Introduction: With the current opioid crisis in Canada, presentations of acute opioid withdrawal (AOW) to emergency departments (ED) are increasing. Undertreated symptoms may result in relapse, overdose and death. Buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nal) is a partial opioid agonist/antagonist used to mitigate symptoms of AOW, approved by Health Canad in 2007 for opioid use disorder. It is superior to clonidine, and increases follow up with addiction treatment programs when initiated in the ED. Nevertheless, in our inner-city ED in 2014, bup/nal was rarely prescribed. We aimed to increase ED physician prescribing of bup/nal for AOW by 50% over a 26-month period. Methods: Commencing in 2014, an interprofessional team of ED physicians, nurses (RN), pharmacists and QI specialists collaborated to improve the care of patients with AOW. PDSA cycles included: (1) needs assessment of emergency physicians knowledge and practices in 2014; (2) Grand Rounds and a web based information sheet in 2015; (3) ED stocking of bup/nal; (4) convenience order set to standardize AOW management; (5) Grand Rounds in 2016 and (6) peer-coaching for RNs, including case-based discussions and pocket card cognitive aids. The outcome was the number of times bup/nal was prescribed per month by ED physicians between Sept, 2015 and Oct, 2017. Data included the prescriber and use of order set as the process measure. The balancing measure was the number of patients referred to the Addiction Medicine Team who subsequently received bup/nal. Results: Bup/nal was prescribed by ED physicians 70 times, and 14 times by the Addiction Medicine Team. With each PDSA cycle, there was an increase in prescribing, with no significant shifts or trends. By all physicians, the median number of prescriptions per month was 3, and increased from 2 to 4 prescriptions/month after nursing education. There was a smaller increase in the median from 2 to 3 prescriptions/month by ED physicians alone. The order set was used 97% of the time. Conclusion: Bup/nal is safe, effective, and increases follow up with addiction programs for comprehensive assessment and treatment planning. We met our goal of increasing bup/nal prescribing in the ED for AOW by 50%. Moreover, prescribing increased by 100% with the addition of patients who received bup/nal after a referral to the Addiction Medicine Team. The intervention with the greatest impact was RN education, demonstrating that peer-coaching and teaching by an interprofessional team is key to changing practice. Unfortunately, overall prescribing remains low, and ED physicians may still be hesitant to prescribe bup/nal and defer to the specialists. It is unclear if this is due to a low number of patients presenting with AOW, patients with contraindications to bup/nal, or ED physician factors. The next step is an audit of all patients with AOW to see what percentage of those eligible are treated with bup/nal. A follow up survey to determine ongoing barriers will inform further PDSA cycles.

Introduction: Le syndrome aortique aigu (SAA) est une condition potentiellement létale et nécessitant une prise en charge immédiate et fréquemment chirurgicale. Lutilisation dun test de D-dimère a été proposé afin dexclure ce diagnostic suite à de nombreuses études récentes sur le sujet. Dans ce contexte, lobjectif de la présente revue systématique et méta-analyse était dévaluer et de synthétiser lévidence disponible quant à la valeur diagnostique dun dosage de D-dimères pour le SAA. Methods: Les bases de données Medline, Cochrane, ACP Journal Club, DARE, Health technology assessment, NHS Economic evaluation et Embase ont été fouillées en utilisant les mots clés «D-Dimers» et «Acute aortic». Les bibliographies des articles retenus ont également été consultées. Les résultats des études incluses ont été regroupés pour calculer la sensibilité, la spécificité, le rapport de vraisemblance positif (RV+) et négatif (LR-) du test de D-dimères aux seuils choisis par les auteurs. Les sensibilités et spécificités sont présentées avec leurs intervalles de confiance (IC) à 95% et les RV+ et RV- sont donnés à titre indicatif. Results: À partir des 6942 articles initialement identifiés, 34 études portant sur lutilité diagnostique des D-dimères en SAA, incluant un total de 7938 patients, ont été retenues. La prévalence globale de SAA était de 27,1%, mais variait considérablement dune étude à lautre (médiane=38,5%; intervalle interquartile=29% ; prévalence minimale=0.7% ; prévalence maximale=100%). Les seuils de positivité des tests de D-dimères variaient également selon lentreprise les fabriquant. La sensibilité dun test de D-dimères selon le seuil proposé par leur fabriquant était de 91% (IC 95% 86-96) et la spécificité 46% (IC 95% 39-54). Le RV+ était de 1,69 et le VR- était de 0,2. Conclusion: La prévalence très variable du SAA dans la population regroupée par ces études laisse présager une différence entre ces populations et celles rencontrées en médecine durgence. Un test de D-dimères a sensibilité acceptable, mais imparfaite, qui ne semble pas permettre dexclure une pathologie aussi grave que le SAA.

Introduction: Les outils de prédiction disponibles (score clinique, ratio des neutrophiles sur lymphocytes et dosage des D-dimères) dans le diagnostic du syndrome aortique aigu (SAA) demeurent imparfaits. Dans ce contexte, avec lobjectif de développer une règle de décision clinique pour le diagnostic du SAA, la présente étude visait à définir un ensemble de variables discriminantes chez les patients souffrant ou non dun SAA en utilisant les outils dintelligence artificielle. Methods: À partir de lensemble des données cliniques disponibles chez les patients investigués pour douleur thoracique au département durgence avec une angiographie par tomodensitométrie (angioCT) visant à éliminer un SAA entre 2008 et 2014, un programme dapprentissage a été chargé de construire un arbre de décision (Clustering And Regression Tree) identifiant les patients ne souffrant pas dun SAA. La variable dintérêt était labsence de SAA et 23 attributs ont été testés. Le diagnostic de SAA était établi avec les résultats de langioCT. Des échantillons aléatoires de 70% de la population étudiée ont été testés de façon récursive (maximum de 100 itérations) pour construire larbre de décision. Six algorithmes dapprentissage (Reg Tree, LR, KNN, Naive B, Random Forest et CN2) ont été comparés et loptimisation du gain dinformation a été mesurée par les techniques de Gain Ratio et de Gini. Results: Un total de 198 patients (99 hommes et 99 femmes) dun âge moyen de 63 ans (±16) ont été inclus dans létude, parmi lesquels 26 (13%) souffraient dun SAA. Trois attributs ou regroupements dattributs ont permis de construire un arbre de décision permettant didentifier 114 patients sur 198 (57,6%) ayant une très faible probabilité de SAA (sensibilité visée de 100%). La sensibilité et spécificité de larbre de décision clinique était respectivement de 100% (intervalle de confiance [IC] 95% 86,7-100,0) et 70,4% (IC 95% 62,7-77,3). Les attributs en question étaient labsence de tout facteur de risque (e.g. syndrome de Marfan, chirurgie aortique ou valvulaire, histoire familiale), les signes vitaux (tension artérielle systolique, pouls et choc index) et les D-dimères. Le seuil de D-dimères utilisé pouvait varier entre 1114 et 1211 mcg/L selon lhémodynamie et la présence de facteur de risque. Les attributs suivants nétaient pas discriminants : le sexe, un antécédent de diabète, dhypertension artérielle ou de dyslipidémie, le tabagisme, avoir un déficit de perfusion, une différence de tension artérielle entre les deux bras ou un souffle dinsuffisance aortique et la formule sanguine. Conclusion: Les attributs les plus discriminants pour le SAA sont les facteurs à risque, lhémodynamie et les D-dimères. Une étude prospective multicentrique devrait être réalisé afin de développer une règle de décision clinique afin didentifier les patients à très bas risque de SAA à partir de ces attributs.

Introduction: The prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) among patients with syncope is understudied. Based on a recent study with an exceptionally high PE prevalence, some advocate investigating all syncope patients for PE, including those with another clear cause for their syncope. We sought to evaluate the PE prevalence among emergency department (ED) patients with syncope. Methods: We combined data from two large prospective studies enrolling adults with syncope from 17 EDs in Canada and the United States. Each study collected the results of investigations related to PE (i.e. D-dimer or ventilation-perfusion (VQ) scan, or computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA)), and 30-day adjudicated outcomes including diagnosis of PE, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, serious hemorrhage and/or death. Results: Of the 9,091 patients (median age 66 years, 51.9% females, 39.1% hospitalized) with 30-day follow-up, 546 (6.0%) were investigated for PE: 278 (3.1%) had D-dimer, 39 (0.4%) had VQ and 347 (3.8%) patients had CTPA performed. 30-day outcomes included: 874 (9.6%) patients with any serious outcome; 0.9% deaths; and 818 (9.0%) patients with non-PE serious outcomes. Overall, 56 patients (prevalence 0.6%; 95% CI 0.5% 0.8%) were diagnosed with PE, including 8 (0.1%) of those admitted to hospital at the index presentation. Only 11 patients (0.1%) with a non-PE serious condition had a concomitant underlying PE identified. Conclusion: The prevalence of PE is very low among ED patients with syncope, including those hospitalized following syncope. While acknowledging syncope may be caused by an underlying PE, clinicians should be cautious against indiscriminate over-investigations for PE.

Introduction: Le syndrome aortique aigu (SAA) comprend les dissections aortiques, les hématomes intramuraux et les ulcères de lintima, trois conditions difficiles à diagnostiquer, potentiellement létales et nécessitant une prise en charge immédiate et fréquemment chirurgicale. Lutilisation dun test de D-dimère a été proposé afin dexclure ces diagnostics et éviter une investigation plus poussée par angiographie par tomodensitométrie (angioCT). Cependant, il est peu plausible que les patients souffrant dhématomes intramuraux aient une valeur de D-dimères très élevée. Dans ce contexte, lobjectif primaire de la présente étude est de déterminer la valeur diagnostique (sensibilité et spécificité et rapport de vraisemblance négatif [RV-]) dun test de D-dimères chez les patients suspectés de SAA au département durgence. Methods: Les patients ayant subi une angiographie par tomodensitométrie (angioCT) à la recherche dune dissection aortique entre 2008 et 2014 à lurgence dun hôpital tertiaire montréalais ont été inclus dans cette étude de cohorte rétrospective. Les patients nayant pas eu de dosage de D-dimères en ont par la suite été exclus. La valeur diagnostique dun test de D-dimères de plus de 500 mcg/L a été comparée à celle du test de référence (angioCT) afin de calculer la sensibilité, la spécificité et le rapport de vraisemblance négatif et leurs intervalles de confiance (IC). Results: Un total de 139 patients ont été inclus dans létude, parmi lesquels 12 (8,6%) souffraient dun SAA. La sensibilité dun test de D-dimères avec un seuil de positivité de 500 mcg/L était de 83,3% (IC 95% 51,6-97,9), la spécificité de 52,8% (IC 95% 47,8-66,4) et le VR- de 0,32 (IC 95% 0,09-1,13). Les deux patients pour qui le résultat du test de D-dimère était un faux négatif souffraient dun hématome intramural. Les sept patients avec un D-Dimères de plus de 4000 mcg/L semblaient souffrir dun diagnostic grave (dissection aortique : n=5, liquide libre intra-abdominal avec état de choc : n=1 et tamponnade cardiaque : n=1). Conclusion: Avoir un test de D-dimères inférieur à 500 mcg/L ne permet pas déliminer un SAA, particulièrement un hématome intramural.

Introduction: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a rare but fatal condition where over-investigation and missed diagnosis are common. Our objectives were to derive a highly sensitive clinical risk score for AAD and perform pilot validation. Methods: We started with two independent systemic reviews to firstly identify clinical variables associated with AAD and secondly to determine reasons for missed diagnosis. We searched Medline, Embase and the Cochrane database (1968-July 2016). Two reviewers screened articles and extracted data. Agreement was measured by Kappa and study quality by the QUADAS-2 tool. Bivariate random-effects meta-analyses (Revman 5 and SAS 9.3) were performed. Due to sampling bias found in the systematic reviews a matched case control study confirming the strength and direction of predictor variables was performed. The cases (2002-2014) included new emergency department (ED) or in-hospital diagnosis of non-traumatic AAD confirmed by computed tomography (CT). The controls (2010-2011) were a random age/sex matched sample of patients triaged with undifferentiated acute truncal pain (< 14 days). Finally, we used the beta coefficients derived from multivariate logistic regression of our case control study to assign a numerical strength of association to predictor variables. To mitigate the bias inherent in case control studies we adjusted the beta coefficient for each variable by the diagnostic odds ratio calculated from each systematic review. Pilot validation was performed on a retrospective sample of all those undergoing CTA to rule out AAD at two tertiary care ED over 12 months. Two abstractors were blinded to the final diagnosis. Results: We derived a two-step risk score based on the derivation sample which included 4960 patients(Clinical variables systematic review -9 studies, N=2400, low risk of bias, Kappa 0.9 & Reasons for missed diagnosis systematic review - 11 studies, N=800, low-moderate risk of bias, Kappa 0.89 & Case control study -194 AAD, 776 Controls). Step one is a RAPID assessment for AAD 1) Risk factors 2) Alternative diagnosis in the differential that mimics AAD- ACS, PE, Stroke 3) Physical exam- hypotension, pulse deficit 4) Impression- clinical suspicion of AAD and 5) Discomfort- migrating, tearing, pleuritic, thunderclap, severe pain. If any of the above factors are present proceed to step two. Step two stratifies patients based on history (low, moderate, high suspicion), physical exam (hypotension/pulse deficit) and risk factors. In the pilot validation (N=375,AAD=16) sensitivity was 100% (95%CI 79.4-100) and specificity 36.5% (95%CI 31.5-41.7%). Patients were successfully stratified into low (<2, 0% AAD), moderate (2, 2.2% AAD), high (>2, 19.6% AAD) and critical probability (>3, 62.5% AAD), with up to 36% reduction in imaging. Conclusion: We derived a highly sensitive new clinical risk score with the potential to reduce missed cases of AAD, reduce unnecessary imaging and expedite care.

Introduction: Electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythms are used during resuscitation (ACLS) to guide resuscitation, and often to determine futility. Survival rates to hospital discharge have been reported to be higher for patients with PEA than asystole in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This study examines how well the initial ECG cardiac rhythm represents actual cardiac activity as determined by point of care ultrasound (PoCUS). Methods: A database review was completed for patients arriving to a tertiary ED in asystole or PEA arrest, from 2010 to 2014. Patients under 19y or with a previous DNR were excluded. Patients were grouped into those with cardiac activity (PEA) and asystole on ECG; as well as whether cardiac activity was seen on PoCUS during the arrest. Data was analyzed for visualized cardiac activity on PoCUS. Results: 186 patients met the study criteria. Those with asystole on ECG were more likely to have no cardiac activity than those with PEA (Odds 7.21 for initial PoCUS; 5.45 for any PoCUS). The sensitivity of ECG rhythm was 80.49% and 82.12%, specificity was 77.91% and 54.28%, positive predictive value was 94.28% and 88.57%, and negative predictive value was 30.43% and 41.30% for cardiac activity on initial PoCUS and on any PoCUS respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios for ECG were 3.47 and 0.25 for activity on initial PoCUS. The positive and negative likelihood ratios for activity on any PoCUS were 1.78 and 0.33. Conclusion: Our results suggest that although most patients with asystole on ECG demonstrate no cardiac activity, a small number actually had activity on PoCUS. This supports the use of PoCUS during cardiac arrest, in addition to ECG, to identify patients with ongoing mechanical cardiac activity.

Introduction: One of the most high-risk tasks regularly performed by emergency medicine (EM) physicians is airway management. Many studies identify an increase in adverse events associated with airway management outside of the operating theatre. Errors of omission are the single most common human error type. To address this risk, the checklist is becoming a common pre-intubation tool. Simulation is a safe setting in which to study the implementation of a new airway checklist. The purpose of this study was to determine if a novel airway checklist decreases practitioners rates of omission of important tasks during simulated resuscitation scenarios. Methods: This was a dual-centre, randomized controlled trial of a novel airway checklist utilized by EM practitioners in a simulated environment. The 29-item peri-intubation checklist was derived by experienced EM practitioners following a review of airway checklists in published and gray literature. Participants were EM residents or EM physicians who work more than 20 hours/month in an emergency department. Volunteers were recruited from two academic health centres to complete three simulated scenarios (two requiring intubation, one cricothyroidotomy), and were randomized to either regular care or checklist use. A minimum of two assessors documented the number of omitted tasks deemed important in airway management and the time until definitive airway management. Discrepancies between assessors were resolved by single-assessor video review. Results: Fifty-four EM practitioners participated. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two study groups. The average percentage of omitted tasks over the three scenarios was 45.7% in the control group (n=25) and 13.5% in the checklist group (n=29) an absolute difference of 32.2% (95% CI: 27.8%, 36.6%). Time to intubation (normally distributed) was significantly longer in the checklist group for the first two scenarios (mean difference 114.10s, 95% CI: 48.21s, 179.98s and 76.34s, 95% CI:31.35s ,121.33s), but there was no statistical difference in the third scenario where cricothyroidotomy was required (mean difference 33.75s, 95% CI: -28.14s, 95.65s). Conclusion: In a simulated setting, use of an airway checklist significantly decreased the omission rate of important airway management tasks, however it increased the time to definitive airway management. Further study is required to determine if these findings are consistent in a clinical setting and how they impact the rate of adverse events.

Introduction: Studies suggest that there is a significant discrepancy between emergency physicians diagnosis of TIA and confirmation by neurologists. The objectives of our study were to identify factors associated with neurologists confirmation of TIA in patients referred from the emergency department. Methods: Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study across more than 8 university-affiliated Canadian hospitals from 2006-2017 of adult patients diagnosed with a TIA or non-disabling stroke in the ED. Patients presenting after 1 week of symptom onset, receiving TPA as part of a stroke code, with a GCS<15 at baseline, and without a neurology assessment within 90 days were excluded. Univariate analyses were performed with t-tests or chi-square tests as indicated. Multivariate analysis with backward elimination was performed to identify unique predictors of TIA confirmation. Results: Of 8,669 patients diagnosed with TIA in the ED, 7,836 (90%) were assessed by neurology. The mean age of patients was 68.2 years and 71.1% presented with their first ever TIA. The rate of confirmation of TIA by neurology was 56%. The most common alternate diagnoses included migraines (26%), peripheral vertigo (10%), syncope (6%), and seizure (4%). The 3 strongest predictors of confirmation of TIA were infarct on imaging (OR 2.31, 2.03-2.63), history of weakness (OR 2.19, 1.95-2.48), and history of language disturbance (OR 2.05, 1.79-2.34). The 3 strongest predictors of an alternate diagnosis were syncope (OR 0.51, 0.39-0.67), history of bilateral weakness (or 0.51, 0.31-0.84), and confusion (OR 0.57, 0.48-0.67). Conclusion: The rate of TIA confirmation by neurology in our study was 56%. Emergency physicians should have a high index of suspicion of TIA in patients with history of weakness and language disturbance, and should resist referring to a stroke prevention clinic, patients with syncope, bilateral findings, or confusion.

Introduction: Health advocacy training is an important part of emergency medicine practice and education. There is little agreement, however, about how advocacy should be taught and evaluated in the postgraduate context, and there is no consolidated evidence-base to guide the design and implementation of post-graduate health advocacy curricula. This literature review aims to identify existing models used for teaching and evaluating advocacy training, and to integrate these findings with current best-practices in medical education to develop practical, generalizable recommendations for those involved in the design of postgraduate advocacy training programs. Methods: Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed searches combined both MeSH and non-MeSH variations on advocacy and internship and residency. Forward snowballing that incorporated grey literature searches from accreditation agencies, residency websites and reports were included. Articles were excluded if unrelated to advocacy and postgraduate medical education. Results: 507 articles were identified in the search. A total of 108 peer reviewed articles and 38 grey literature resources were included in the final analysis. Results show that many regulatory bodies and residency programs integrate advocacy training into their mission statements and curricula, but they are not prescriptive about training methods or assessment strategies. Barriers to advocacy training were identified, most notably confusion about the definition of the advocate role and a lower value placed on advocacy by trainees and educators. Common training methods included didactic modules, standardized patient encounters, and clinical exposure to vulnerable populations. Longitudinal exposure was less common but appeared the most promising, often linked to scholarly or policy objectives. Conclusion: This review indicates that postgraduate medical education advocacy curricula are largely designed in an ad-hoc fashion with little consistency across programs even within a given discipline. Longitudinal curriculum design appears to engage residents and allows for achievement of stated outcomes. Residency program directors from emergency medicine and other specialties may benefit from promising models in pediatrics, and a shared portal with access to advocacy curricula and the opportunity to exchange ideas related to curriculum design and implementation.

Introduction: Direct observation is essential to assess medical trainees and provide them with feedback to support their progression from novice to competent physicians. However, learners consistently report infrequent observations, and calls to increase direct observation in medical training abound. In this study, a theory-driven approach using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was applied to systematically investigate factors that serve as barriers and enablers to direct observation in residency training. Methods: Semi-structured interviews of faculty and residents from various specialties at two large tertiary-care teaching hospitals were conducted. An interview guide based on the TDF was used to capture 14 theoretical domains that may influence direct observation. Interview transcripts were independently coded using direct content analysis by two researchers, and specific beliefs were generated by grouping similar responses. Relevant domains were identified based on the frequencies of beliefs reported, presence of conflicting beliefs, and perceived influence on direct observation practices. Results: Data saturation was achieved after 12 resident and 13 faculty interviews, with a total of 10 different specialties represented. Median postgraduate year among residents was 4 (range 1-6), and mean years of independent practice among faculty was 10.3 (SD=8.6). Ten TDF domains were identified as influencing direct observation: knowledge, skills, beliefs about consequences, social professional role and identity, intention, goals, memory/attention/decision-making, environmental context and resources, social influences, and behavioural regulation. Discord between faculty and resident intentions to engage in direct observation, coupled with the social expectation that residents should be responsible for ensuring observations occur, was identified as a key barrier. Additionally, competing demands identified across multiple TDF domains emerged as an important and pervasive theme. Conclusion: This study identified key barriers and enablers to direct observation. The influencing factors identified in this study provide a basis for the development of potential strategies aimed at embedding direct observation as a routine pedagogical practice in residency training.

Introduction: Survival from cardiac arrest has been linked to the quality of resuscitation care. Unfortunately, healthcare providers frequently underperform in these critical scenarios, with a well-documented deterioration in skills weeks to months following advanced life support courses. Improving initial training and preventing decay in knowledge and skills are a priority in resuscitation education. The spacing effect has repeatedly been shown to have an impact on learning and retention. Despite its potential advantages, the spacing effect has seldom been applied to organized education training or complex motor skill learning where it has the potential to make a significant impact. The purpose of this study was to determine if a resuscitation course taught in a spaced format compared to the usual massed instruction results in improved retention of procedural skills. Methods: EMS providers (Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT)) were block randomized to receive a Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course in either a spaced format (four 210-minute weekly sessions) or a massed format (two sequential 7-hour days). Blinded observers used expert-developed 4-point global rating scales to assess video recordings of each learner performing various resuscitation skills before, after and 3-months following course completion. Primary outcomes were performance on infant bag-valve-mask ventilation (BVMV), intraosseous (IO) insertion, infant intubation, infant and adult chest compressions. Results: Forty-eight of 50 participants completed the study protocol (26 spaced and 22 massed). There was no significant difference between the two groups on testing before and immediately after the course. 3-months following course completion participants in the spaced cohort scored higher overall for BVMV (2.2 ± 0.13 versus 1.8 ± 0.14, p=0.012) without statistically significant difference in scores for IO insertion (3.0 ± 0.13 versus 2.7± 0.13, p= 0.052), intubation (2.7± 0.13 versus 2.5 ± 0.14, p=0.249), infant compressions (2.5± 0.28 versus 2.5± 0.31, p=0.831) and adult compressions (2.3± 0.24 versus 2.2± 0.26, p=0.728) Conclusion: Procedural skills taught in a spaced format result in at least as good learning as the traditional massed format; more complex skills taught in a spaced format may result in better long term retention when compared to traditional massed training as there was a clear difference in BVMV and trend toward a difference in IO insertion.

Introduction: In high stakes, performance-oriented professions, the ability to execute in stressful situations is both a prerequisite and an intense focus of training. Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is a three-step cognitive-behavioural intervention aimed at reducing stress that may play a role in helping EM teams prepare for high acuity events. We conducted a systematic review of literature in medicine and performance-oriented professions to inform the development of an EM-focused SIT curriculum. Methods: An electronic search of Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, PsychINFO, ProQuest and Scopus was conducted. Inclusion criteria were studies investigating the impact of stress inoculation training on performance and anxiety reduction. Data extraction included recording of performance and anxiety domains measured in each study and the details of how the stress inoculation training was delivered. Screening of articles, data extraction, and summarization were conducted by two independent reviewers using a standardized data extraction tool. Results: Our search yielded 431 studies; 40 were screened for full-text review and 10 met inclusion criteria. A total of 930 trainees throughout the 10 studies were enrolled. Four studies consisted of students in varying disciplines, including law, technology, education, and general undergraduate students, and 4 studies were composed of military personnel. No papers directly examined the effect of stress inoculation training on performance in healthcare. A change in performance and a reduction in anxiety and/or stress was noted in 90% of studies. Training length, experience of trainer, or group size did not appear to impact outcomes. Notably, heart rate variability (HRV) did not appear to be affected throughout the studies included, while cortisol and subjective stress were consistently reduced. Conclusion: SIT is an effective tool for enhancing performance and reducing stress and anxiety in high intensity environments. Studies examining the effect of EM-focused SIT on individual, team and patient-orient outcomes are needed.

Introduction: Enhanced skills training in emergency medicine (EM) for family physicians (CCFP(EM)) has existed since the 1970s. Accreditation standards define what every program must and should have, yet little is known on what is currently done across Canada. Our objectives were to: 1) describe major components of CCFP(EM) programs; and 2) determine how programs incorporate these components into their curriculum. Methods: A rigorous development process included expert content development and in-person pilot testing using Royal College Emergency Medicine Program Directors. An electronic survey questionnaire comprised of 63 questions was administered to all 17 CCFP(EM) program directors using a modified Dillman technique. Non-responders were sent a reminder email every 2 weeks over a 6-week period and an in-person reminder was given to non-responders at a face to face meeting 4 weeks after the initial survey was sent in June 2016. Results: All 17/17 (100%) program directors responded. There was considerable variation in administrative structure and financial support for each program. All programs provided ultrasound courses for basic skills (trauma, abdominal aortic aneurysm, intrauterine pregnancy). Variation exists for offering independent ultrasound certification (77%), advanced scanning (18%) and protected academic time for scanning (53%). All programs utilize high fidelity simulation. Some programs use in situ simulation (18%) and hold a simulation boot camp (41%). Most centres required an academic project, most commonly a quality assurance project (53%) and/or a critical appraisal of the literature (59%). Publication or national conference presentations were required by 12% of programs. Competency based assessments use simulation (88%) and direct observations (53%). Only 24% of programs have a transition to practice curriculum. All programs maintain strong connections to family medicine. Conclusion: This study demonstrates diverse structures of CCFP(EM) programs across Canada. Programs are similar regarding the provision of ultrasound, simulation and protected teaching time. Variation exists in administrative structure and financial resources of each program, academic project requirements, and how programs perform competency based assessments.

Introduction: Pediatric musculoskeletal (MSK) image interpretation has been identified as a knowledge gap among emergency medicine trainees. The main objective of this study was to implement a validated on-line pediatric MSK radiograph interpretation system with a performance-based competency endpoint into pediatric emergency fellowship programs and examine the number of cases needed to achieve a competency threshold of 80% accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. We further determined proportion who successfully achieved competency in a given module and the change in accuracy from baseline to competency. Methods: This was a prospective cohort multi-centre study. There were seven MSK radiograph modules, each containing 200-400 cases (demo-https://imagesim.com/course-information/demo/). Thirty-seven pediatric emergency medicine fellows participated for 12 months. Participants did cases until they reached competency, defined as at least 80% accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. We calculated the overall and per module median number of cases required to achieve competency, proportion of participants who achieved competency, median time on case, and the mean change in accuracy from baseline to competency. Results: Overall, the median number of cases required to achieve competency was 76 (min 54, max 756). Between different body parts, there was a significant difference in the median number of cases needed to achieve competency, p <0.0001, with ankle and knee being among the most challenging modules. Proportions of those who started a module and completed it to competency varied significantly, and ranged from 32.4% in the ankle module to 97.1% in the forearm/hand, p<0.0001. The overall median time on each case was 34.1 (min 7.6, max 89.5) seconds. The overall change in accuracy from baseline to 80% competency was 13.5% (95% CI 12.1, 14.8), with the respective Cohens effect size of 1.98. The change in accuracy was different between modules, p=0.001, with post-hoc analyses demonstrating that the ankle/foot radiograph module had a greater increase in accuracy relative to elbow (p=0.009) and pelvis/femur (p=0.006). Conclusion: It was feasible for pediatric emergency medicine fellows to complete each learning pediatric MSK learning module to competency within approximately one hour, with the exception of the ankle module. Learners who completed the modules to competency demonstrated very significant increases in interpretation skill.

Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) is a demanding specialty with high rates of physician burnout. As emergency physicians, we must stay healthy to promote healthy living, optimize our ability to care for our patients, extend our careers, and be there for our families. While we all desire a healthy lifestyle, maintaining one in practice can be difficult. We sought to investigate the strategies emergency physician employ to maintain and improve health and wellness while mitigating the professions stressors. Methods: From April 2015 to July 2017, forty-three wellness champions from Canada, the USA, and Australia were identified using a snowball sampling technique. Each participant answered 5 introductory questions and 8 productivity questions pertaining to health and wellness. These were transcribed and loaded to a publicly accessible blog, ALiEM.com, as part of the Healthy in EM series. Two investigators reviewed the transcripts using inductive methods and a grounded theory approach to generate themes and subthemes using coding software, NVivo (Burlington, Massachusetts), until saturation was achieved. Consensus between investigators (JC, ZP) established the master code and audit trail. An external audit by investigators (TC, BT) not involved with the initial analysis was performed to ensure reliability. Results: Major themes including diet, sleep, exercise and social activities were coded and further subcategorized along with perspectives, habits, personal philosophies, and career diversity. These themes translated across both professional and personal aspects of participants lives. For example, the pre-shift and post-shift strategies often included some form of regimented activities-of-daily-living that required discipline to adhere to at work and home. Conclusion: Our findings show the importance of homeostasis in the professional and personal realm among expert emergency medicine physicians. Among healthy emergency physicians, diet, sleep, and exercise patterns intertwined with perspectives, habits, personal philosophies, and social activities contributed to maintenance of wellness.

Introduction: Checklists used during intubation have been associated with improved patient safety. Since simulation provides an effective and safe learning environment, it is an ideal modality for training practitioners to effectively employ an airway checklist. However, physician attitudes surrounding the utility of both checklists and simulation may impede the implementation process of airway checklists into clinical practice. This study sought to characterize attitudinal factors that may impact the implementation of airway checklists, including perceptions of checklist utility and simulation training. Methods: Emergency medicine (EM) residents and physicians working more than 20 hours/month in an emergency department from two academic centres were invited to participate in a simulated, randomized controlled trial (RCT) featuring three scenarios performed with or without the use of an airway checklist. Following participation in the scenarios, participants completed either a 26-item (control group), or 35-item (checklist group) paper-based survey comprised of multiple-choice, Likert-type, rank-list and open-ended questions exploring their perceptions of the airway checklist (checklist group only) and simulation as a learning modality (all participants). Results: Fifty-four EM practitioners completed the questionnaire. Most control group participants (n=24/25, 96.0%) believed an airway checklist would have been helpful (scored 5/7 or greater) for the scenarios. The majority of checklist group participants (n=29) believed that the checklist was helpful for equipment (27, 93.1%) and patient (26, 89.6%) preparation, and post-intubation care (21, 82.8%), but that the checklist delayed definitive airway management and was not helpful for airway assessment, medication selection, or choosing to perform a surgical airway. This group also believed that using the airway checklist would reduce errors during intubation (27, 93.1%) and that the simulated scenarios were beneficial for adopting the use of the checklist (28, 96.6%). Fifty-three participants (98.1%) believed that simulation is beneficial for continuing medical education and 51 respondents (94.4%) thought that skills learned in this simulation were transferable. Conclusion: EM practitioners participating in a simulation-based RCT of an airway checklist had positive attitudes towards both the utility of airway checklists and simulation as a learning modality. Thus, simulation may be an effective process to train practitioners to use airway checklists prior to clinical implementation.

Introduction: Simulation-based education systems have increased physician skill in radiograph interpretation. However, the degree of skill retention and the factors that influence it are relatively unknown. The main objective of this research was to determine the rate and quantity of skill decay in post-graduate trainee physicians who completed a simulation-based learning intervention of radiograph interpretation. The impact of testing and refresher education on skill decay was also examined. Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, analysis-blinded, four arm randomized control trial conducted from November 2014 to June 2016. Study interventions were administered using an on-line learning and measurement platform. Pediatric and emergency medicine residents in the United States and Canada were eligible for study participation. Participants were randomized to one of four groups. All participants completed an 80-case deliberately practiced learning set of pediatric elbow radiographs followed by an immediate 20-case post-test. Following this, Group 1 had no testing until 12 months; Groups 2, 3, and 4 had testing (20 cases without feedback) every 2 months until 12 months, but Group 3 also had refresher education (20 cases with feedback) at six months while Group 4 had refresher education at two, six, and ten months. The main outcome measure was accuracy at 12 months, adjusted for immediate post-test score, days to completion of 12 month test, and time on case. Based on prior data, we assumed the smallest important difference between groups in learning decay is 10%, a between-participant/within-group standard deviation of 17%, a type I error probability of 5%, a power of 80% and adjusted for three tests with a Bonferroni correction. For the primary analysis of Group 1 versus 2, 3, 4, this resulted in a minimal total sample size of 56, with 14 participants per group. Results: We enrolled 106 participants that completed all study interventions. The sample sizes in Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 42, 22, 22, and 20 respectively. Overall, accuracy increased by 11.8% (95% CI 9.8, 13.8) with the 80-case learning set and then decreased by 5.5% (95% CI 2.5, 8.5) at 12 months. The difference in learning decay in Group 1 vs. Groups 2, 3, 4 was -8.1% (95% CI 2.5, 13.5), p=0.005. For Group 2 vs. Group 3 and 4, it was +0.8% (95% CI -7.2, 7.3), p=0.8, and between Group 3 vs. Group 4 it was +0.8% (95% CI -7.3, 10.1), p=0.8. Conclusion: Skill decay was significantly reduced by testing with 20 cases every two months. Refresher education had no additional effect to testing on reducing learning decay.

Introduction: Head injury is a common presentation to all emergency departments. Previous research has shown that such injuries may be complicated by delayed intracranial hemorrhage (D-ICH) after the initial scan is negative. Exposure to anticoagulant or anti-platelet medications (ACAP) may be a risk factor for D-ICH. We have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the incidence of delayed traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in patients taking anticoagulants, anti-platelets or both. Methods: The literature search was conducted in March 2017 with an update in April 2017. Keyword and MeSH terms were used to search OVID Medline, Embase and the Cochrane database as well as grey literature sources. All cohort and experimental studies were eligible for selection. Inclusion criteria included pre-injury exposure to oral anticoagulant and / or anti-platelet medication and a negative initial CT scan of the brain (CT1). The primary outcome was delayed intracranial hemorrhage present on repeat CT scan (CT2) within 48 hours of the presentation. Only patients who were rescanned or observed minimally were included. Clinically significant D-ICH were those that required neurosurgery, caused death or necessitated a change in management strategy, such as admission. Results: Fifteen primary studies were ultimately identified, comprising a total of 3801 patients. Of this number, 2111 had a control CT scan. 39 cases of D-ICH were identified, with the incidence of D-ICH calculated to be 1.31% (95% CI [0.56, 2.27]). No more than 12 of these patients had a clinically significant D-ICH representing 0.09% (95% CI [0.00, 0.31]). 10 of them were on warfarin and two on aspirin. There were three deaths recorded and three patients needed neurosurgery. Conclusion: The relatively low incidence suggests that repeat CT should not be mandatory for patients without ICH on first CT. This is further supported by the negligibly low rate of clinically significant D-ICH. Evidence-based assessments should be utilised to indicate the appropriate discharge plan, with further research required to guide the balance between clinical observation and repeat CT.