The Frequency and Predictive Factors of Change in Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Multi-Country Longitudinal Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had multiple health and behavioral effects in the general population worldwide, including effects on nutritional and lifestyle behavior such as alcohol consumption. This study aimed to determine the frequency of and predictors for change in alcohol consumption two years after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic among participants from the general population of six countries.

Methods: Longitudinal study design with 4999 participants (47% male; aged 18-75 years) from a general population cohort from six countries: Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (US).

Medication reviews by emergency department pharmacists in patients hospitalised for an adverse drug event: a cost study.

Objective: To perform a cost study of pharmacist-led medication reviews in patients with an acute hospitalization for adverse drug events.

Method: Emergency department pharmacists performed medication reviews in patients hospitalized after visiting the emergency department for an adverse drug event (ADE). Control patients were hospitalized after an emergency department visit not related to an ADE and received usual care.

Screening for hazardous alcohol use in the Emergency Department: Comparison of phosphatidylethanol with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Timeline Follow-back.

Background: Up to 15% of all visits to the Emergency Department (ED) are alcohol related. Identification of problematic alcohol use is important in this setting because it allows for intervention and prevention efforts. This study investigated the correlation between the objective phosphatidylethanol (PEth) marker and the subjective Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Timeline Followback Questionnaire (TLFB) as screening methods for hazardous alcohol use in the general ED population.

The effect of emergency department pharmacists on drug overuse and drug underuse in patients with an ADE-related hospitalisation: a controlled intervention study.

Background: Drug overuse or drug underuse are the most common causes of adverse drug events and can lead to hospital admissions. Using clinical pharmacists in the emergency department may improve patient safety as they are specialised in recognising of adverse drug events and tackling drug overuse and drug underuse. This study tested the effect of an emergency department pharmacist on the number of medication changes for drug overuse and drug underuse taking place in patients with an adverse drug event-related hospitalisation following an emergency department visit.

[The issue of diversity in Dutch University Medical Centers: a role for professionals in leadership position].

The last years the share of female full professors in Dutch university medical centers (UMC's) has increased. Yet, there is still a long way to go for equal numbers compared to men and diversity is very much forgotten in this discussion. Sponsorship, which is defined in the business community as the act of supporting, encouraging and protecting a person by a professional in a leadership position, may be effective for increasing diversity in academic hospitals.

Predictive performance of comorbidity for 30-day and 1-year mortality in patients with bloodstream infection visiting the emergency department: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) predicted short-term and long-term mortality in patients with a bloodstream infection visiting the emergency department (ED) and compare it to the often-validated National Early Warning Score (NEWS).

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary hospital in the Netherlands.

Predicting inhospital admission at the emergency department: a systematic review.

Background: ED crowding has potential detrimental consequences for both patient care and staff. Advancing disposition can reduce crowding. This may be achieved by using prediction models for admission.

COVID outcome prediction in the emergency department (COPE): using retrospective Dutch hospital data to develop simple and valid models for predicting mortality and need for intensive care unit admission in patients who present at the emergency department with suspected COVID-19.

Objectives: Develop simple and valid models for predicting mortality and need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients who present at the emergency department (ED) with suspected COVID-19.

Design: Retrospective.

Setting: Secondary care in four large Dutch hospitals.

The Effect of Written and Video Discharge Instructions After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Healthcare Costs and Productivity Costs.

Objective: To compare healthcare and productivity costs between patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) who received verbal discharge instructions only and patients who received an additional flyer with or without video instructions.

Setting: Emergency departments (EDs) of 6 hospitals in the Netherlands.

Participants: In total, 1155 adult patients with mTBI (384 with verbal instructions; 771 with additional flyer with or without video instructions) were included.

The Relationship between Hospital Volume and In-Hospital Mortality of Severely Injured Patients in Dutch Level-1 Trauma Centers.

Centralization of trauma centers leads to a higher hospital volume of severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15), but the effect of volume on outcome remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the association between hospital volume of severely injured patients and in-hospital mortality in Dutch Level-1 trauma centers. A retrospective observational cohort study was performed using the Dutch trauma registry.

The association of body temperature with antibiotic therapy and mortality in patients attending the emergency department with suspected infection.

Background And Importance: Previous studies found that septic patients with normothermia have higher mortality than patients with fever. We hypothesize that antibiotic therapy is less frequently initiated if infectious patients present with normothermia to the emergency department (ED).

Objectives: To examine the association of body temperature with the initiation of antibiotic therapy in patients attending the ED with suspected and proven infection.

Can Fall Risk Screening and Fall Prevention Advice in Hospital Settings Motivate Older Adult Patients to Take Action to Reduce Fall Risk?

Objective: We investigated whether an in-hospital intervention consisting of fall risk screening and tailored advice could prompt patients to take preventive action.

Method: Patients (≥70) attending the emergency department and nephrology outpatient clinic in a Dutch hospital were screened. Patients at high risk received tailored advice based on their individual risk factors.

Effect of Video Discharge Instructions for Patients With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Objective: We measure the effect of video discharge instructions on postconcussion symptoms in patients with mild traumatic brain injury in the emergency department.

Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted in which patients with mild traumatic brain injury were randomly assigned to either intervention (verbal, written, and video discharge information) or control (verbal and written discharge information only). All patients were interviewed 1 week and 3 months from randomization.

Prediction admission in the older population in the Emergency Department: the CLEARED tool.

Background: Length of stay (LOS) in the Emergency Department (ED) is correlated with an extended in-hospital LOS and may even increase 30-day mortality. Older patients represent a growing population in the ED and they are especially at risk of adverse outcomes. Screening tools that adequately predict admission could help reduce waiting times in the ED and reduce time to treatment.

The Need for Sustainable Teleconsultation Systems in the Aftermath of the First COVID-19 Wave.

The physical and social distancing measures that have been adopted worldwide because of COVID-19 will probably remain in place for a long time, especially for senior adults, people with chronic conditions, and other at-risk populations. Teleconsultations can be useful in ensuring that patients continue to receive clinical care while reducing physical crowding and avoiding unnecessary exposure of health care staff. Implementation processes that typically take months of planning, budgeting, pilot testing, and education were compressed into days.

Predicting 30-day mortality using point-of-care testing; an external validation and derivation study.

Background: Early risk stratification for guiding treatment priority in the emergency department (ED) is becoming increasingly important. Existing prediction models typically use demographics, vital signs and laboratory parameters. Laboratory-based models require blood testing, which may cause substantial delay.

Specific Disease Knowledge as Predictor of Susceptibility to Availability Bias in Diagnostic Reasoning: a Randomized Controlled Experiment.

Background: Bias in reasoning rather than knowledge gaps has been identified as the origin of most diagnostic errors. However, the role of knowledge in counteracting bias is unclear.

Objective: To examine whether knowledge of discriminating features (findings that discriminate between look-alike diseases) predicts susceptibility to bias.

Non-adherence to antimicrobial guidelines in patients with bloodstream infection visiting the emergency department.

Objective: Non-adherence to antimicrobial guidelines in patients with bloodstream infection can result in undertreatment, overtreatment, or equivalent treatment, and could lead to suboptimal care. Our aim was to examine the association between non-adherence and appropriate coverage as well as to assess the impact of non-adherence on 30-day mortality.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study between 2012 and 2017 at a tertiary university hospital.

Geriatric Screening, Triage Urgency, and 30-Day Mortality in Older Emergency Department Patients.

Background: Urgency triage in the emergency department (ED) is important for early identification of potentially lethal conditions and extensive resource utilization. However, in older patients, urgency triage systems could be improved by taking geriatric vulnerability into account. We investigated the association of geriatric vulnerability screening in addition to triage urgency levels with 30-day mortality in older ED patients.

The volume-outcome relationship among severely injured patients admitted to English major trauma centres: a registry study.

Background: Many countries have centralized and dedicated trauma centres with high volumes of trauma patients. However, the volume-outcome relationship in severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the association between hospital volume and outcomes in Major Trauma Centres (MTCs).

The APOP screener and clinical outcomes in older hospitalised internal medicine patients.

Background: Acutely hospitalised older patients with indications related to internal medicine have high risks of adverse outcomes. We investigated whether risk stratification using the Acutely Presenting Older Patient (APOP) screening tool associates with clinical outcomes in this patient group.

Methods: Patients aged ≥ 70 years who visited the Emergency Department (ED) and were acutely hospitalised for internal medicine were followed prospectively.

Emergency Department visits due to intoxications in a Dutch university hospital: Occurrence, characteristics and health care costs.

Background: Intoxications with alcohol and drugs are common in the Emergency Department. This study aimed to describe the occurrence and characteristics of intoxications (alcohol, Drugs of Abuse (DOA), pharmaceutical and chemical) presented to the Emergency Department and the health care costs of these intoxications.

Methods: This was a retrospective medical record study of all patients (≥ 16 years) who presented to the Emergency Department of an inner-city academic hospital in the Netherlands due to single or multiple intoxication(s) as the primary or secondary reason in the year 2016.

Appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy and mortality: Conflicting data explained by residual confounding.

Objective: Clinical practice universally assumes that appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy improves survival in patients with bloodstream infection. However, this is not generally supported by previous studies. We examined the association between appropriate therapy and 30-day mortality, while minimizing bias due to confounding by indication.

[Reduced consciousness levels caused by hyperammonaemia].

Hyperammonaemia is an important cause of lethargy. In this article, we describe a lesser-known but potential fatal cause of hyperammonaemia. A 27-year-old woman presented with lethargy caused by hyperammonaemia.