Study confirms what emergency physicians have been saying for years

More patient visits and fewer emergency departments have resulted in longer ED wait times, according to a report published online by the journal HealthAffairs. The report, Waits To See an Emergency Department Physician: U.S. Trends and Predictors, 1997–2004, is based on a review of more than 92,000 emergency department visits.

One of the most alarming findings of the researchers from Harvard Medical School is the increase in treatment delays for heart patients. Heart attack patients were waiting 2.5 times longer in 2004 than in 1997, from 8 to 20 minutes. Overall, patients who were designated by a triage nurse as needing immediate attention waited 40 percent longer — from an average of 10 minutes in 1997 to an average 14 minutes in 2004. “Given the benefits of rapid treatment of heart attacks, sepsis, stroke, pneumonia, and trauma, longer wait times could diminish the quality of care in EDs,” says the report.

"Emergency physicians have said for years that crowding and long wait times are hurting our patients — insured and uninsured equally," comments Dr. Linda Lawrence, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians in an article released by Reuters International. "Ever-lengthening waits are a frightening trend because any delays in care can make the difference between life and death for some patients. The number of emergency patients is increasing while the number of hospital beds continues to drop. It is a recipe for disaster."

PEPID President John Wagner says the findings, while alarming, are not surprising. “The report confirms our company’s mission to help emergency physicians and other caregivers by making the decision support process as fast as possible. Consulting PEPID ED means finding answers more quickly during an emergency, seeing more patients, and providing better informed care,” says Wagner. “Fast access to decision support at point-of-care is critical because it improves workflow for Emergency Departments and saves precious time
for everybody.”

Created by emergency physicians for the emergency department, PEPID ED provides instant access to detailed information on trauma, toxicology, procedures, CBRNE, ACLS, psychiatric and pediatric conditions. It is also a complete drug database with a drug interactions generator, an interactive IV drug compatibility tool, and medical calculators fully-integrated into medical content.

The researchers found that ED visits increased up to 26 percent between 1994 and 2004. The number of EDs in the U.S. decreased up to 12 percent, during the same period. The result was a 78 percent increase in the number of visits per emergency department between 1995 and 2003. The report, authored by Wilper et al, is available online at Health Affairs.

Nothing lost in translation with SNOMED

Recognizing the need for standardized medical terminology around the world, PEPID Medical Information Resources has integrated SNOMED (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms) into the PEPID Knowledge Base(PBK). SNOMED is an international nomenclature, so nothing is lost in translation. The integration of SNOMED into PEPID facilitates communication between healthcare professionals, creates more consistent records, and ultimately improves patient safety.

There is also a new website, coming online soon, dedicated to the needs of PKB's insitutional and enterprise customers. Now hospitals, nursing homes, retail stores, nursing and medical schools—those looking to integrate a comprehensive medical reference—can more easily find information that pertains to their specific needs.

Staying current is vital to promoting a safer workplace and improved quality of care

PEPID Version 8.3 includes the latest medical and clinical content for all subscribers including new monographs, drugs and additional high-resolution images in every PEPID suite. Highlights for ED users include the second phase of a thorough content review by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM). Version 8.3 features new Clinical Inquiries™ and Help-Desk Answers™ from the prestigious Family Physicians Inquiries Network™ (FPIN) for PCP and CRC subscribers.

With approximately 750,000 new cases each year and mortality up to 50 percent, severe sepsis is a hot button issue. For RN Critical Care subscribers, there are new 'bundles' for severe sepsis resuscitation and management. "Bundles of care" is a concept developed by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI). A "bundle" is a group of interventions that, when executed together, results in better outcomes than when implemented individually. Each bundle incorporates practices that have been proven to improve mortality and morbidity.

PEPID’s new Nursing Diagnosis Wizard provides two ways for students to arrive at a list of nursing diagnoses, after identifying a patient’s problems. They can use NANDA-I diagnosis taxonomy and/or the NNN Alliance classification system which includes nursing interventions and outcomes.

Our Nursing Diagnosis Wizard allows students to follow the path beyond differential diagnoses to treatment interventions, and finish with outcomes. It's now available in PEPID™ Student Nursing Suite 8.3.

PEPID Online and Mobile Wireless subscribers are automatically and continually updated. Subscribers using PDA and OTA platforms need to download updates to stay current.

SEE: How to Check Your PEPID Version article in April 07's Informer

Our popular resouce for studies, tutorials and case studies, www.pepidedu.com, is expanding with new tutorials, case studies, handouts and presentation posters—all items are available for download as .pdf files. Visit us to see more.

Meetings and Conferences
	February 7 - 9 American Academy of Emergency Medicine 14th Annual Scientific Assembly Amelia Island, FL Reception Area		February 21 RIM/CDW BlackBerry Event Renaissance Hotel - Chicago Chicago, IL		February 21 - 23 Southern Nursing Research Society Annual Convention Birmingham, AL Booth 10
	February 24 - 28 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society HIMSS 2008 Annual Meeting Orlando, FL Booth 7743		March 6 - 8 National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists 2008 Annual Convention Atlanta, GA Booth 27		March 18 - 21 Nursing 2008 Symposium Las Vegas, NV Booth 301
	March 24 - 27 Nurse Mgrs Update / Critical Care Update Las Vegas, NV Booth 113		March 25 - 29 EMS Today 2008 Annual Convention Baltimore, MD Booth 1127		March 26 - 30 NSNA 56th Annual Convention Grapevine, TX Booth 401/500
	March 30 - April 3 SEMPA Fourth Annual SEMPA Emergency Medicine Conference Tucson, AZ Booth TBA
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