A Comparison Between Computer-Assisted Self-Triage by Patients and Triage Performed by Nurses in the Emergency Department.

Background and objective Emergency departments (EDs) often find the number of arriving patients exceeding their capacity and find it difficult to triage them in a timely manner. The potential risk to the safety of patients awaiting assessment by a triage professional has led some hospitals to consider implementing patient self-triage, such as using kiosks. Published studies about patient self-triage are scarce and information about patients' ability to accurately assess the acuity of their condition or predict their need to be hospitalized is limited.

The POCUS Pulse Check: A Case Series on a Novel Method for Determining the Presence of a Pulse Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

Background: During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pulse checks must be rapid and accurate. Despite the importance placed on the detection of a pulse, several studies have shown that health care providers have poor accuracy for detection of central pulses by palpation. To date, the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in cardiac arrest has focused on the presence of cardiac standstill and diagnosing reversible causes of the arrest.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Jugular Venous Pressure Assessment: Live and Online Learning Compared.

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a novel technique for the assessment of jugular venous pressure. Distance education may allow for efficient dissemination of this technique. We compared online learning to a live course for teaching ultrasonography jugular venous pressure (u-JVP) to determine if these teaching methods yielded different levels of comfort with and use of u-JVP.

A determination of emergency department pre-triage times in patients not arriving by ambulance compared to widely used guideline recommendations.

Objectives: Emergency department (ED) lengths of stay are measured from the time of patient registration or triage. The time that patients wait in line prior to registration and triage has not been well described. We sought to characterize pre-triage wait times and compare them to recommended physician response times, as per the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).

A comparison of a formal triage scoring system and a quick-look triage approach.

Background: Emergency Department (ED) triage systems have become increasingly comprehensive over time, requiring ever more resources such as nursing time and computer support. There are very few studies that have looked at whether this increased complexity results in improved performance.

Objectives: This study looked at one aspect of performance, comparing reliability of triage nurses' (TNs) triage scores utilizing a simple quick-look method with a commonly used, resource-intense, five-level triage system.

A comparison of the supraclavicular and infraclavicular views for imaging the subclavian vein with ultrasound.

Introduction: Ultrasound guidance for central line placement in the subclavian vein (SCV) is more efficient and safer than landmark-based technique. The supraclavicular (SC) approach is an alternative to the infraclavicular (IC) approach, but the research is sparse. The objective was to determine which approach provides the best view.

A prospective study of students' and instructors' opinions on Advanced Cardiac Life Support course teaching methods.

Introduction: The American Heart Association (AHA) revises the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course approximately every 5 years, citing the scientific literature for any changes to content and management recommendations. With ACLS 2005, the AHA also revised the methods used to teach course content. The AHA cited no evidence in making these changes.

'Fever phobia' in the emergency department: a survey of children's caregivers.

Objectives: To investigate children's caregivers' attitudes towards fever in an emergency department setting.

Methods: A 25-item questionnaire was formulated, on the basis of similar previous published surveys, for administration to a convenience sample of caregivers. It was administered by a medical translator after triage, before assessment by a physician.