Click and learn: a longitudinal interprofessional case-based sepsis education curriculum.

Background: Sepsis is a global healthcare challenge and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In the USA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has integrated the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Management Bundle (SEP-1) into their Core Quality Measures, which has been linked to lower mortality rates. However, SEP-1's multiple bundle elements present compliance challenges without comprehensive education and a collaborative approach involving nurses and providers (attending physicians, resident physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants).

Gather "Round": An Integrated Care Model for the Emergency Department Multi-Visit Patient.

Purpose: Emergency departments (EDs) are a vital component of the United States healthcare system and care for over 130 million patient visits annually. Nonurgent ED visits can contribute to crowding, delays in care, and adverse effects. Many high-utilizing ED patients may present with complex medical, behavioral, and social needs that are not necessarily emergent or urgent in nature.

A Physician Nurse Team Adjacent to Triage Improves Length of Stay and Decreases Left Without Being Seen.

Introduction: Staffing significantly influences ED throughput, however there is a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs), impacting ED flow and crowding. Non-RN providers, like Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), could potentially assist with tasks traditionally assigned to RNs. To improve the front-end ED process, we implemented an Attending Physician-Licensed Practical Nurse Team (PNT) positioned next to triage and utilized existing ED hallway space.

Improving Time to Antibiotics for Long-Bone Open Fractures: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Open fractures, which are exposed to the external environment, are at a high risk of infection. Administering antibiotics within 60 minutes of emergency department (ED) arrival is crucial to prevent infection. However, this is difficult to achieve due to high ED patient volumes.

An Analysis of New York Data: Fluctuations in Hospital Capacity Are Driven by Variability in Elective Admissions and Discharge Activity.

Background Hospital overcrowding compromises patient safety. The contribution of variability in admissions and discharges to overall hospital capacity needs to be quantified. This study describes the statewide day-to-day fluctuation in the volume of hospitalized patients, the variability and pattern of hospital admissions and discharges throughout the week, and the contribution of Emergency Department (ED) vs.

Introduction of a high sensitivity troponin reduces ED length of stay.

Background: High sensitivity cardiac troponins (hs-cTn) allow earlier identification and exclusion of acute myocardial infarction. We determined if transitioning from contemporary to high sensitivity troponin T (hs-cTnT) would reduce ED length of stay in chest pain (CP) patients.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, prospective, before and after study of implementing a hs-cTnT by reviewing the electronic health records in all adult ED patients presenting to a large, suburban academic medical center during the 3 months before and after transitioning from a 4th generation troponin to a 5th generation hs-cTnT (Elecsys® Troponin T-high sensitive, Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN).

Licensed Practical Nurses in Team Triage: A Safe Way to Address Nursing Shortages in the Emergency Department.

Background There is a Registered Nurse (RN) shortage across the United States that is predicted to intensify in the upcoming years. RNs are an integral part of Emergency Departments (EDs) and perform many vital tasks, including IV placement, blood draws, medication administration, acute assessments, and patient hand-offs. Thus, RN staffing is a crucial part of ED operations, and ED initiatives should account for RN workforce shortages.

Team triage increases discharges and decreases time to discharge without increasing test ordering.

Objectives: Emergency department (ED) crowding is detrimental to patients and staff. During traditional triage, nurses evaluate patients and identify their level of emergency. During team triage, physicians and/or nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) place orders, laboratory results, intravenous lines (IVs), and imaging in triage.

Rapid creation of an emergency department telehealth program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to nearly every continent, with over 2.6 m cases confirmed worldwide. Emergency departments care for a significant number of patients who are under investigation for COVID-19 or are COVID-19-positive.

Team Triage Intervention, Including Licensed Practical Nurse, to Increase HIV Testing Rates in the Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Project.

Introduction: Emergency departments have an important role in screening for human immunodeficiency virus infection and reducing the morbidity, mortality, and transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. There are debates about human immunodeficiency virus screening, including opt-in, opt-out, and active choice models. Previous studies have shown that multiple factors affect the patient rate of acceptance, including where, when, and by whom the screening is offered.

Emergency department and hospital crowding: causes, consequences, and cures.

Overcrowding with associated delays in patient care is a problem faced by emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. ED overcrowding can be the result of poor ED department design and prolonged throughput due to staffing, ancillary service performance, and flow processes. As such, the problem may be addressed by process improvements within the ED.