The perceived work environment and well-being: A survey of emergency health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care provider well-being was affected by various challenges in the work environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the perceived work environment and mental well-being of a sample of emergency physicians (EPs), emergency medicine (EM) nurses, and emergency medical services (EMS) providers during the pandemic. METHODS: We surveyed attending EPs, resident EPs, EM nurses, and EMS providers from 10 academic sites across the United States. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to estimate the effect of the perceived work environment on screening positive for depression/anxiety and burnout controlling for respondent characteristics. We tested possible predictors in the multivariate regression models and included the predictors that were significant in the final model. RESULTS: Our final sample included 701 emergency health care workers. Almost 23% of respondents screened positive for depression/anxiety and 39.7% for burnout. Nurses were significantly more likely to screen positive for depression/anxiety (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-3.86) and burnout (aOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.22-3.49) compared to attendings. The LCA analysis identified four subgroups of our respondents that differed in their responses to the work environment questions. These groups were identified as Work Environment Risk Group 1, an overall good work environment; Risk Group 2, inadequate resources; Risk Group 3, lack of perceived organizational support; and Risk Group 4, an overall poor work environment. Participants in the two groups who perceived their work conditions as most adverse were significantly more likely to screen positive for depression/anxiety (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.05-3.42; and aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.14-3.66) compared to participants working in environments perceived as less adverse. CONCLUSIONS: We found a strong association between a perceived adverse working environment and poor mental health, particularly when organizational support was deemed inadequate. Targeted strategies to promote better perceptions of the workplace are needed.

Ultrasound-guided pediatric nerve blocks in the emergency department: an evidence-based update.

Analgesia in pediatric patients is critical for minimizing discomfort and maximizing satisfaction for both the patients and their caregivers. In the last decade, ultrasound has been shown to be effective in improving the safety and efficacy of regional anesthesia. This issue discusses materials, methods, and monitoring for pediatric patients undergoing nerve blocks in the emergency department, including both ultrasound-guided and landmark approaches. Special considerations for pediatric patients are reviewed, including maximum dosages of local anesthetic and how to perform nerve blocks safely in patients with different developmental abilities and in medically complex children. Recognition and management of local anesthetic systemic toxicity syndrome are also reviewed.

In their own words: Experiences of emergency health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial number of emergency health care workers (HCWs) have screened positive for anxiety, depression, risk of posttraumatic stress disorder, and burnout. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the impact of COVID-19 on emergency care providers' health and well-being using personal perspectives. We conducted in-depth interviews with emergency physicians, emergency medicine nurses, and emergency medical services providers at 10 collaborating sites across the United States between September 21, 2020, and October 26, 2020. METHODS: We developed a conceptual framework that described the relationship between the work environment and employee health. We used qualitative content analysis to evaluate our interview transcripts classified the domains, themes, and subthemes that emerged from the transcribed interviews. RESULTS: We interviewed 32 emergency HCWs. They described difficult working conditions, such as constrained physical space, inadequate personnel protective equipment, and care protocols that kept changing. Organizational leadership was largely viewed as unprepared, distant, and unsupportive of employees. Providers expressed high moral distress caused by ethically challenging situations, such as the perception of not being able to provide the normal standard of care and emotional support to patients and their families at all times, being responsible for too many sick patients, relying on inexperienced staff to treat infected patients, and caring for patients that put their own health and the health of their families at risk. Moral distress was commonly experienced by emergency HCWs, exacerbated by an unsupportive organizational environment. CONCLUSIONS: Future preparedness efforts should include mechanisms to support frontline HCWs when faced with ethical challenges in addition to an adverse working environment caused by a pandemic such as COVID-19.

Making Artificial Intelligence Lemonade Out of Data Lemons: Adaptation of a Public Apical Echo Database for Creation of a Subxiphoid Visual Estimation Automatic Ejection Fraction Machine Learning Algorithm.

OBJECTIVES: A paucity of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) databases limits machine learning (ML). Assess feasibility of training ML algorithms to visually estimate left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) from a subxiphoid (SX) window using only apical 4-chamber (A4C) images. METHODS: Researchers used a long-short-term-memory algorithm for image analysis. Using the Stanford EchoNet-Dynamic database of 10,036 A4C videos with calculated exact EF, researchers tested 3 ML training permeations. First, training on unaltered Stanford A4C videos, then unaltered and 90° clockwise (CW) rotated videos and finally unaltered, 90° rotated and horizontally flipped videos. As a real-world test, we obtained 615 SX videos from Harbor-UCLA (HUCLA) with EF calculations in 5% ranges. Researchers performed 1000 randomizations of EF point estimation within HUCLA EF ranges to compensate for ML and HUCLA EF mismatch, obtaining a mean value for absolute error (MAE) comparison and performed Bland-Altman analyses. RESULTS: The ML algorithm EF mean MAE was estimated at 23.0, with a range of 22.8-23.3 using unaltered A4C video, mean MAE was 16.7, with a range of 16.5-16.9 using unaltered and 90° CW rotated video, mean MAE was 16.6, with a range of 16.3-16.8 using unaltered, 90° CW rotated and horizontally flipped video training. Bland-Altman showed weakest agreement at 40-45% EF. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers successfully adapted unrelated ultrasound window data to train a POCUS ML algorithm with fair MAE using data manipulation to simulate a different ultrasound examination. This may be important for future POCUS algorithm design to help overcome a paucity of POCUS databases.

Using ultrasound to teach living anatomy to non-medical graduate students.

PURPOSE: Ultrasound technology is used to supplement gross anatomy instruction in many medical sciences programs. However, this technology is not common practice for anatomy instruction in nonmedical graduate-level courses. Ultrasound sessions provide a clear view of local anatomy and could help graduate students transfer anatomical content from a didactic context onto a living, moving body. This approach to instruction complements the rapidly evolving technological advances in science education and may assist with spatial understanding, knowledge retention, and student engagement. The main objective of this article was to describe the methods used to incorporate ultrasound sessions into a graduate level gross anatomy course. METHODS: The goal of the curricula was to use ultrasound technology to create a supplemental hands-on and engaging method of learning anatomy that would appeal to graduate students and possibly reinforce content. Graduate students participated in three interactive, 2-h-long ultrasound sessions that corresponded to their gross anatomy lecture material. RESULTS: Questionnaire results showed that students overwhelmingly believed that the ultrasound sessions were beneficial and that ultrasound technology should be used for anatomical instruction in graduate programs. While students found the sessions to be helpful, they sought more and longer sessions with smaller group sizes. CONCLUSION: Overall, this article describes the methods used to incorporate multimodal learning into a graduate level anatomy course and found that students supported the methods as a potentially effective and engaging way to supplement traditional gross anatomy lectures and practical laboratory sessions.

Man With Bilateral Leg Swelling.

A 52-year-old man without known medical history presented with painful, progressive, bilateral lower extremity edema over a two-week period. An abdominal exam noted a firm left upper quadrant mass. Emergency department (ED) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) revealed a hyperechoic, heterogeneous structure in the inferior vena cava that was determined to represent a tumor thrombus extending from a primary renal cell carcinoma. This case demonstrates how POCUS was valuable in rapidly diagnosing this rare cause of lower extremity edema and its usefulness in directing the initial ED management of this patient.

Man with leg rash.

CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 51-year-old male presented to the ED with a rash to his left thigh (figure 1) with erythema, swelling and pain. He endorsed paraesthesias, pruritus, fevers, vomiting and diarrhoea. Initial vitals were unremarkable. He was well appearing with an 8×8 cm violaceous patch on his left medial thigh with vesicles, surrounding erythema and induration with a second, smaller lesion on the right thigh. Both rashes were extremely tender.emermed;34/10/686/F1F1F1Figure 1Erythematosus and vesicular rash in bilateral legs.A bedside ultrasound image of the rash was obtained (figure 2).emermed;34/10/686/F2F2F2Figure 2Bedside ultrasound of rash. QUESTION: What is the most likely cause of the patient's rash?A. Herpes zosterB. CellulitisC. Necrotising fasciitisD. Bullous pemphigoid.

Trauma-Induced Bilateral Ectopia Lentis Diagnosed with Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Ocular trauma and acute loss of vision are high-yield patient presentations that may benefit from the use of bedside ultrasound to aid in the diagnosis of a variety of vision-threatening problems. CASE REPORT: We present a case of bilateral lens dislocation in which the diagnosis of lens dislocation was missed on initial computed tomography of the orbits but detected on bedside ultrasound. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Point-of-care ultrasound can rapidly identify ocular pathology and expedite specialist consultation, and if necessary, transfer to a specialty center for further management.

Ultrasound credentialing in North American emergency department systems with ultrasound fellowships: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the credentialing systems of North American emergency department systems (EDS) with emergency ultrasound (EUS) fellowship programmes. METHODS: This is a prospective, cross-sectional, survey-based study of North American EUS fellowships using a 62-item, pilot-tested, web-based survey instrument assessing credentialing and training systems. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) distributed the surveys using SNAP survey (Snap Surveys Ltd, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA). RESULTS: Over 6 months, 75 eligible programmes were surveyed, 55 responded (73% response rate); 1 declined to participate leaving 54 participating programmes. Less than 20% of EDS credential nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and students in EUS. Respondent EDS reported having an average of 4.2 ± 3.3 ultrasound faculty members (faculty identifying their career focus as EUS). The median number of annual point-of-care ultrasounds reported was 5000 (IQR 3000-8000). 30 EDS (56%) credential each examination individually and 48 EDS (89%) use ACEP credentialing criteria. 61% of fellowship leadership believe their credentialing system is either satisfactory or very satisfactory (Cronbach's coefficient α=0.84). CONCLUSIONS: The data show heterogeneity among North American EDS with EUS fellowship programmes with regard to credentialing systems despite published guidelines from the ACEP and Canadian Emergency Ultrasound Society.

SonoGames: an innovative approach to emergency medicine resident ultrasound education.

SonoGames was created by the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound for the 2012 annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. The assessment of resident knowledge and of the performance of point-of-care ultrasound examinations is an integral component of ultrasound education and is required in emergency medicine residency training. With that in mind, game organizers sought to assess and improve emergency medicine residents' point-of-care ultrasound knowledge, hands-on skills, and integration of knowledge into clinical decision making. SonoGames is an annual 4-hour competition consisting of 3 rounds. In this article, we provide a description of SonoGames and provide a blueprint for an effective and successful educational event.

The state of ultrasound education in U.S. medical schools: results of a national survey.

PURPOSE: To determine the state of ultrasound education in U.S. medical schools and assess curricular administrators' opinions on its integration in undergraduate medical education (UME). METHOD: In 2012, curricular administrators at 134 U.S. MD-granting medical schools were surveyed concerning the nature of ultrasound education in medical school. The questionnaire sought ultrasound education program characteristics, structures, and objectives. It also sought respondents' opinions on the role of ultrasound education in UME and barriers to its integration. Frequency and distribution analyses were conducted for survey responses; Rasch analysis was performed for barrier responses. RESULTS: Responses were received from 82 (61.2%) medical schools; these institutions were representative of the U.S. medical school population. Fifty-one respondents (62.2%) reported ultrasound training was integrated into their UME curriculum. Ultrasound was most commonly taught in the third year (38/82; 46.3%), and the purpose of training varied by curricular year. There was agreement that ultrasound should be part of the UME curriculum (56/71; 78.9%), but few respondents reported it was a priority at their institution (13/70; 18.6%). Respondents perceived lack of space in the curriculum (logit = +0.49; standard error [SE] = 0.11) and lack of financial support (logit = +0.42; SE = 0.11) as the most significant barriers to integration. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a general consensus that ultrasound is an important skill to teach in medical school, the integration of ultrasound education in U.S. schools is highly variable. This study indicates a need for national standards to guide the integration of ultrasound education into U.S. medical school curricula.

Can anatomists teach living anatomy using ultrasound as a teaching tool?

The utilization of bedside ultrasound by an increasing number of medical specialties has created the need for more ultrasound exposure and teaching in medical school. Although there is a widespread support for more vertical integration of ultrasound teaching throughout the undergraduate curriculum, little is known about whether the quality of ultrasound teaching differs if performed by anatomists or clinicians. The purpose of this study is to compare medical students' evaluation of ultrasound anatomy teaching by clinicians and anatomists. Hands-on interactive ultrasound sessions were scheduled as part of the gross anatomy course following principles of adult learning and instructional design. Seven teachers (three anatomists and four clinicians) taught in each session. Before each session, anatomists were trained in ultrasound by clinicians. Students were divided into groups, rotated teachers between sessions, and completed evaluations. Results indicated students perceived the two groups as comparable for all factors except for knowledge organization and the helpfulness of ultrasound for understanding anatomy (P < 0.001). However, results from unpaired samples t-tests demonstrated a nonstatistically significant difference between the groups within each session for both questions. Moreover, students' test performance for both groups was similar. This study demonstrated that anatomists can teach living anatomy using ultrasound with minimal training as well as clinicians, and encourage the teaching of living anatomy by anatomists in human anatomy courses using ultrasound. Repeating this study at a multicenter level is currently being considered to further validate our conclusion.

Ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access: a systematic review of randomized-controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the current literature on the effect of using ultrasound (US) guidance for the placement of peripheral intravenous (PIV) catheters in patients with difficult access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was performed for the keywords ultrasonography, catheterization, and peripheral vein. A systematic review was performed on randomized-controlled studies comparing the use of dynamic US guidance with the conventional landmark technique. The primary outcome was the success rate of PIV placement and the secondary outcomes included the number of attempts and time to successful PIV placement. RESULTS: A total of 1778 titles were identified from the search and the review identified 50 potentially relevant studies that were reviewed comprehensively; six articles were included in the final review. The six studies enrolled a total of 316 patients, 153 in the control group and 163 in the US group. Two of the studies reported a significantly higher success rate for US on the basis of initial success or the overall success rate. The two pediatric studies found that time to successful cannulation was shorter and fewer attempts were required to achieve success for patients randomized to US compared with the traditional method. The six studies included were found to vary significantly in the definition of difficult venous access, recording of procedure time, definition of success rate, and other important factors, making a meta-analysis inappropriate. CONCLUSION: On the basis of this review, routine use of US guidance for PIV placement is not strongly supported by the literature.

Ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis of the elbow: a posterior approach.

BACKGROUND: Identification of fluid in the elbow joint by physical examination alone can be challenging. Ultrasound can assist in the diagnosis of elbow effusion, and guide aspiration of the effusion. OBJECTIVES: We illustrate the anatomy and ultrasound guidance technique of a posterior approach to elbow arthrocentesis using examples of normal and pathologic elbow joint ultrasound images. DISCUSSION: The posterior distal humerus at the level of the olecranon fossa provides an excellent acoustic window into the joint space. This location also provides a safe path for the performance of ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis of the elbow from a posterior approach is a helpful technique to guide the aspiration of the painful swollen elbow.

Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access program is associated with a marked reduction in central venous catheter use in noncritically ill emergency department patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We examine the central venous catheter placement rate during the implementation of an ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access program. METHODS: We conducted a time-series analysis of the monthly central venous catheter rate among adult emergency department (ED) patients in an academic urban ED between 2006 and 2011. During this period, emergency medicine residents and ED technicians were trained in ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access. We calculated the monthly central venous catheter placement rate overall and compared the central venous catheter reduction rate associated with the ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access program between noncritically ill patients and patients admitted to critical care. Patients receiving central venous catheters were classified as noncritically ill if admitted to telemetry or medical/surgical floor or discharged home from the ED. RESULTS: During the study period, the ED treated a total of 401,532 patients, of whom 1,583 (0.39%) received a central venous catheter. The central venous catheter rate decreased by 80% between 2006 (0.81%) and 2011 (0.16%). The decrease in the rate was significantly greater among noncritically ill patients (mean for telemetry patients 4.4% per month [95% confidence interval {CI} 3.6% to 5.1%], floor patients 4.8% [95% CI 4.2% to 5.3%], and discharged patients 7.6% [95% CI 6.2% to 9.1%]) than critically ill patients (0.9%; 95% CI 0.6% to 1.2%). The proportion of central venous catheters that were placed in critically ill patients increased from 34% in 2006 to 81% in 2011 because fewer central venous catheterizations were performed in noncritically ill patients. CONCLUSION: The ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access program was associated with reductions in central venous catheter placement, particularly in noncritically ill patients. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which such access can replace central venous catheter placement in ED patients with difficult vascular access.

Emergency medicine Joint Fellowship Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: The authors describe a Joint Fellowship Curriculum instituted for emergency medicine fellows in diverse fellowships. The curriculum is based on commonalities established among the varying fellowships offered within their Department of Emergency Medicine. Fellowships included in the curriculum development include Disaster/Emergency Medical Services, International Emergency Medicine, Health Policy, Ultrasonography, and Medical Toxicology. OBJECTIVES: The focus of this educational activity is to promote the development of the fellow into an expert within their field of specialization. DISCUSSION: Recognizing that topics such as scholarly activities, career development, clinical practice of medicine, business of medicine, and personal development are universally applicable to a variety of emergency medicine fellowships, the curriculum attempts to provide uniform instruction. The quality and applicability of this instruction was assessed and found to have been very well received by the participating fellows. CONCLUSION: The authors encourage academic emergency medicine departments with a number of fellowship training opportunities to consider providing such a uniform curriculum of instruction as well.

Evaluation of proper above-the-diaphragm central venous catheter placement: the saline flush test.

hest radiographs are routinely obtained after the insertion of above-the-diaphragm central venous catheters to confirm placement and detect mechanical complications. At times, performing the radiograph can be time-consuming and findings may be inaccurate. We present a case of a patient with difficult access who required emergent resuscitation. A central venous catheter was inserted under ultrasound guidance into the patient's right internal jugular vein. After the procedure, a 2-dimensional bedside ultrasound of the heart was performed with simultaneous flush of saline through the catheter. Ultrasound detected an immediate echogenic turbulent pattern from the flush in the right atrium and then the right ventricle. This correlated to the proper placement of the catheter tip in the superior vena cava. A bedside ultrasound of the ipsilateral lung evaluated and ruled out iatrogenic pneumothorax. Other investigators have demonstrated different methods to confirm central venous catheter placement by bedside ultrasound, utilizing multiple views, Doppler technology, or microbubble contrast. This novel technique, as described here, is most simple. Further research is needed to demonstrate accuracy and utility.