Computer-generated structured electronic medical records are preferable to conventional medical records for patients with acute abdominal pain - a prospective, double-blinded study.

OBJECTIVES: Structured medical records improve readability and ensure the inclusion of information necessary for correct diagnosis and treatment. This is the first study to assess the quality of computer-generated structured medical records by comparing them to conventional medical records on patients with acute abdominal pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective double-blinded study was conducted in a tertiary referral center emergency department between January 2018 and June 2018. Patients were examined by emergency department physicians and by experience and inexperienced researcher. The researchers used a new electronical medical records system, which gathered data during the examination and the system generate structured medical records containing natural language. Conventional medical records dictated by physician and computer-generated medical records were compared by a group of independent clinicians. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were included. The overall quality of the computer-generated medical records was better than the quality of conventional human-generated medical records - the structure was similar or better in 99% of cases and the readability was similar or better in 86% of cases, p < 0.001. The quality of medical history, current illness, and findings of physical examinations were likewise better with the computer-generated recording. The results were similar when patients were examined by experienced or inexperienced researcher using the computer-generated recording. DISCUSSION: The quality of computer-generated structured medical records was superior to that of conventional medical records. The quality remained similar regardless of the researcher's level of experience. The system allows automatic risk scoring and easy access for quality control of patient care. We therefore consider that it would be useful in wider practice.

The rate of short-term revisits after diagnosis of non-specific abdominal pain is similar for surgeons and emergency physicians - results from a single tertiary hospital emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Acute abdominal pain can be a diagnostic challenge even for experienced surgeons. Delayed diagnosis can lead to higher morbidity, mortality and increased costs. While readmission rate has been used to evaluate quality of surgical care, studies addressing the issue in emergency departments (ED) are rare. The role of emergency physicians in the care of patients with abdominal pain is increasing in many European countries, including Finland. It is not known whether this has an effect on the number of readmissions. Here we evaluate whether the increasing role of emergency physicians in examining patients presenting with abdominal pain has affected the rate of short-term revisits among patients with non-specific abdominal pain (NSAP). METHODS: We identified consecutive ED patients receiving a diagnosis of NSAP 1.1. 2015-31.12.2016 in the ED of Tampere University Hospital. Those revisiting the ED within 48 h were selected for further analysis. Data were obtained from electronic medical records. We compared the outcomes of those initially examined by surgeons and by emergency physicians. RESULTS: During the study period, 173,630 patients visited our ED, of whom 6.1% (n = 10,609) were discharged with a diagnosis of NSAP. Only 3.0% of patients revisited the ED, 0.7% required hospitalization and 0.06% immediate surgery. The short-term revisit rates among those originally examined by surgeons and by emergency physicians were similar, 2.8 and 3.2% respectively (p = 0.193). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of short-term revisits in patients with NSAP was altogether low. The increasing role of emergency physicians in the care of acute abdominal patients did not affect the revisit rate.

A population-based study of 2347 fall-related injuries among older people in a Finnish emergency department.

PURPOSE: Fall-related injuries are a significant cause of morbidity, mortality and functional decline among older people. The aim of this study is to analyze the incidence of fall-related emergency department (ED) visits and compare the characteristics of single and recurrent fallers in a population-based sample. METHODS: Consecutive patients aged ≥ 80 years and living in the Tampere city region who visited collaborative emergency department within a two-year study period (1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016) due to fall-related injury were included. The incidence of fall-related injuries and recurrent falls was calculated using population statistics. RESULTS: A total of 6915 ≥ 80-year-old patients visited our ED 17,769 times during the study period. Thirteen percent of these visits (n = 2347, median 87 years, 80-103 years; 74% female) were fall-related. The incidence of fall-related ED visits increased from 94/1000 person-years to 171/1000 among those aged 80-89 years and ≥ 90 years, respectively. Twenty-four percent of patients had recurrent falls (range 2-5) during the observational period. Twenty-five percent of those discharged home had a subsequent fall-related injury within one month after the index visit. The distribution of diagnoses was similar among those with single and recurrent falls. CONCLUSION: Fall-related injuries are a significant health issue. Almost one in eight of all ED visits were fall-related, and 24% of patients had recurrent fall-related injuries. The risk of subsequent injury was high during the first month after the first injury, emphasizing the need to intervene with the fall risk promptly.

The Finnish Prehospital Stroke Scale Detects Thrombectomy and Thrombolysis Candidates-A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital stroke triage is challenged by endovascular treatment for large vessel occlusion (LVO) being available only in major stroke centers. Conjugate eye deviation (CED) is closely related to LVO, whereas common stroke signs (face-arm-leg-speech-visual) screen stroke. We hypothesized that combining CED with common stroke signs would yield a prehospital stroke scale for identifying both LVO and stroke in general. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients (n = 856) with prehospital Code Stroke (recanalization candidate). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and computed tomography were administered to patients on arrival. Computed tomography angiography was performed on patients with NIHSS score of 8 or greater and considered to benefit from endovascular treatment. With random forest analysis and deviance analysis of the general linear model we confirmed the superiority of the NIHSS "Best Gaze" over other NIHSS items in detecting LVO. Based on this and commonly used stroke signs we presented the Finnish Prehospital Stroke Scale (FPSS) including dichotomized face drooping, extremity weakness, speech difficulty, visual disturbance, and CED. FPSS detected LVO with a sensitivity of 54%, specificity of 91%, positive predictive value of 48%, negative predictive value of 93%, and likelihood ratio of 6.2. CONCLUSIONS: Based on CED and universally used stroke signs, FPSS recognizes stroke in general and additionally, LVO as a stroke subtype comparably to other scales intended to detect LVO only. As the FPSS items are dichotomized, it is likely to be easy for emergency medical services to implement.

Severe Complications of Laparoscopic and Conventional Appendectomy Reported to the Finnish Patient Insurance Centre.

BACKGROUND: Appendectomy is considered a safe operation, the related complications being minor. Negative exploration is an accepted procedure to avoid complications of appendicitis. Treatment with antibiotics is under debate as a primary treatment for appendicitis. The aim of this study was to collect and analyze detailed information on complications and morbidity related to appendectomy using the information of the nationwide Patient Insurance Association (PIA) database and to study the incidence of patient claims and compensated injuries related to appendectomy in Finland. METHODS: Patients' claims from 1990 to 2010 were collected from the PIA register. Complications were classified using the accordion severity grading system. Severe complications were selected for more detailed analyses. Laparoscopic and open surgeries were compared. Factors related to compensated claims were assessed. For statistical analysis, Fisher's exact test, logistic multivariate regression, and the Mann-Kendall function were used. RESULTS: Appendectomy complications leading to a patient insurance claim in Finland are rare (0.2 %). The rate of patients' claims after laparoscopic surgery was higher than after open surgery (p < 0.001), but the rate of compensated claims was equal. During the study period, complications after laparoscopic procedures more often led to additional surgery or organ failure (p = 0.03). Of the patients with a compensated injury, only 57 % had appendicitis. Preoperative computed tomography was used in only 6 % of these cases. CONCLUSIONS: Patient injuries and claims regarding severe complications after appendectomy are rare. The complications related to laparoscopic appendectomy were more severe than those of open surgery.