The evaluation of emergency department (ED) quality of care is hampered by the absence of consensus on appropriate measures. We sought to develop a consensus on a prioritized and parsimonious set of evidence-based quality of care indicators for EDs.

The process was led by a nationally representative steering committee and expert panel (representatives from hospital administration, emergency medicine, health information, government, and provincial quality councils). A comprehensive review of the scientific literature was conducted to identify candidate indicators. The expert panel reviewed candidate indicators in a modified Delphi panel process using electronic surveys; final decisions on inclusion of indicators were made by the steering committee in a guided nominal group process with facilitated discussion. Indicators in the final set were ranked based on their priority for measurement. A gap analysis identified areas where future indicator development is needed. A feasibility study of measuring the final set of indicators using current Canadian administrative databases was conducted.

A total of 170 candidate indicators were generated from the literature; these were assessed based on scientific soundness and their relevance or importance. Using predefined scoring criteria in two rounds of surveys, indicators were coded as “retained” (53), “discarded” (78), or “borderline” (39). A final set of 48 retained indicators was selected and grouped in nine categories (patient satisfaction, ED operations, patient safety, pain management, pediatrics, cardiac conditions, respiratory conditions, stroke, and sepsis or infection). Gap analysis suggested the need for new indicators in patient satisfaction, a healthy workplace, mental health and addiction, elder care, and community-hospital integration. Feasibility analysis found that 13 of 48 indicators (27%) can be measured using existing national administrative databases.

A broadly representative modified Delphi panel process resulted in a consensus on a set of 48 evidencebased quality of care indicators for EDs. Future work is required to generate technical definitions to enable the uptake of these indicators to support benchmarking, quality improvement, and accountability efforts.

The objective was to compare intra-articular lidocaine (IAL) versus intravenous sedation (IVS) for the reduction of acute, anterior shoulder dislocations in the emergency department (ED) in terms of ED length of stay, rate of successful reductions, patient satisfaction, and complications.

This was a prospective, randomized trial. Patients in the IAL group received 4 mg/kg (up to 200 mg) of 1% lidocaine injected into the glenohumeral joint using a lateral approach. Patients in the IVS group received medications for sedation as per the discretion of the treating physician. Follow-up was arranged within 2 weeks of the ED visit to assess for complications.

Forty-four patients (25 IAL, 19 IVS) were included. This trial was stopped early owing to a combination of unexpected findings in success, resource limitations, and difficulty in patient enrolment. Median time from first physician assessment to patient discharge was not different between the IAL (170 minutes) group and the IVS (145 minutes) group (Δ –25 minutes; 95% CI –32, 70; p = 0.46). There was a significantly lower rate (p < 0.001) of successful closed reduction in the IAL group (48%) compared to the IVS group (100%). Patient satisfaction and physician ease of reduction were higher in the IVS group compared to the IAL group (p < 0.05). There were no reported complications in either group at time of reduction or follow-up.

There was no difference in ED length of stay between groups. There was a lower rate of successful reductions and lower satisfaction scores in the IAL group.

Febrile seizures are the most common type of childhood seizure and are categorized as simple or complex. Complex febrile seizures (CFSs) are defined as events that are focal, prolonged (> 15 minutes), or recurrent. The management of CFS is poorly defined. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of variability in the emergency department evaluation of children with CFSs.

An online survey questionnaire was developed and sent to physicians identified via the listserv of the emergency medicine section of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the pediatric emergency medicine discussion list. The questionnaire consisted of five hypothetical case vignettes describing children under 5 years of age presenting with a CFS. Following review of the first four vignettes, participants were asked if they would (1) obtain blood and urine for evaluation; (2) perform a lumbar puncture; (3) perform neurologic imaging while the child was in the emergency department; (4) admit the child to the hospital; or (5) discharge with follow-up as an outpatient, with either the primary care provider or a neurologist. The final vignette determined if antiepileptic medication would be prescribed by the physician on discharge.

Of the 353 physicians who participated, 293 (83%) were pediatric emergency medicine attending physicians and 60 (17%) were pediatric emergency medicine fellows. Overall, 54% of participants indicated that they would obtain blood for evaluation, 62% would obtain urine, 34% would perform a lumbar puncture, and 36% would perform neurologic imaging. The overall hypothetical admission rate for the case vignettes was 42%.

This study indicates that extensive variability exists in the emergency department approach to patients with CFS. Our findings suggest that optimal management for CFS remains unclear and support the potential benefit of future prospective studies on this subject.

The objective of this study was to describe our experience removing esophageal coins from children in a tertiary care pediatric emergency department over a 4-year period.

We retrospectively reviewed a continuous quality improvement data set spanning October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2008.

In 96 of 101 cases (95%), emergency physicians successfully retrieved the coin. The median age of the children was 19 months (interquartile range [IQR] 13–43 months; range 4 months–12.8 years). The median time to removal of coin from initiation of intubation was 8 minutes (IQR 4–14 minutes; range 1–60 minutes). Coins were extracted using forceps only in 56 cases, whereas forceps and a Foley catheter were used in the remainder. Succinylcholine and etomidate were used in almost all cases for rapid sequence intubation prior to coin removal. Complications were identified in 46 cases: minor bleeding (13), lip laceration (7), multiple attempts (5), hypoxia (3), accidental extubation (3), dental injuries (3), bradycardia (2), coin advanced (1), right main-stem bronchus intubation (1), and other (8).

Emergency physicians successfully removed esophageal coins following rapid sequence intubation in most cases. Our approach may be considered for the management of pediatric esophageal coins, particularly in an academic pediatric emergency department.

The Quebec shoulder dislocation rule is a recently derived clinical decision rule to guide physicians on the selective use of radiography in patients with shoulder dislocation. The aim of this studywas to validate the Quebec shoulder dislocation rule.

This was a secondary analysis of data collected in a retrospective cohort study. All patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) between January 1, 2003, and October 31, 2008, with a diagnosis of shoulder dislocation or fracture-dislocation were identified from ED management databases. Data collected included demographics, mechanism of injury, and presence of fracture. The outcome of interest was predictive performance of the Quebec shoulder dislocation rule for patients aged under 40 years on this cohort. Data analysis is descriptive.

Of the 346 patients identified, 196 were aged under 40 years, and 174 (89%) were male; the median age was 25 years (interquartile range 21–29 years), and 58 were recurrent dislocations. One hundred sixteen patients (59%) met the Quebec high-risk criteria, and 80 (41%) were classified as low risk. In the 196 patients aged less than 40 years, 12 fractures as defined were identified (6%). When applied to this cohort, the Quebec clinical decision rule had a sensitivity of 0.42 (95% CI 0.16–0.71), a specificity of 0.40 (95% CI 0.33–0.47), and a negative predictive value of 0.91 (95% CI 0.82–0.96).

The Quebec shoulder dislocation rule had poor sensitivity for clinically significant fractures associated with shoulder dislocations in young patients (aged 16–39 years) presenting to an Australian emergency department. Its use cannot be recommended.

As ultrasonography is increasingly used in the emergency department (ED), ultrasound equipment has become a potential threat to infection control. Improperly cleaned ultrasound probes may serve as a vector for pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA colonization on ultrasound probes used in a busy, urban ED. It was hypothesized that cultures of our ED ultrasound probes would yield a significant number of positive results for MRSA.

In this observational study, 11 ED ultrasound probes were randomly sampled on 10 different occasions. Samples were taken using a RODAC plate method and were cultured for MRSA and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). On half of the randomly assigned sampling occasions, a visual inspection of each ultrasound probe for general cleanliness was conducted and recorded. Data were stratified by ultrasound location in the ED and analyzed using the Fisher exact test, with p < 0.05 deemed to be statistically significant.

Of 110 samples, no isolates of MRSA were cultured. One probe yielded a positive culture for MSSA. Probes in the medicine, trauma, and pediatrics areas were found to be clean 65%, 33%, and 70% of the time, respectively. This variability in probe cleanliness by ED location was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.01).

Contrary to our hypothesis, MRSA contamination of ultrasound probes was not found. This finding suggests that the spread of MRSA by ED ultrasound machines in a high-volume urban ED is unlikely. Further research at different centres with larger sample sizes is required before these results can be generalized.

Butyrophenones have been reported to provide effective migraine relief in the emergency department (ED). We conducted a systematic review of the evidence for their use in the ED.

We searched the Cochrane, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases.

Included studies were randomized trials of a parenteral butyrophenone (droperidol, haloperidol) versus placebo or a comparator in migraine or benign headache with results available in English. Study quality was determined using the Jadad score. Six articles were included.

Primary outcomes were subjective or objective headache relief (> 50% improvement in visual analogue scale scores). Secondary outcomes included side effects. We reported pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for subjective or objective headache relief for butyrophenones versus placebo or comparator agents.

Three studies reported subjective headache relief with a butyrophenone versus placebo or meperidine in migraine. Two studies reported objective headache relief with droperidol versus prochlorperazine, whereas one study compared droperidol versus olanzapine in benign headache. The pooled OR for subjective headache relief was 8.08 (95% CI 1.54–42.30) for a butyrophenone versus placebo, whereas it was 1.50 (95% CI 0.33–6.77) for droperidol versus meperidine in migraine. The pooled OR for objective headache relief was 2.96 (95% CI 1.36–6.43) for droperidol versus prochlorperazine in benign headache. Rates of side effects were 10 to 45%; akathesia and sedation were the most common.

Butyrophenones are effective for the relief of migraine or benign headache. However, adverse effects make it difficult to recommend butyrophenones above agents with similar effectiveness and fewer problems.

To establish consensus on the most important clinical decisions paramedics make during high-acuity emergency calls and to visualize these decisions on a process map of an emergency call. A secondary objective was to measure agreement among paramedics and medical director panel members.

A multiround online survey of Canadian paramedics and medical directors. In round 1, participants listed important clinical decisions. In round 2, participants scored each decision in terms of its importance for patient outcome and safety. In rounds 3 and 4, participants could revise their scores. Consensus was defined a priori: 80% or more agreement that a decision was important or extremely important. The included decisions were plotted on a process map of a typical emergency call.

The panel response rates were as follows: round 1, 96%; round 2, 92%; round 3, 83%; and round 4, 96%. Consensus was reached on 42 decisions, grouped into six categories: airway management (n = 13); assessment (n = 3); cardiac management (n = 7); drug administration (n = 9); scene management (n = 4); and general treatment (n = 6). The on-scene treatment phase of the process map was found to have the highest decision density. Paramedics and medical directors differed in their scoring in 5 of 42 decisions (p < 0.05 or less).

Consensus was reached among paramedics and medical directors on 42 decisions important for clinical outcome and patient safety. These decisions were visualized on a process map of an emergency call to learn more about where decision density exists during a typical call.

The ability to teach is a critical component of residency and future practice. This is recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, which incorporates teaching functions into the CanMEDS competencies. The aim of our study was to identify how emergency medicine specialty programs across Canada prepare their residents for roles as teachers and to compare these results to those of other Royal College specialty programs.

A 40-item English questionnaire was developed and translated into French. It was e-mailed to the program directors of all Royal College Emergency Medicine (EM), Anesthesia, Diagnostic Radiology, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry residency programs. The survey asked what modalities were in use to teach residents how to teach and allowed respondents to comment on recent changes.

Twelve of 13 (92%) EM programs and 78 of 113 (69%) other specialty programs responded. All responding programs incorporated some kind ofmandatory teaching responsibilities. Four of 12 (33%) EM programs reserved formal teaching functions for postgraduate year 3 and above, whereas only 7 of 78 (9%) other specialty programsdid so. The remaining 71 of 78 (91%) non-EM specialty programs incorporated formal teaching functions in all years of residency. Six of 12 (50%) EM programs offered rotations in clinical medical education compared to only 11 of 78 (14%) other specialty programs.

Canadian EM programs appear to differ from other specialty programs in the way that they develop residents-as-teachers. Half of EM programs offer rotations in clinical medical education, and many introduce formal teaching functions later in residency.

Controversy exists regarding the applicability of competency-based education during clinical rotations in emergencymedicine (EM). Little has been written about the perceptions of front-line teachers regarding one such competencybased education paradigm, the CanMEDS framework. We undertook to determine 1) what perceptions exist among frontline teachers at two academic health science emergency departments (EDs) regarding the use of the CanMEDS roles to frame what residents should learn on ED rotations and 2) how those same teachers envision practically incorporating the CanMEDS roles into feedback provided to residents.

Teachers at two sites volunteered for a semistructured focus group study. Focus groups were moderated by an experienced qualitative researcher, and verbatim transcriptions were coded by two independent reviewers. The codes were merged into final themes. The final focus group was used to further explore issues raised and test assumptions made in the preceding groups.

In five focus groups involving 21 participants, the Medical Expert and Professional roles were seen as most relevant to an EM rotation, whereas the Health Advocate, Manager, Scholar, and Collaborator roles were least relevant. On further exploration, however, faculty identified highly relevant components of each role that they could envision teaching in an ED. Participants also felt that the framework helped highlight the breadth of physician competencies and provided structure for teaching and feedback.

EM faculty find the CanMEDS framework helpful for structuring teaching and learning and that many elements of the roles, when defined, are feasible to integrate into a clinical rotation.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus-contaminated stethoscopes belonging to emergency department (ED) staff and to identify the proportion of these that were Staphylococcus aureus or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of bacterial cultures from 100 ED staff members' stethoscopes at three EDs. Study participants were asked to complete a questionnaire.

Fifty-four specimens grew coagulase-negative staphylococci and one grew methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. No MRSA was cultured. Only 8% of participants, all of whom were nurses, reported cleaning their stethoscope before or after each patient assessment. Alcohol-based wipes were most commonly used to clean stethoscopes. A lack of time, being too busy, and forgetfulness were the most frequently reported reasons for not cleaning the stethoscope in the ED.

This study indicates that although stethoscope contamination rates in these EDs are high, the prevalence of S. aureus or MRSA on stethoscopes is low.

Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the femoral vessel anatomy as it relates to central venous cannulation. The primary objective of this study was to use bedside ultrasonography to determine the amount of exposed femoral vein at three sites corresponding to surface anatomy of the landmark-based procedure.

This cross-sectional study enrolled a random sample of 180 adult patients presenting to a large urban academic emergency department. Subjects underwent standardized ultrasonography to identify and measure the depth and diameter of the femoral vessels and amount of exposed femoral vein at the level of the inguinal ligament (0 cm) 2 cm and 4 cm below. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine significant relationships between vessel measurements and distance from the inguinal ligament.

The median age was 44.5 (range 19–90) years; 101 patients were male. The mean (± SD) percentage of exposed vein at the inguinal ligament was 83% (± 21). This decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with increasing distance from the inguinal ligament: 65% (± 25) at 2 cm and 56% (± 30) at 4 cm. At every distance away from the inguinal ligament, there were some subjects with no vein exposed.

This study demonstrates significant overlap of the femoral vessels at sites where landmark-based femoral vein cannulation is often attempted. Our results suggest that ultrasound guidance would be beneficial as femoral vein cannulation may be difficult or impossible in certain individuals owing to anatomic variations.

To achieve our goal of excellent emergency cardiac care, our institution embarked on a Lean process improvement initiative. We sought to examine and quantify the outcome of this project on the care of suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in our emergency department (ED).

Front-line ED staff participated in several rapid improvement events, using Lean principles and techniques such as waste elimination, supply chain streamlining, and standard work to increase the value of the early care provided to patients with suspected ACS. A chart review was also conducted. To evaluate our success, proportions of care milestones (first electrocardiogram [ECG], ECG interpretation, physician assessment, and acetylsalicylic acid [ASA] administration) meeting target times were chosen as outcome metrics in this before-and-after study.

The proportion of cases with 12-lead ECGs completed within 10 minutes of patient triage increased by 37.4% (p < 0.0001). The proportion of cases with physician assessment initiated within 60 minutes increased by 12.1% (p = 0.0251). Times to ECG, physician assessment, and ASA administration also continued to improve significantly over time (p values < 0.0001). Post-Lean, the median time from ECG performance to physician interpretation was 3 minutes. All of these improvements were achieved using existing staff and resources.

The application of Lean principles can significantly improve attainment of early diagnostic and therapeutic milestones of emergency cardiac care in the ED.