Psychological Morbidity among Emergency Department Doctors and Nurses after the SARS Outbreak

Objective

To determine the psychological morbidity among emergency department (ED) doctors and nurses six months after the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

Methods

During the SARS outbreak from 13 March to 31 May 2003, the study ED was designated as Singapore's only screening centre for SARS and was closed to all other patients. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in November 2003. Doctors and nurses of the study ED who had patient contact during the outbreak were included. Data collected were demographics and responses to (a) Impact of Event Scale (IES) and (b) General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ 28). Scores were assigned to the responses whereby an IES score ≥26/75 or a GHQ 28 score ≥5/28 was indicative of post-event and psychiatric morbidity respectively.

Results

Thirty-eight out of 41 (92.7%) doctors and 58 out of 83 (69.9%) nurses responded. Fewer doctors reported post-event and psychiatric morbidity compared to nurses, with 5 (13.2%) doctors and 12 (20.7%) nurses scoring ≥26 on IES, 6 (15.8%) doctors and 12 (20.7%) nurses scoring ≥5 on GHQ 28. The doctors reported a median of 9.5 (range 0–47) on IES and 0 (range 0–11) on GHQ 28. The nurses reported a median of 15 (range 0–61) on IES and 1 (range 0–25) on GHQ 28.

Conclusions

Six months after SARS, the rates of post-event and psychiatric morbidity were relatively low among the study ED doctors and nurses. The results might have underestimated actual morbidity as the study was conducted six months after the outbreak.

Female Trauma Patients in the Emergency Department: Should their Injury Prevention Programme be Different?

Background

(1) To compare the characteristics of female and male trauma patients seen in the Emergency Department (ED) and (2) to determine if injury prevention programmes for women should be different.

Methods

A prospective survey was conducted for 11544 trauma patients, aged 15 years and above, who presented to the ED of an urban public hospital in Singapore over 6 months. The following data were collected: demography, place, type and mechanism of injury and subsequent disposition from the ED.

Results

Almost half (49.5%) the injuries sustained by females occurred at home, with low falls of less than 2 metres being the most common mechanism of injury (52.7%). Victims of domestic violence were predominantly female at p<0.0001.

Conclusion

Injury prevention programs for women should focus on home safety and low falls. Special assistance programs for the victims of domestic violence should be available in the ED as the latter may be their only access to safety.

Emergency Department Triage Nurse Initiated Pain Management

Objectives

1) To determine the time difference to analgesia administration for patients with painful limb conditions using an emergency triage nurse initiated pain management protocol versus analgesia administration by emergency doctors after consultation. 2) To determine the frequency of adverse events following such a protocol implementation.

Methods

For emergency department patients with isolated limb injury or inflammation, a triage nurse initiated pain management policy was implemented in 2004. The protocol did not require the triage nurse to consult a physician. The triage nurse would record the chief complaint, past medical history, allergy, medication, vital signs, and pain severity using a combination of 0 to 10 numerical and face pain scales. Unless contraindicated, the triage nurse would offer intramuscular ketorolac to patients with pain score ≥5. Medical charts of patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were reviewed from 1 to 30 September 2004.

Results

Two hundred seventy-three patients were reviewed, of whom 73.3% were men and the overall mean age was 40.1 years (standard deviation SD 19.5). Two hundred and nine patients (76.6%) had pain score recorded at triage, and the median was 6. One hundred and five patients (38.5%) received analgesia, of which 69 were given by triage nurses and 36 by physicians. The mean time interval for analgesia given by triage nurse was 2.5 minutes (SD 8.9) and that for physician was significantly longer (p<0.0001) at 68.2 minutes (SD 59.5). There was no adverse drug reaction observed in patients who received intramuscular ketorolac given by triage nurses.

Conclusion

The time interval for pain relief of emergency department patients with painful limb conditions was reduced when the triage nurse initiated pain management.

Hunger and Poverty among Elderly Patients Attending an Emergency Department

Background

Singapore is an affluent small nation-state with a high per capita gross domestic product.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of hunger and poverty among elderly patients attending an emergency department (ED).

Methods

All patients aged 65 years and above who sought treatment at the ED of an urban acute care hospital over one week between 0900 and 1700 hours were surveyed. Two trained interviewers administered a face-to-face close-ended questionnaire. Data collected were demographics, health status and surrogate indicators of poverty and hunger.

Results

Of the 210 non-critically ill patients approached, data was available for 194 (92.4%), of which 51% were men. The mean age was 76.7 (SD 7.4) years. Majority of the patients were well taken care of but a minority were not coping: 0.5% was homeless, 3.1% had skipped medical appointments in the last year due to lack of money, 1% did not have enough to eat and were not receiving any food aid and 1.5% borrowed money to buy food in the previous six months. Despite their advanced age, there were 12 (6.2%) who were sole breadwinners for their families. Twenty-one patients (10.8%) were already on welfare assistance and 5.7% received food aid to supplement their basic food needs.

Conclusion

Though the numbers were not alarming, it was worrying that some elderly patients were going hungry or skipping medical appointments due to lack of money or still had family dependent on their income. The ED can help by actively identifying these at-risk elderly and referring them for welfare assistance.

Life support course for nurses in Singapore

Nurses are usually the first caregivers for cardiac arrest patients in an in-hospital environment, and subsequently partner with doctors in the further resuscitation of patients. The skills of basic life support are crucial for their practice. The Advanced Cardiac Life Support programme is traditionally geared toward training of medical staff in advanced resuscitation skills. The need for a bridging course that focuses on the knowledge and skills required by nurses to become effective members of the resuscitation team has resulted in the creation of the Life Support Course for Nurses (LSCN) in Singapore. The components of the LSCN programme have evolved over the years, taking into consideration the modifications to resuscitation guidelines. The LSCN programme is gradually including a larger proportion of nurses in the emergency and critical care environments as well as those in the general ward.

Recall of discharge advice given to patients with minor head injury presenting to a Singapore emergency department

INTRODUCTION

Most patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with minor head injury (HI) can be discharged, provided a caregiver is present and careful discharge instructions are given. The study ED uses an advice leaflet with verbal reinforcement to patients and caregivers detailing post-discharge instructions and warning symptoms of worsening HI. We aim to evaluate local patients' and caregivers' compliance to discharge instructions and their ability to recall HI advice.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted in an adult ED between April 10, 2006 and May 1, 2006. All patients with minor HI discharged from the ED or its 24-hour observation ward were included in the study. A telephone survey was conducted within 48 hours of discharge using a standardised questionnaire.

RESULTS

During the study period, 292 patients had HI, of which 182 were eligible for the study. 71 were uncontactable and one refused to participate, leaving 110 patients in the study. Patients' age ranged between 7 and 109 years (median 41 years). 100 confirmed receiving HI advice (57 percent received by patients, 26 percent caregivers, 16 percent both patients and caregivers). 29 percent of respondents reported non-compliance to discharge advice. Mean HI-symptom recall score was 1.9 (SD 1.6) (total 9 symptoms). 30 percent cited other symptoms not part of the HI advice, which they believed necessitated a return to the ED. Recall scores were not statistically different, regardless of mode of instruction (verbal or printed) or the recipient (patient, caregiver or both).

CONCLUSION

Our study raises concerns about the reliability of discharge advice for minor HI patients.

Helmet use and bicycle-related trauma in patients presenting to an acute hospital in Singapore

INTRODUCTION

To describe the relationship between bicycle helmet use and injury pattern sustained by patients presenting to an emergency department (ED) in Singapore for bicycle-related trauma.

METHODS

Data was collected from all individuals treated for bicycle-related trauma between September 1, 2004 and May 31, 2005 using a closed-ended questionnaire.

RESULTS

160 bicyclists with mean age of 34.4 years (range 10 to 89 years) were surveyed. Among them, 80 percent were male and 30.6 percent were non-residents. Helmets were worn by 10.6 percent of the patients. Alcohol was clinically detected in 11.3 percent of bicyclists. There was no difference in bicycle helmet use between Singaporeans and non-residents (p-value is 0.275). However, compared to younger bicyclists, bicyclists aged 30 years or older (p-value is less than 0.05), and compared to recreational or sport bicyclists, those who commute by bicycle, tended not to wear helmets (p-value is less than 0.01). Compared to Singaporeans (p-value is less than 0.05), non-residents and bicyclists aged 30 years or older (p-value is 0.011) believed that helmets did not protect against head injury. Comparing the helmeted group with the non-helmeted group, injury patterns by body region were: head injury 5.9 percent versus 40.0 percent (p-value is less than 0.01); facial injury 5.9 percent versus 37.1 percent (p-value is less than 0.05). Not wearing a helmet, being hit by a motor vehicle and age were significantly associated with higher injury severity scores, after adjusting for several potential confounding factors.

CONCLUSION

Bicycle helmet use was low in our sample of injured patients. When worn, protection against injury was demonstrated. A campaign to promote use of bicycle helmets should be targeted at non-residents and older bicyclists. Authorities should consider compulsory helmet laws for bicyclists and expanding anti-drunk driving campaigns to target alcohol-intoxicated bicyclists.

Are the World Health Organisation case definitions for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome sufficient at initial assessment?

INTRODUCTION

On March 13, 2003, Singapore doctors were alerted about an outbreak of atypical pneumonia that became known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We now describe a series of patients that did not fit World Health Organisation (WHO) case definitions for SARS at initial assessment.

METHODS

The Ministry of Health, Singapore centralised SARS cases in the study hospital and its emergency department (ED) became the national screening centre. A screening questionnaire and a set of admission criteria based on WHO case definitions were applied. Patients discharged from ED were tracked via telephone surveillance and recalled if necessary. A retrospective review was done of patients who did not fit WHO definitions initially, were discharged and had re-attended.

RESULTS

During the outbreak, 11,461 people were screened for SARS. Among 10,075 (87.9 percent) discharged from the ED, there were 28 re-attendees diagnosed to have SARS later, giving an undertriage rate of 0.3 percent. Among the 28, six (21.4 percent) did not complain of fever and 22 (78.6 percent) had temperatures less than 38.0 degrees Celsius during their first ED visit. One patient was screened to have all three criteria but during consultation, the contact history was found to be unrelated to the known "hot spots". The initial mean temperature was 37.6 degrees Celsius (standard deviation [SD] 0.8), which increased significantly (p-value equals 0.04) to 38.0 degrees Celsius (SD 0.8) during their subsequent visit. Chest radiographs with infective changes increased significantly (p-value equals 0.009) from 16 percent to 52.4 percent over the two ED visits.

CONCLUSION

The WHO case definitions were helpful in evaluating majority of SARS patients initially. However under-triage at ED is inevitable, with a 0.3 percent under-triage in our study population. In this group and asymptomatic individuals who came for screening, a tracking and recall system helped to ensure their timely return to the ED.

Presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients in a screening centre

INTRODUCTION

On 22 March 2003, the Ministry of Health, Singapore, designated Tan Tock Seng Hospital as the nationwide severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) hospital and its Emergency Department (ED) took over the role as the screening center for SARS on 26 March 2003. We describe the initial clinical characteristics of probable or suspect SARS patients that presented to the ED.

METHODS

A retrospective study of patients who were admitted through the ED and subsequently diagnosed to have probable SARS and suspect SARS was done. The data of these patients from the ED log were reviewed and analysed.

RESULTS

From 13 March 2003 to 31 May 2003, 11,461 patients were screened for SARS and 1,386 patients were admitted. Of these, 117 patients were diagnosed to have probable SARS and 146 suspect SARS. Their mean age was 36.7 years (range 1-80). Among these patients, there were 122 men (46.4 percent), and 205 were Singaporeans (77.9 percent). 13 patients had no initial contact history upon presentation to the ED. The mean duration between onset of symptom to presentation to the ED was 3.1 days. Travel history was less common in probable SARS cases than in suspect SARS cases as the epidemic was due mainly to local transmission. Fever was the most common presenting symptom (91.6 percent), and gastrointestinal symptoms were the least (6.9 percent). In the ED, 249 (94.7 percent) patients had chest radiographs and 86 (32.7 percent) had full blood count done. 22.2 percent of probable SARS patients had normal chest radiographs when they first presented to the ED.

CONCLUSION

The World Health Organisation criteria were important screening tools and admission guides, but should not be strictly followed. It was difficult to differentiate between probable and suspect SARS patients in the ED.

Coping responses of emergency physicians and nurses to the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak

OBJECTIVES

During the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, health care workers (HCWs) experienced unusual stressors. The study hospital introduced psychosocial interventions to help HCWs. This study aimed to examine the coping strategies adopted by the emergency department (ED) HCWs who cared for the SARS patients.

METHODS

In November 2003, a self-administered questionnaire of physicians and nurses was conducted in the hospital ED that is the national SARS screening center in Singapore. Data collected included demographics and responses to these instruments: 1) the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) to assess coping strategies, 2) the Impact of Event Scale (IES) to measure psychological reactions, and 3) the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ 28) to measure psychiatric morbidity.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight of 41 (92.7%) physicians and 58 of 83 (69.9%) nurses responded. The respondents reported a preference for problem-focused and emotion-focused coping measures. The physicians chose humor as a coping response significantly more frequently (p < 0.001) than nurses, scoring 9.61/16 (95% CI = 8.52 to 10.69), compared with the nurses' score of 7.05/16 (95% CI = 6.28 to 7.83). The Filipino HCWs turned to religion as a coping response significantly more frequently (p < 0.001) than the non-Filipino HCWs, scoring 14.38/16 (95% CI = 13.33 to 15.42), compared with 9.93/16 (95% CI = 9.00 to 10.87) for the non-Filipinos. Psychiatric morbidity was 17.7% on the IES and 18.8% on the GHQ 28, with the trend for physicians to report lower psychiatric morbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

With a supportive hospital environment, ED HCWs chose adaptive coping in response to the outbreak and reported low psychiatric morbidity. Physicians chose humor and Filipinos chose turning to religion as their preferred responses. Psychosocial interventions to help HCWs need to take these preferences into account.

How much do diabetic patients know about diabetes mellitus and its complications?

INTRODUCTION

A Singapore study reported that 99% of diabetics had received some diabetes mellitus (DM) education. Another study reported that the Singapore public is generally well-informed about DM but whether diabetics are well-informed is not known. The objectives of this study were to determine DM knowledge of diabetics visiting the Emergency Department (ED) and to determine the diabetics' knowledge versus practice gap.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A pretested questionnaire was used to survey a convenient sample of ED patients and visitors. The respondents were required to answer 43 questions on areas including "Risk Factors", "Treatment and Management" and "Monitoring". A point was awarded for each correct response. Diabetics were asked if they practised the items described in "Treatment and Management" and "Monitoring" sections.

RESULTS

There were 95 diabetics and 91 non-diabetics surveyed, with no difference in the mean age or the proportion of men. There was no difference (P = 0.51) between the diabetics' mean score of 29.2/43 (68.1%) and the non-diabetics' 28.3/43 (65.9%). The younger diabetics tended to score higher with those <54.99 years obtaining the highest score of 34.2/43 (79.5%) in the study. More than 50% of diabetics practised what they knew of self-care but 25% were ignorant of key aspects like need for home glucose monitoring and regular ophthalmic reviews. Only 21.2% diabetics performed home glucose monitoring though another 42.1% knew they should but were not doing it.

CONCLUSION

In this study, knowledge of DM was similar between diabetics and non-diabetics even though younger diabetics obtained higher scores. Diabetes education resulted in better-informed diabetics and changed practices but 25% were ignorant of some key aspects. Among the informed diabetics, various issues need to be addressed to close the gaps between knowledge and practice.

Work-related injury sustained by foreign workers in Singapore

INTRODUCTION

Singapore has a resident population of 3.26 million and 0.53 million foreign workers. The objective of the study was to compare the injuries sustained by foreign and local workers presenting to an emergency department (ED).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult victims of work-related injury who presented to an urban public hospital ED from 1 December 1998 to 31 May 1999 were interviewed. Chart reviews were done for those hospitalised. Data collected were those of demographic, nature of injury, ambulance care, ED and hospital care, outcome and final diagnoses.

RESULTS

There were 1244 local workers and 1936 foreign workers, giving a ratio of 1 local:1.6 foreign workers. The mean age of foreign workers was 29.6 years [standard deviation (SD) 6.2], which was younger (P < 0.0001) than the mean age 37.8 years (SD 14) of local workers. Fridays and Saturdays were the common days for injuries among foreign workers as opposed to Wednesdays and Mondays for local workers. Falls from height > or = 2m occurred among 9.1% of foreign workers, more (P < 0.0001) common than 4.3% of local workers, resulting in 2 out of 3 foreign workers death. Though the pattern of injuries was similar between foreign and local workers, foreign workers needed longer (P = 0.03) sick leave and more (P = 0.01) foreign workers were hospitalised, giving a ratio of 2 foreign workers for every 1 local worker hospitalised.

CONCLUSION

Foreign workers had no difficulty accessing ED and hospital care for work-related injuries. The pattern and severity of injuries were similar between foreign and local workers but more foreign workers were hospitalised.

Out of hospital cardiac arrests--the experience of one hospital in Singapore

In Singapore, all public emergency ambulances are equipped with semi-automatic external defibrillators and the crew is trained in their use. This is the first paper from Singapore reporting the survival rate in patients presenting to an urban public hospital with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who developed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). All consecutive patients who presented to the ED of a public hospital with OHCA or ACS were surveyed from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 1999. There were 392 patients among whom 115 (28.5%) had OHCA. There was no significant difference in age and gender distribution between the OHCA and non-OHCA patients. More than 2/3 of the OHCA patients had no report of chest pain or breathlessness before they collapsed. Forty five (39.1%) of the 115 OHCA patients were noted to have initial rhythms of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) and received pre-hospital defibrillation. The mean time from collapse to first DC shock was 12.07+/-7.2 min. Twenty (17.4%) of the OHCA patients had return of spontaneous circulation after resuscitation in the ED. Four patients (3.5%), all with an initial rhythm of VF were discharged alive from the hospital. Much remains to be done to reduce the time interval to first DC shock for the OHCA group.

Extent and appropriateness of emergency department services usage by foreign workers in Singapore

The objective of this study was to determine the extent and appropriateness of emergency department services usage by foreign workers. A prospective questionnaire survey of foreign workers who attended the Emergency Department (ED) of Tan Tock Seng Hospital was conducted from 30 December 1996 to 29 January 1997. A foreign worker was defined as a non-citizen, non-permanent resident working in Singapore, excluding students and tourists. Demographic and clinical data were collected. During the study period, 7409 patients above the age of 15 attended the ED of which 1174 (15.8%) were foreign workers. Forty-seven per cent of these foreign workers could not speak English, of whom 48.2% did not come with any English-speaking companion. Most of their ED visits were on weekdays and during office hours. Of the foreign workers, 43.1% were classified as non-emergency by ED doctors compared to 6.7% of other ED patients (P < 0.01). Trauma-related complaints accounted for 43.4% while febrile and minor infectious illnesses accounted for 26.7% of foreign workers' complaints. Admissions from ED into the hospital were 17.1% for foreign workers and 28.3% (P < 0.01) for other patients. Language barrier and lack of information on types of health care services available could have led to the high proportion of inappropriate use of ED services by foreign workers. Most of their complaints were minor injuries and illnesses which could be managed by non-ED health care providers. Care provided across a language barrier raises ethical and medico-legal questions. A multi-agency approach involving the Manpower and Health Ministries, employer and foreign worker representatives is needed to eliminate language barrier and help these workers to use health care services appropriately.

Retrospective review of emergency department patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage for potential outpatient management

OBJECTIVE

To determine the number of ED patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (NVUGIH) who could have been managed as outpatients through application of previously developed clinical guidelines.

METHOD

Descriptive study based on retrospective chart review of patients who presented with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) to the ED of an urban teaching hospital from July 1 to December 31, 1996. Applying the clinical guidelines published by a health maintenance organization (HMO) group (no high-risk endoscopic features/varices/portal hypertensive gastropathy, no debilitation, no orthostatic vital sign change, no severe liver disease, no serious concomitant disease, no anticoagulation or coagulopathy, no fresh, voluminous hematemesis or multiple episodes of melena on the day of presentation, no severe anemia, and adequate home support), patients who could have been managed as outpatients after esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) were identified and analyzed.

RESULTS

145 UGIH patients were seen in the ED, of whom 128 (88%) were admitted and 111 (77%) underwent EGD. 21 (19%) had varices, leaving 90 (81%) with NVUGIH. 18 of these 90 patients (20%, 95% CI = 12% to 28%) fulfilled guidelines for outpatient management and had the following characteristics with p < 0.05: younger age [mean 54.2+/-5.5 (SEM) vs 63.8+/-1.9 years], less transfusion (0.9+/-0.3 vs 3.7+/-0.4 units), and shorter length of stay (2.1+/-0.4 vs 5.3+/-0.7 days). None of the 18 outpatient management patients had any complications.

CONCLUSION

In a non-HMO urban teaching hospital, 18 patients with NVUGIH met criteria for outpatient management in a six-month period and none developed a complication during a mean in-hospital stay of 2.1 days.

Senior house officers' work activities in an accident and emergency department

A study of senior house officers' daytime work activities was conducted in the accident and emergency department of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary. Activities were timed every 15 seconds by a single observer and were subdivided into working periods, meal periods and periods when no patient was waiting to be seen. A total of 96.1 h was analysed. The SHOs were found to be working for 78% of their time, of which 18.5% was taken up by non-doctor tasks. The SHOs took an average of 10.4 min for each walking wounded patient, 10.6 min for each paediatric patient and 27.3 min for a trolley patient. Each patient required an average of 14.2 min for assessment and treatment, which meant that 3.3 patients were seen each hour. However, considering that SHOs worked for 78% of their time, the actual rate of work was 4.2 patients for each working hour. The implications for staffing are discussed.

Perforating invasive mole masquerading as an ovarian tumour--case report

An invasive mole causing uterine perforation is a rare occurrence. We describe below a case with an unusual presentation which was mistaken for an ovarian tumour. The difficulty in diagnosis and the need for a high index of suspicion is highlighted.