Improving patient safety and physician accountability using the hospital credentialing process.

The lack of systematic oversight of physician performance has led to some serious cases related to physician competence and behaviour. We are currently implementing a hospital-wide approach to improve physician oversight by incorporating it into the hospital credentialing process. Our proposed credentialing method involves four systems: (1) a system for monitoring and reporting clinical performance; (2) a system for evaluating physician behaviour; (3) a complaints management system; and (4) an administrative system for maintaining documentation. In our method, physicians are responsible for implementing an annual performance assessment program. The hospital will be responsible for the complaints management system and the system for collecting and reporting relevant health outcomes. Physicians and the hospital will share responsibility for monitoring professional behaviour. Medical leadership, effective governance, appropriate supporting information systems and adequate human resources are required for the program to be successful. Our program is proactive and will allow our hospital to enhance safety through a quality assurance framework and by complementing existing safety activities. Our program could be extended to non-hospital physicians through regional health or provider networks. Central licensing authorities could help to coordinate these programs on a province- or state-wide basis to ensure uniformity of standards and to avoid duplication of efforts.

Implementation of the Ottawa ankle rules.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact on clinical practice of implementing the Ottawa ankle rules. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, controlled trial with before-after and concurrent controls. SETTING: Emergency departments of a university (intervention) hospital and a community (control) hospital. PATIENTS: All 2342 adults seen with acute ankle injuries during 5-month periods before and after the intervention. INTERVENTION: The implementation of the Ottawa ankle rules by emergency department physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportions of patients referred for standard ankle and foot radiographic series. RESULTS: There was a relative reduction in ankle radiography by 28% at the intervention hospital but an increase by 2% at the control hospital (P < .001). Foot radiography was reduced by 14% at the intervention hospital but increased by 13% at the control hospital (P < .05). Compared with nonfracture patients who had radiography during the after period at the intervention hospital, those discharged without radiography spent less time in the emergency department (80 minutes vs 116 minutes; P < .0001), had lower estimated total medical costs for physician visits and radiography ($62 vs $173; P < .001), but did not differ in the proportion satisfied with emergency physician care (95% vs 96%) or undergoing subsequent radiography (5% vs 5%). The rules were found to have sensitivities of 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95 to 1.0) for detecting 74 malleolar fractures and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.82 to 1.0) for detecting 19 midfoot fractures. In the following 12 months at the intervention hospital, use of radiography did not increase. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the Ottawa ankle rules led to a decrease in use of ankle radiography, waiting times, and costs without patient dissatisfaction or missed fractures. Future studies should address the generalizability of these decision rules in a variety of hospital settings.

A study to develop clinical decision rules for the use of radiography in acute ankle injuries.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To develop decision rules that will predict fractures in patients with ankle injuries, thereby assisting clinicians in being more selective in their use of radiography. DESIGN: Prospective survey of emergency department patients over a five-month period. SETTING: Two university hospital EDs. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty-five adults in a pilot stage and 750 in the main study; all presented with acute blunt ankle injuries. INTERVENTIONS: Thirty-two standardized clinical variables were assessed and recorded on data sheets by staff emergency physicians before radiography. MEASUREMENTS: Variables were assessed for reliability by the kappa coefficient and for association with significant fracture on both ankle and foot radiographic series by univariate analysis. The data then were analyzed by logistic regression and recursive partitioning techniques to develop decision rules for predicting fractures in each radiographic series. MAIN RESULTS: All 70 significant malleolar fractures found in the 689 ankle radiographic series performed were identified among people who had pain near the malleoli and were age 55 years or more, had localized bone tenderness of the posterior edge or tip of either malleolus, or were unable to bear weight both immediately after the injury and in the ED. This rule was 100% sensitive and 40.1% specific for detecting malleolar fractures and would allow a reduction of 36.0% of ankle radiographic series ordered. Similarly, all 32 significant midfoot fractures on the 230 foot radiographic series performed were found among patients with pain in the midfoot and bone tenderness at the base of the fifth metatarsal, the cuboid, or the navicular. CONCLUSION: Highly sensitive decision rules have been developed and will now be validated; these may permit clinicians to confidently reduce the number of radiographs ordered in patients with ankle injuries.

The value of pulmonary function tests in the management of acute asthma.

We examined the influence of the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) on the decision to admit or discharge patients who present with acute bronchospasm due to asthma and the ability of the FEV1 to predict the need for admission or the likelihood of relapse after discharge. The FEV1 was recorded at presentation before treatment and immediately after a decision to admit or discharge had been made. Of the 96 patients 10.4% were admitted, 10.4% were discharged but suffered a relapse, and 79.2% were discharged and did not suffer a relapse. The FEV1 had a low positive predictive value (47%) for admission or relapse when it was 0.7 L/min or less at presentation and 2.1 L/min or less before discharge or admission. The FEV1 did not alter the decision to admit or discharge in 97% of the cases. We believe that the FEV1 fails to identify patients who should be admitted or those who will likely suffer a relapse; however, patients with a final FEV1 greater than 2.4 L/min may be discharged with confidence.