martes, 26 de noviembre de 2013

AHRQ’s Innovations Exchange Focuses on Identifying At-Risk Patients in the ED

AHRQ Innovations Exchange

AHRQ’s Innovations Exchange Focuses on Identifying At-Risk Patients in the ED

The latest issue of AHRQ’s Health Care Innovations Exchange features three innovation profiles describing programs that promoted screening of patients in the emergency department (ED) to identify individuals at risk for specific conditions. One of the featured profiles, the Suicide Assessment and Follow-Up Engagement: Veteran Emergency Treatment (SAFE VET) initiative, allows emergency department-based staff to develop customized safety plans for veterans along with structured follow-up telephone interventions to assess patients’ risks of suicide after discharge. Interviews with 100 patients found generally high levels of satisfaction with program services. Virtually all patients remembered having a safety plan, and roughly two-thirds reported using it, with most relying primarily on the internal coping strategies outlined in the plan. Select to access more innovation profiles and tools related to ED interventions on the Health Care Innovations Exchange.
 
 
 
Innovations
A hospital emergency department uses a simple algorithm and related tools to guide physician ordering of imaging studies for stable patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, leading to the provision of safer care by reducing unnecessary radiation exposure for patients.
Pharmacy residents complete one 24-hour shift at a hospital approximately every 2 weeks, providing an array of services, including consultations and assistance with emergency situations; the program has led to low dosing error rates and to high levels of adherence to recommended guidelines for emergency stroke patients and has helped to produce more confident, capable pharmacists.
The Sepsis Alert Program at Christiana Care is a care management program that incorporates a number of initiatives to support the prompt identification and treatment of patients who have sepsis.
Emergency department clinicians and staff identify veterans at moderate risk of suicide, work with them to develop a safety plan, and follow up after discharge to ensure adherence to the plan and connections to community-based support, leading to better access to outpatient mental health services.
A hospital partners with a residential alcohol treatment center to offer medically stable emergency department patients with acute alcohol intoxication an alternative treatment setting, leading to lower emergency department length of stay, cost savings of nearly $2,000,000, and anecdotal reports of improved patient outcomes.
QualityTools
Ask Suicide-Screening Questions 11/20/2013
This screening tool, called the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), is a set of four questions that emergency department nurses or physicians can administer to help identify youth at risk for attempting suicide.
Managing Drug-Seeking Behaviors & Super Users in the Emergency Department 10/23/2013
This guide for emergency department (ED) physicians, nurses, and caregivers includes information and tools for providing pain management care to drug "super users" in the ED.
Asthma Care Quality Improvement: A Resource Guide for State Action 10/9/2013
This 151-page resource guide was developed as a learning tool for State officials who want to improve the quality of health care for people with asthma in their States. The guide is designed to help officials assess quality of care, using State-level data, and fashion quality improvement strategies suited to State conditions.
Emergency Severity Index, Version 4: Implementation Handbook, 2012 Edition 10/9/2013
The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a simple to use, five-level triage instrument that categorizes emergency department (ED) patients by evaluating both patient acuity and resources.
After an Attempt: A Guide for Medical Providers in the Emergency Department Taking Care of Suicide Attempt Survivors 12/19/2012
This brochure provides health care professionals with tips to enhance care in the emergency department (ED) for people who have attempted suicide.
 

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