Validation of a prehospital trauma triage tool: a 10-year perspective

Critical Care Helicopter Overtriage: A Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Overtriage (OT) of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) poses significant burden to multiple stakeholders. The project aims were to identify the following: 1) associated factors, 2) downstream effects, and 3) focus areas for change.

METHODS

We undertook a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to evaluate our HEMS interfacility transport process. Data were collected from organizational finances and 3 key stakeholder groups: 1) interfacility patients transferred by HEMS in 2017 who were discharged from the receiving facility within 24 hours (n = 149), 2) flight registered nurses (n = 19), and 3) referring emergency medicine providers (EMPs) (n = 30) from the top HEMS users of 2017. The completed FMEA identified failure modes, the frequency and severity of effects, and unique risk profile numbers (RPNs).

RESULTS

Twelve failure modes were identified with 30 potential causes. Leading failure modes included inappropriate HEMS requests by EMPs (RPN = 343), inappropriate activation by EMS for interfacility transport (RPN = 343), and minimizing patient/family involvement in decision making (RPN = 315). Significant burdens to organizational finances and flight registered nurse satisfaction were identified.

CONCLUSION

Associated factors for interfacility HEMS OT, downstream effects, and areas for change were identified. EMP and emergency medical services practices, HEMS processes, and shared decision making may affect regional OT rates.

Developing a decision support system for patients with severe infection conditions in pre-hospital care

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a pre-hospital decision support system (DSS) for the emergency medical services (EMS), enabling the identification and steering of patients with critical infectious conditions (i.e., severe respiratory tract infections, severe central nervous system (CNS) infections, and sepsis) to a specialized emergency department (ED) for infectious diseases.

METHODS

The development process involved four consecutive steps. The first step was gathering data from the electronic patient care record system (ePCR) on patients transported by the EMS, in order to identify retrospectively appropriate patient categories for steering. The second step was to let a group of medical experts give advice and suggestions for further development of the DSS. The third and fourth steps were the evaluation and validation, respectively, of the whole pre-hospital DSS in a pilot study.

RESULTS

A pre-hospital decision support tool (DST) was developed for three medical conditions: severe respiratory infection, severe CNS infection, and sepsis. The pilot study included 72 patients, of whom 60% were triaged to a highly specialized emergency department (ED-Spec) with an attending infectious disease physician (ID physician). The results demonstrated that the pre-hospital emergency nurses (PENs) adhered to the DST in 66 of 72 patient cases (91.6%). For those patients steered to the ED-Spec, the assessment made by PENs and the ID physician at the ED was concordant in 94% of cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of a specific DSS aiming to identify patients with three different severe infectious diseases appears to give accurate decision support to PENs when steering patients to the optimal level of care.

Managing moderately injured pediatric patients without immediate surgeon presence: 10 years later

PURPOSE

Beginning in 2003, the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physician replaced the surgeon as the team leader for all level II trauma resuscitations at a busy pediatric trauma center. The purpose was to review the outcomes 10 years after implementing this practice change.

METHODS

Trauma registry data for all level II activations requiring admission were extracted for the 21 months (April 1, 2001-December 31, 2002) prior to policy change (period 1, **n=627) and compared to the admitted patients from the 10 subsequent years (2003-2013; period 2, n=2694). Data included demographics, length of stay (LOS), injury severity score (ISS), readmissions, complications, and mortality.

RESULTS

Mean ISS scores for admitted patients during period 1 (8.5) were higher than during period 2 (7.8). During period 1, 53.6% of patients underwent abdominal CT versus 41.8% in period 2 (p<.001), and the median ED LOS was 135 versus 191 minutes in period 2. From 2000 to 2003, 91% of patients seen as level II trauma alerts were admitted compared to 56.6% of patients in period 2 (p<0.001). There were no missed abdominal injuries identified, and readmission rate was low.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that level II trauma resuscitations can be safely evaluated and managed without immediate surgeon presence. Although ED LOS increased, admission rate and CT scan usage decreased significantly without an increase in missed injuries.

Trauma System Overtriage: Are We on Track?

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) recommends trauma overtriage rate (OT) below 50 per cent to maximize efficiency while ensuring optimal care. This retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate OT rates in our Level I trauma center using the most recent criteria and guidelines. OT rates during a 12-month period were measured using six definitions based on combinations of Injury Severity Score (ISS), length of hospital stay (LOS, in days), procedures, and disposition after the emergency department. Reason for trauma activation was 55 per cent criteria, 16 per cent guidelines, 11 per cent paramedic judgment, five per cent no reason, and 13 per cent no documentation. OT rates ranged from 22.6 per cent (ISS less than 9, LOS 1 day or less, no consults) to 48.2 per cent (ISS less than 9, LOS 3 days or less, with procedures/consults) and were in compliance with ACS recommendations. Physiologic assessment criteria and anatomic injury had the lowest OT rates and contained all mortalities. Passenger space intrusion (PSI), pedestrian versus automobile (criterion and guideline), and extrication (guideline) all had consistently high rates of OT. We conclude that PSI should be reduced to a guideline, the pedestrian versus automobile criterion and guideline should be combined, and extrication could be removed from the triage scheme.

Design and development of a mobile-based system for supporting emergency triage decision making

Emergency care for mass casualty incidents is a sophisticated multi-participant process. To manage this process effectively, many information systems have been proposed. However, their performance in improving the efficiency and accuracy of patient triage is not satisfactory. This paper is concerned with the development of a mobile-based system for supporting emergency triage in the emergency care process for mass casualty incidents. This system collects the patient's emergency data throughout the whole emergency care process through a mobile application and data transfer mechanism. Using a Cox proportional hazard model, the system has the capacity to present the survival curve to the triage officer, helping him/her to make triage and transportation decisions. This system offers an alternative injury assessment tool based on the vital signs data of the injury patient. With the help of this system, the triage officer can more directly and comprehensively learn about each patient's situation and deterioration without additional operations at the incident site.

Technology for trauma: testing the validity of a smartphone app for pre-hospital clinicians

INTRODUCTION

With the introduction of regional trauma networks in England, ambulance clinicians have been required to make triage decisions relating to severity of injury, and appropriate destination for the patient, which may require 'bypassing' the nearest Emergency Department. A 'Trauma Unit Bypass Tool' is utilised in this process. The Major Trauma Triage tool smartphone application (App) is a digital representation of a tool, available for clinicians to use on their smartphone. Prior to disseminating the application, validity and performance against the existing paper-based tool was explored.

METHODS

A case-based study using clinical scenarios was conducted. Scenarios, with appropriate triage decisions, were agreed by an expert panel. Ambulance clinicians were assigned to either the paper-based tool or smartphone app group and asked to make a triage decision using the available information. The positive predictive value (PPV) of each tool was calculated.

RESULTS

The PPV of the paper tool was 0.76 and 0.86 for the smartphone app. User comments were mainly positive for both tools with no negative comments relating to the smartphone app.

CONCLUSION

The smartphone app version of the Trauma Unit Bypass Tool performs at least as well as the paper version and can be utilised safely by pre-hospital clinicians in supporting triage decisions relating to potential major trauma.

Does helicopter transport impact outcome following trauma?

Helicopter transport (HT) has evolved from military roots into a critical component of trauma systems throughout the world. Concerns over cost and safety continue to challenge the role of HT in the civilian setting. Despite this, recent evidence has demonstrated a survival advantage for trauma patients undergoing HT. For patients transported from the scene of injury, improved survival has been shown in several multicenter studies as well as evaluation of large national databases. Issues of overtriage, however, remain problematic for scene HT and represent a prime area for future research in helicopter emergency medical systems (EMS). Patients undergoing inter-facility transfer have also been shown to have improved outcomes over ground transport in terms of shorter transfer times and increased survival particularly in more severely injured patients. The benefits seen are likely a result of a combination of rapid transport, advanced medical capabilities, and accessibility to remote terrain. Several subgroups of patients undergoing HT have been the subject of study as well. Patients with severe head injury have consistently been shown to have superior outcomes over ground ambulance, attributable to improvements in airway management early in the course of their injury. Conversely, HT for urban and penetrating injury has not seen similar benefits, likely due to proximity of trauma centers and recent advancements in urban EMS systems. The benefits of including physicians in helicopter crews are less clear and vary by region and system. Helicopter transport for trauma does appear to improve outcomes for trauma patients, and optimizing utilization of this valuable resource will be key as the role of helicopter EMS continues to develop within trauma systems.

Acute costs and predictors of higher treatment costs for major paediatric trauma in New South Wales, Australia

AIMS

To describe the costs of acute trauma admissions for children aged ≤15 years in trauma centres; to identify predictors of higher treatment costs and quantify differences in actual and state-wide average cost in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

METHOD

Admitted trauma patient data provided by 12 trauma centres was linked with financial data for 2008-2009. Demographic, injury details and injury severity scores (ISS) were obtained from trauma registries. Individual patient costs, Australian Refined Diagnostic Related Groups (AR-DRG) and state-wide average costs were obtained. Actual costs incurred by each hospital were compared with state-wide AR-DRG average costs. Multivariate multiple linear regression identified predictors of cost.

RESULTS

There were 3493 patients with a total cost of AUD$20.2 million. Falls (AUD$6.7 million) and road trauma (AUD$4.4 million) had the highest total expenditure. The reduction in cost between ISS < 9 compared to ISS 9-12 and ISS > 12 was significant (P < 0.0001). The median cost of injury increased with every additional body region injured (P < 0.0001). For each additional day spent in hospital, there was an increased cost of AUD$1898 and patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) cost AUD$7358 more than patients not admitted to ICU. The total costs incurred by trauma centres were AUD$1.4 million above the NSW peer group average cost estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

The high financial cost of paediatric patient treatment highlights the need to ensure prevention remains a priority in Australia. Hospitals tasked with providing trauma care should be appropriately funded and future funding models should consider trauma severity.

The management of trauma victims with head injury: a study by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death

Introduction

In 2006 the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death undertook a large prospective study of trauma care, which revealed several findings pertaining to the management of head injuries in a sample of 493 patients.

Methods

Case note data were collected for all trauma patients admitted to all hospitals accepting emergencies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands over a three-month period. Severely injured patients with an injury severity score (ISS) of ≥16 were included in the study. The case notes for these patients were peer reviewed by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, who rated the overall level of care the patient received.

Results

Of the 795 patients who met the inclusion criteria for the study, 493 were admitted with a head injury. Room for improvement in the level of care was found in a substantial number of patients (265/493). Good practice was found to be highest in high volume centres. The overall head injury management was found to be satisfactory in 84% of cases (319/381).

Conclusions

This study has shown that care for trauma patients with head injury is frequently rated as less than good and suggests potential long-term remedies for the problem, including a reconfiguration of trauma services and better provision of neurocritical care facilities.

Nurses as first responders in a mass casualty: are you prepared?

A mass casualty event is a situation in which the need for medical care and resources, including personnel, exceeds that which is available. As the largest component of the health care workforce, nurses represent a significant resource that can be called on to act as first responders during a mass casualty. However, current education and national guidelines fail to provide specific instruction on pre-hospital nursing considerations and interventions. This article provides evidence-based guidelines designed for nurses to use when acting as first responders during a disaster and presents recommendations for future nursing practice related to mass casualty events.

Impact of trauma dispatch algorithm software on the rate of missions of emergency medical services

BACKGROUND

Trauma still stands atop of the list of emergencies. Transfer of these patients via Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch is critical with regard to importance of timing. This aspect has achieved greater importance due to population increase and telephone triage.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to decrease unnecessary Emergency Medical Services (EMS) missions via a computer program designed for an algorithmic approach for trauma care by nurses involved in EMS, to help them evaluate the case more accurately. We named our program "Trauma Dispatch Algorithm".

MATERIALS AND METHODS

First, the most common chief complaints regarding traumatic events were chosen from searching all the calls in December 2008 recorded in Tehran, Iran's EMS center; and then an algorithm approach was written for them. These algorithms were revised by three traumatologists and emergency medicine specialists, after their approval the algorithms were evaluated by EMS dispatch center for their practicality. Finally all data were turned into computer software. The program was used at the Tehran EMS center; 100 recorded calls assessed with each system were selected randomly. They were evaluated by another traumatologist whether it was necessary to send a team to the site or not.

RESULTS

The age average was 26 years in both groups. The "trauma dispatch algorithm" was significantly effective in reducing the unnecessary missions of EMS by 16% (from 42% to 26%) (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

This program was effective in reducing unnecessary missions. We propose the usage of this system in all EMS centers.

A review of traumatic brain injury trauma center visits meeting physiologic criteria from The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Field Triage Guidelines

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a serious subset of injuries among persons in the United States, and prehospital care of these injuries can mitigate both the morbidity and the mortality in patients who suffer from these injuries. Guidelines for triage of injured patients have been set forth by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These guidelines include physiologic criteria, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, systolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate, which should be used in determining triage of an injured patient.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the numbers of visits at level I and II trauma centers by patients with a diagnosed TBI to determine the prevalence of those meeting physiologic criteria from the ACS-COT/CDC guidelines and to determine the extent of mortality among this patient population.

METHODS

The data for this study were taken from the 2007 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) National Sample Program (NSP). This data set is a nationally representative sample of visits to level I and II trauma centers across the United States and is funded by the American College of Surgeons. Estimates of demographic characteristics, physiologic measures, and death were made for this study population using both chi-square analyses and adjusted logistic regression modeling.

RESULTS

The analyses demonstrated that although many people who sustain a TBI and were taken to a level I or II trauma center did not meet the physiologic criteria, those who did meet the physiologic criteria had significantly higher odds of death than those who did not meet the criteria. After controlling for age, gender, race, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and length of stay in the hospital, persons who had a GCS score ≤13 were 17 times more likely to die than TBI patients who had a higher GCS score (odds ratio [OR] 17.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.7-28.3). Other physiologic criteria also demonstrated significant odds of death.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the validity of the ACS-COT/CDC physiologic criteria in this population and stress the importance of prehospital triage of patients with TBI in the hopes of reducing both the morbidity and the mortality resulting from this injury.

Differences in trauma team activation criteria among Norwegian hospitals

BACKGROUND

To ensure the rapid and correct triage of patients in potential need of specialized treatment, Norwegian hospitals are expected to establish trauma teams with predefined criteria for their activation. The objective of this study was to map and describe the criteria currently in use.

METHODS

We undertook a cross-sectional survey in the summer of 2008, using structured telephone interviews to all Norwegian hospitals that might admit severely injured patients.

RESULTS

Forty-nine hospitals were included, of which 48 (98%) had a trauma team and 20 had a hospital-based trauma registry. Criteria for trauma team activation were found at 46 (94%) hospitals. No single criterion was common to all hospitals. The median number of criteria per hospital was 23 (range 8-40), with a total number of 156 and wide variation with respect to physiological "cut-off" values. The mechanism of injury was commonly in use despite a well-known, large over-triage rate.

CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, Norwegian hospitals have gradually established trauma teams and criteria for their activation. These criteria show considerable variation, including physiological "cut-off" values.

Investigation of final destination hospitals for patients in helicopter emergency medical services (doctor-helicopter) in Fukushima Prefecture

PURPOSE

In using an emergency medical service helicopter with an emergency medicine doctor on board (doctor-helicopter), transporting all patients to the University Hospital (base hospital for the helicopter) could cause a chronic bed shortage at the University Hospital. It is also disadvantageous for patients from distant areas. We investigated whether appropriate hospital selections are being carried out in Fukushima Prefecture.

METHODS

The subjects of the study were patients who were transported by doctor-helicopter since the services started. We investigated the medical conditions of patients at emergency scenes, whether they were transported to a hospital inside or outside the region, the means of transportation, and the final destination hospital.

RESULTS

There were 450 flights, of which 295 were to emergency scenes, involving 307 patients. The majority were trauma patients (191 patients, 62.2%). The final destination hospital was the University Hospital for 104 patients (33.9%); 99 patients (30.3%) were transported to three emergency and critical care medical centers (ECCMCs) in other regions. Most patients were transported to appropriate hospitals in the respective regions. The means of transportation from the emergency scene was by doctor-helicopter in the largest number of cases (223 patients, 72.6%), and the final destination hospital was ECCMCs in 81.6% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Patients from emergency scenes are transported by doctor-helicopter to appropriate hospitals in the region, and hospitals in each region are cooperating with the doctor-helicopter operations.