; timely ED disposition for primary percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] candidates, 43). In multivariable analyses, older age (beta-coefficient per 10-year increase, -1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.4 to -0.5) and southern EDs (beta-coefficient, -5.2; 95% CI = -9.6 to -0.9) were associated with lower guideline concordance, whereas ST-segment elevation on initial ED ECG was associated with higher guideline concordance (beta-coefficient, 3.6; 95% CI = 1.5 to 5.7).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall ED concordance with guideline-recommended processes of care was low to moderate. Emergency physicians should continue to work with other stakeholders in AMI care, such as emergency medical services (EMS) and cardiologists, to develop strategies to improve care processes.

Risk stratification for hospitalization in acute asthma: the CHOP classification tree

OBJECTIVE

Simple risk stratification rules are limited in acute asthma. We developed and externally validated a classification tree for asthma hospitalization.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 2 large, multicenter studies on acute asthma, the National Emergency Department Safety Study and the Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration cohorts. Both studies involved emergency department (ED) patients aged 18 to 54 years presenting to the ED with acute asthma. Clinical information was obtained from medical record review. The Classification and Regression Tree method was used to generate a simple decision tree. The tree was derived in the National Emergency Department Safety Study cohort and then was validated in the Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration cohort.

RESULTS

There were 1825 patients in the derivation cohort and 1335 in the validation cohort. Admission rates were 18% and 21% in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. The Classification and Regression Tree method identified 4 important variables (CHOP): change [C] in peak expiratory flow severity category, ever hospitalization [H] for asthma, oxygen [O] saturation on room air, and initial peak expiratory flow [P]. In a simple 3-step process, the decision rule risk-stratified patients into 7 groups, with a risk of admission ranging from 9% to 48%. The classification tree performed satisfactorily on discrimination in both the derivation and validation cohorts, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.72 and 0.65, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed and externally validated a novel classification tree for hospitalization among ED patients with acute asthma. Use of this explicit risk stratification rule may aid decision making in the emergency care of acute asthma.

Health information technology in US emergency departments

BACKGROUND

Information technology may improve patient safety, and is a focus of health care reform. A minority of emergency departments (EDs) in Massachusetts, and in academic EDs throughout the US, have electronic health records.

AIMS

Assess health information technology adoption in a nationwide sample of EDs.

METHODS

We surveyed 69 US EDs, asking site investigators about the availability of health information technology in 2005-2006. Using multiple linear regression, we compared adoption of technology by ED type (emergency medicine residency affiliation, annual census, US region) to assess generalizability of the findings.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight EDs (99%) provided information about health information technology; 75% were affiliated with an emergency medicine residency, and all were urban. Most respondents had applications that simply relay information from one place to another, including patient tracking (74%); ordering tests (laboratory 57%, others 62%); and displaying prior visit notes (79%), ECGs (92%), laboratory (97%), and radiology (99%) results. A minority had more-advanced applications, which seek to modify human behavior, including medication ordering (38%), allergy warnings (19%), and medication cross-reaction warnings (13%), and a few used bar coding (20%). There were no significant differences in technology adoption by ED type.

CONCLUSIONS

This and prior studies suggest that some applications-particularly those relevant to modifying clinician behavior-are not widespread in US EDs, while others are. The reasons for this are unknown, but might include expense and unintended consequences. The fact that the emergency medicine community has not rushed to adopt certain applications presents challenges and opportunities.

Quality of emergency care provided by physician assistants and nurse practitioners in acute asthma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of care provided by physician assistants or nurse practitioners (ie, midlevel providers [MLPs]) in acute asthma, as compared with that provided by physicians.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of the asthma component of the National Emergency Department Safety Study. We identified emergency department (ED) visits for acute asthma in 63 urban EDs in 23 US states between 2003 and 2006. Quality of care was evaluated based on 12 guideline-recommended process-of-care measures, a composite guideline concordance score, and 2 outcome-of-care measures (admission and ED length of stay).

RESULTS

Of the 4029 patients included in this analysis, 3622 (90%) were seen by physicians only, 319 (8%) by MLPs supervised by physicians, and 88 (2%) by MLPs not supervised by physicians. After adjustment for patient mix, unsupervised MLPs were less likely to administer inhaled beta-agonists within 15 minutes of ED arrival (odds ratio [OR], 0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1-0.7), less likely to prescribe systemic corticosteroids in the ED (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9), and were more likely to prescribe inappropriate antibiotics at discharge (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-4.1), as compared with physicians. Overall, their composite guideline concordance score was lower than that of physicians (-6 points; 95% CI, -9 to -3 points). Supervised MLPs provided similar quality of care to that of physicians.

CONCLUSIONS

The MLPs were involved in 10% of ED patients with acute asthma and provided independent care for 2% of these patients. Compared with care provided by physicians or by supervised MLPs, there are opportunities for improvement in unsupervised MLP care.

Factors associated with delayed use or nonuse of systemic corticosteroids in emergency department patients with acute asthma

BACKGROUND

Little is known about factors associated with systemic corticosteroid (SC) use in emergency department (ED) patients with acute asthma.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the patient and system factors associated with delayed use or nonuse of SCs in the ED.

METHODS

We analyzed the asthma component of the National Emergency Department Safety Study. Patients with acute asthma in 62 urban EDs in 23 US states between 2003 and 2006 were identified. The primary outcome measure was the pattern of SC use in the ED, which was categorized as timely use (< or = 60 minutes), delayed use (> 60 minutes), or nonuse. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with delayed use or nonuse of SCs.

RESULTS

A total of 2,559 of 3,798 patients with acute asthma (67.4%) received SCs. Of these, the median door-to-SC time was 62 minutes (interquartile range, 35-100 minutes), with 1,319 patients (51.5%) having delayed SC treatment. Nonuse of SCs was largely explained by markers of asthma exacerbations (never intubated for asthma, lower respiratory rate, and higher oxygen saturation). In contrast, in addition to these factors, delayed SC treatment was associated with age of 40 years or older, female sex, longer duration of symptoms, ED presentation between 8 AM and 11:59 PM, and ED with a longer average patient wait time.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians in the ED seem to appropriately administer SCs to higher-acuity asthmatic patients; however, the additional nonmedical factors represent opportunities to improve the timeliness of SC treatment in the ED.

Emergency medicine public health research funded by federal agencies: progress and priorities

The emergency department (ED) visit provides an opportunity to impact the health of the public throughout the entire spectrum of care, from prevention to treatment. As the federal government has a vested interest in funding research and providing programmatic opportunities that promote the health of the public, emergency medicine (EM) is prime to develop a research agenda to advance the field. EM researchers need to be aware of federal funding opportunities, which entails an understanding of the organizational structure of the federal agencies that fund medical research, and the rules and regulations governing applications for grants. Additionally, there are numerous funding streams outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH; the primary federal health research agency). EM researchers should seek funding from agencies according to each agency's mission and aims. Finally, while funds from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are an important source of support for EM research, we need to look beyond traditional sources and appeal to other agencies with a vested interest in promoting public health in EDs. EM requires a broad skill set from a multitude of medical disciplines, and conducting research in the field will require looking for funding opportunities in a variety of traditional and not so traditional places within and without the federal government. The following is the discussion of a moderated session at the 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference that included panel discussants from the National Institutes of Mental Health, Drug Abuse, and Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Further information is also provided to discuss those agencies and centers not represented.

Development and validation of a risk-adjustment tool in acute asthma

OBJECTIVE

To develop and prospectively validate a risk-adjustment tool in acute asthma.

DATA SOURCES

Data were obtained from two large studies on acute asthma, the Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration (MARC) and the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS) cohorts. Both studies involved >60 emergency departments (EDs) and were performed during 1996-2001 and 2003-2006, respectively. Both included patients aged 18-54 years presenting to the ED with acute asthma.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort studies.

DATA COLLECTION

Clinical information was obtained from medical record review. The risk index was derived in the MARC cohort and then was prospectively validated in the NEDSS cohort.

PRINCIPLE FINDINGS

There were 3,515 patients in the derivation cohort and 3,986 in the validation cohort. The risk index included nine variables (age, sex, current smoker, ever admitted for asthma, ever intubated for asthma, duration of symptoms, respiratory rate, peak expiratory flow, and number of beta-agonist treatments) and showed satisfactory discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.75) and calibration ( p=.30 for Hosmer-Lemeshow test) when applied to the validation cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed and validated a novel risk-adjustment tool in acute asthma. This tool can be used for health care provider profiling to identify outliers for quality improvement purposes.

Quality of care for acute asthma in 63 US emergency departments

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the quality of acute asthma care in the emergency department (ED).

OBJECTIVES

We sought to determine the concordance of ED management of acute asthma with National Institutes of Health asthma guidelines, to identify ED characteristics predictive of higher guideline concordance, and to assess whether guideline concordance was associated with hospital admission.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review study of acute asthma as part of the National Emergency Department Safety Study. Using a principal diagnosis of asthma, we identified ED visits for acute asthma in 63 urban EDs in 23 US states between 2003 and 2006. Concordance with guideline recommendations was evaluated by using item-by-item quality measures and composite concordance scores both at the patient and ED level. These scores ranged from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating perfect concordance.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 4,053 subjects; their median age was 34 years, and 64% were women. The overall patient guideline concordance score was 67 (interquartile range, 63-83), and the ED concordance score was 71 (SD, 7). Multivariable analysis showed southern EDs were associated with lower ED concordance scores (beta-coefficient, -8.2; 95% CI, -13.8 to -2.7) compared with northeastern EDs. After adjustment for the severity on ED presentation, patients who received all recommended treatments had a 46% reduction in the risk of hospital admission compared with others.

CONCLUSIONS

Concordance with treatment recommendations in the National Institutes of Health asthma guidelines was moderate. Significant variations in ED quality of asthma care were found, and geographic differences existed. Greater concordance with guideline-recommended treatments might reduce hospitalizations.

A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments

OBJECTIVES

Workplace violence is a concerning issue. Healthcare workers represent a significant portion of the victims, especially those who work in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to examine ED workplace violence and staff perceptions of physical safety.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS), which surveyed staff across 69 U.S. EDs including physicians, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The authors also conducted surveys of key informants (one from each site) including ED chairs, medical directors, nurse managers, and administrators. The main outcome measures included physical attacks against staff, frequency of guns or knives in the ED, and staff perceptions of physical safety.

RESULTS

A total of 5,695 staff surveys were distributed, and 3,518 surveys from 65 sites were included in the final analysis. One-fourth of surveyed ED staff reported feeling safe sometimes, rarely, or never. Key informants at the sampled EDs reported a total of 3,461 physical attacks (median of 11 attacks per ED) over the 5-year period. Key informants at 20% of EDs reported that guns or knives were brought to the ED on a daily or weekly basis. In multivariate analysis, nurses were less likely to feel safe "most of the time" or "always" when compared to other surveyed staff.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that violence and weapons in the ED are common, and nurses were less likely to feel safe than other ED staff.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics for acute asthma in United States emergency departments

OBJECTIVES

The aim was to examine the use of antibiotics to treat asthma patients in U.S. emergency departments (EDs). The authors sought to investigate inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by identifying the frequency and predictors of antibiotics prescribed for asthma exacerbations using data from two sources, the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) and the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS).

METHODS

The authors used data from NHAMCS and NEDSS to identify the proportion of ED visits for asthma exacerbations that resulted in the prescription of an antibiotic. NHAMCS provided national data from 1993 through 2004, while NEDSS provided data from 63 primarily academic EDs from 2003 through 2006. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression modeling were used to identify variables associated with antibiotic administration.

RESULTS

Analysis of NHAMCS data revealed that 22% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 20% to 24%) of acute asthma visits resulted in an antibiotic prescription from 1993 through 2004, with no significant change in prescribing frequency over the 12-year period. NEDSS data from 2003 through 2006 showed that 18% (95% CI = 17% to 19%) of acute asthma cases in academic EDs received an antibiotic. Multivariate modeling of NHAMCS data revealed that African American patients (odds ratio [OR] = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.6 to 0.97) and patients in urban EDs (OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.4 to 0.7) were less likely to receive antibiotics for asthma exacerbations than white patients and patients in nonurban EDs, respectively. NHAMCS analysis also found that patients in the South were more likely to receive antibiotics than those in the Northeast (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.9). A NEDSS multivariate model found a similar difference, with African Americans (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4 to 0.8) and Hispanics (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4 to 0.8) being less likely than whites to receive an antibiotic.

CONCLUSIONS

ED treatment of acute asthma with unnecessary antibiotics is likely to contribute to bacterial antibiotic resistance. Interventions are needed to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and to address disparities in asthma care.