Using space technology approach to improve quality in emergency departments in India: a quality improvement program.

Introduction Human errors are a leading cause of disability and death among hospitalized patients. Globally, various strategies have been employed to reduce errors and to improve the quality of patient care. One such novel effort never attempted before is the Health-QUEST (Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology) initiative which aims at translating the best quality and safety practices of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) into the realm of emergency care.

Microbially degradable phenolic foams based on depolymerized Kraft lignin for hydrophilic applications.

Hydrophilic phenol-formaldehyde (PF) foams, widely used in floral and hydroponic applications, are produced using phenol typically derived from non-renewable petroleum-based resources. This study examines the potential of depolymerized Kraft lignin (DKL) as a sustainable substitute for phenol in the synthesis of hydrophilic biobased foams. At 50 % DKL substitution, the foams demonstrated excellent water absorption capacities (up to 2557 %), relatively low densities (∼62 kg/m), and nearly 100 % open-cell content.

Using natural language processing to identify emergency department patients with incidental lung nodules requiring follow-up.

Objectives: For emergency department (ED) patients, lung cancer may be detected early through incidental lung nodules (ILNs) discovered on chest CTs. However, there are significant errors in the communication and follow-up of incidental findings on ED imaging, particularly due to unstructured radiology reports. Natural language processing (NLP) can aid in identifying ILNs requiring follow-up, potentially reducing errors from missed follow-up.

Workforce Attrition Among Emergency Medicine Non-Physician Practitioners.

Study Objective: Non-physician practitioners, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, increasingly practice in emergency departments, especially in rural areas, where they help mitigate physician shortages. However, little is known about non-physician practitioner durability and demographic trends in emergency departments. Our objective was to examine attrition rates and ages among non-physician practitioners in emergency medicine.

Who is coming in? Evaluation of physician performance within multi-physician emergency departments.

Background: This study aimed to examine how physician performance metrics are affected by the speed of other attendings (co-attendings) concurrently staffing the ED.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using patient data from two EDs between January-2018 and February-2020. Machine learning was used to predict patient length of stay (LOS) conditional on being assigned a physician of average speed, using patient- and departmental-level variables.