To determine the percentage of injured impaired drivers brought to the only trauma centre in Nova Scotia who were charged with impaired driving.

This retrospective observational study identified alcohol impaired drivers involved in a motor vehicle crash (MVC) brought to the emergency department (ED). Patients were selected based on blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) found to be above the legal limit. Medical records were examined to determine if the patient was the driver in an MVC. Patient records were then cross-referenced with a police database to determine the percentage of injured impaired drivers who were charged with impaired driving.

Between April 1, 2006, and April 1, 2008, 1,102 patients brought to the QEII Health Sciences Centre (QEII HSC) ED were found to have BACs over the legal limit. Of these patients, only 57 (5.2%) were found to have been the driver in an MVC. The majority of patients were male (49; 86%), with an average age of 32 years. Most injuries (51; 89.5%) were the result of a single-vehicle crash. The mean Glasgow Coma Scale score was 12.6, and the mean Injury Severity Score was 14.4. Cross-referencing with police records showed that only 22.8% (13 of 57) of injured drivers were charged with impaired driving. Those drivers not charged with impaired driving had a significantly lower median BAC and median age.

During the study, the majority of alcoholimpaired drivers injured in an MVC who were brought to the QEII HSC ED for assessment of their injuries were not charged with impaired driving.

A variety of models are used by hospitals, provincial governments, and departments of emergency medicine to “predict” the number of physician hours of coverage necessary to staff emergency departments. These models have arisen to meet specific requirements—some for the purpose of determining hourly rates of compensation, others to determine the amount of funding that will be provided to “purchase” physician coverage, and others to determine the number of hours of coverage necessary to maintain patient waits within “acceptable” limits. All such models have their strengths and weaknesses and have been criticized as not reflecting the “real” needs of any given department.

In the article that follows, a review of existing models is presented, annotating their strengths and weaknesses to derive the characteristics of an “ideal” workload model.

None of the models currently used to measure emergency department workload can be relied on to accurately predict the number of staffed hours necessary. Models that may achieve this objective are suggested.

Providing patients with instructions and equipment regarding self-removal of nonabsorbable sutures could represent a new efficiency in emergency department (ED) practice. The primary outcome was to compare the proportion of patients successfully removing their own sutures when provided with suture removal instructions and equipment versus the standard advice and follow-up care. Secondary outcomes included complication rates, number of physician visits, and patient comfort level.

This prospective, controlled, single-blinded, pseudorandomized trial enrolled consecutive ED patients who met the eligibility criteria (age > 19 years, simple lacerations, nonabsorbable sutures, immunocompetent). The study group was provided with wound care instructions, a suture removal kit, and instructions regarding suture self-removal. The control group received wound care instructions alone. Outcomes were assessed by telephone contact at least 14 days after suturing using a standardized questionnaire.

Overall, 183 patients were enrolled (93 in the intervention group; 90 in the control group). Significantly more patients performed suture self-removal in the intervention group (91.5%; 95% CI 85.4–97.5) compared to the control group (62.8%; 95% CI 52.1–73.6) (p < 0.001). Patients visited their physician less often in the intervention group (9.8%; 95% CI 3.3–16.2) compared to the control group (34.6%; 95% CI 24.1–45.2%) (p < 0.001). Complication rates were similar in both groups.

Most patients are willing to remove, and capable of removing, their own sutures. Providing appropriate suture removal instructions and equipment to patients with simple lacerations in the ED appears to be both safe and acceptable.

Although evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) exist, emergency department (ED) asthma management remains highly variable. Our objective was to compare asthma management at a tertiary care ED with that advised by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians' (CAEP) asthma CPG and current best practice.

This medical record study enrolled patients between the ages of 19 and 60 years with a previous diagnosis of asthma who were seen for an acute asthma exacerbation at the Vancouver General Hospital ED in 2008. Standard methodology guidelines for medical record review were followed, including explicitly defined criteria and determination of interrater reliability. Primary outcomes were the proportion of cases with the following: objective assessment of severity using peak expiratory flow (PEF), use of systemic corticosteroids (SCSs) in the ED and at discharge, prescription for any inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), and documentation of outpatient follow-up.

A total of 204 patient encounters were enrolled. Kappa values for interrater assessment ranged from 0.93 to 1.00. Compliance with primary outcomes was as follows: measurement of PEF, 90% (95% CI 85–94); use of SCSs in the ED, 64% (95% CI 57–71); prescription of SCSs at discharge, 59% (95% CI 51–67); prescription of any ICS at discharge, 51% (95% CI 41–61); and documentation of outpatient follow-up, 78% (95% CI 71–84).

This study indicates an improvement in ED asthma care compared to previously published studies; however, discordance still exists between asthma management at a tertiary care ED and the CAEP asthma CPG and current best practice. Further research is warranted to understand the reasons for this finding.

Increased emergency department (ED) wait times lead to more patients who leave without being seen and decreased patient satisfaction. Many EDs post estimated wait times either online or in the ED to guide patient expectations. The objectives of this study were to assess patients' awareness of online wait time data and to investigate patients' willingness to use this information when choosing between two academic EDs in London, Ontario.

A prospective study was conducted over a 2-month period in a tertiary ED with online available wait times. Patients over 18 years of age assigned a Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) score of 3, 4, or 5 were approached by trained research assistants to complete a 15-item paper-based questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors independently associated with the outcomes.

A total of 1,211 patients completed the survey. Of these, 109 (9%) were aware that ED wait time information was available on the Internet; 544 (45%) reported that they would use the available data to make a decision on which ED to visit, and 536 (44%) indicated that they were more likely to go to the ED with a shorter wait time. Age, gender, household income, education, and Internet access were not associated with awareness of online ED wait times. Participants less than 40 years of age were more likely to use online wait time information.

There is low awareness of the availability of ED wait time data published online in the study locaton. Future research may include the delivery of a public awareness strategy for ED wait time data and a re-evaluation of ED use and patient satisfaction following this.

Previous studies have indicated that the sub-optimal performance of the San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR) is likely due to the misclassification of the “abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG)” variable. We sought to identify specific emergency department (ED) ECG and cardiac monitor abnormalities that better predict cardiac outcomes within 30 days in adult ED syncope patients.

This health records review included patients 16 years or older with syncope and excluded patients with ongoing altered mental status, alcohol or illicit drug use, seizure, head injury leading to loss of consciousness, or severe trauma requiring admission. We collected patient characteristics, 22 ECG variables, cardiac monitoring abnormalities, SFSR “abnormal ECG” criteria, and outcome (death, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, or cardiac procedures) data. Recursive partitioning was used to develop the “Ottawa Electrocardiographic Criteria.”

Among 505 included patient visits, 27 (5.3%) had serious cardiac outcomes. We found that patients were at risk for cardiac outcomes within 30 days if any of the following were present: second-degree Mobitz type 2 or third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block, bundle branch block with first-degree AV block, right bundle branch with left anterior or posterior fascicular block, new ischemic changes, nonsinus rhythm, left axis deviation, or ED cardiac monitor abnormalities. The sensitivity and specificity of the Ottawa Electrocardiographic Criteria were 96% (95% CI 80–100) and 76% (95% CI 75–76), respectively.

We successfully identified specific ED ECG and cardiac monitor abnormalities, which we termed the Ottawa Electrocardiographic Criteria, that predict serious cardiac outcomes in adult ED syncope patients. Further studies are required to identify which adult ED syncope patients require cardiac monitoring in the ED and the optimal duration of monitoring and to confirm the accuracy of these criteria.