[Collaborative work between coordinating physicians, geriatric EMGE physicians and emergency physicians]. / Un travail collaboratif entre médecins coordonnateurs, médecins gériatres des EMGE et médecins urgentistes.

The medical summary section (VSM) was formalized in 2011 with its content defined in 2013. In residential facilities for dependent elderly people (Ehpad), the VSM is almost non-existent and is requested by the majority of doctors who have to take medical care of a resident, often in an emergency situation. Following the health crisis and under the aegis of the regional and national associations of coordinating physicians, a working group was set up in 2021 to create a unique VSM that meets the needs of the field. This document was created and tested with very favorable feedback from users. This VSM is currently being deployed in the Ehpad of the Île-de-France region.

Nurses' understanding influences comprehension of patients admitted in the observation unit.

Comprehension is poor in patients admitted in the emergency observation unit. Teamwork communication gaps could contribute to patients' misunderstanding of their health condition. To determine in patients admitted in the emergency observation unit whether comprehension of diagnosis, prognosis, and management depended on nurses' comprehension, the authors conducted a prospective observational study in a busy adult emergency department of a tertiary teaching hospital in Paris over 2 months. Consecutive patients admitted in the emergency observation unit were included. Patients' and nurses' comprehension of diagnosis, prognosis, and management was compared with the statements of the emergency department attending physicians for these items. The authors observed whether patients' misunderstanding was associated with nurses' misunderstanding. A total of 544 patients were evaluated. For each patient, nurses' and patients' comprehension was available. Patients understood severity in 40%, organ involved in 69%, medical wording in 57%, reason for admission in 48%, and discharge instruction in 67%. In comparison with patients, nurses better understood each item except for discharge instruction. The authors observed that patients' comprehension was better when nurses understood diagnosis (p <.0001), reasons for admission (p =.032) and discharge instructions (p =.002). Nurses' understanding of severity did not modify patients' comprehension. These results support the conclusions that communication gaps in teamwork alter patients' comprehension and that nurses' and patients' misunderstandings are associated. Therefore, improving communication by nurses and physicians to patients may improve patients' understanding.

Disulfiram ethanol reaction mimicking anaphylactic, cardiogenic, and septic shock.

Shock is a common reason for medical intensive care unit admission, with septic and cardiogenic accounting for most of the etiologies. However, the potential severity of adverse side effects of drugs indicates that any medication should be carefully scrutinized for potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions that may result. We herein report the case of a life-threatening shock mimicking successively anaphylactic, cardiogenic, and septic shock, which was finally related to disulfiram ethanol reaction. Indeed, disulfiram ethanol reaction is known to provoke unpleasant symptoms through vasodilatation in various organs. However, extreme manifestations of vasodilatory shock may lead to circulatory failure and lactic acidosis. Because of large prevalence of alcoholism and disulfiram medication, emergency physicians and medical specialists should be aware of this life-threatening condition, with its misleading presentation.

Anxiety and depression are unrecognised in emergency patients admitted to the observation care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of emergency physicians in detecting anxiety and depression in patients requiring admission to the emergency department (ED) observation care unit for complementary investigations/treatment. METHODS: 339 consecutive patients admitted to the emergency observation care unit of 14 EDs were interviewed with standardised questionnaires. The characteristics of the patients, EDs and attending ED physicians were collected. Patients' anxiety and depression were identified using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a self-administered questionnaire. ED physicians were blind to the HADS score and were asked to declare whether they perceived anxiety and depression in each patient. The judgement of ED physicians and the HADS score were compared using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios. RESULTS: The HADS questionnaire was correctly completed by 310 patients who comprised the study population. HADS detected symptoms of anxiety in 148 patients (47%) and symptoms of depression in 70 patients (23%). ED physicians determined the presence or absence of anxiety with a sensitivity of 48% (95% CI 40% to 56%) and a specificity of 69% (95% CI 61% to 75%). Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.54 (95% CI 1.16 to 2.06) and 0.75 (95% CI 1.28 to 3.28) for anxiety. They detected the presence or absence of depression with a sensitivity of 39% (95% CI 28% to 51%) and a specificity of 78% (95% CI 72% to 83%). Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 1.75 (95% CI 1.20 to 2.56) and 0.78 (95% CI 1.26 to 3.87) for depression. CONCLUSION: Although patients presenting to the ED often experience anxiety and depression, these symptoms are poorly detected by ED physicians.

Febrile neutropenia in French emergency departments: results of a prospective multicentre survey.

INTRODUCTION: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is common in cancer patients receiving myelotoxic therapy. The procedures to treat FN are well established in oncology, but it is unclear whether management is adequate in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This prospective, multicentre, observational study was carried out in 47 French EDs for 6 months. Patients were adults presenting at the ED with FN after myelotoxic treatment for cancer. Severity of infection was defined according to Bone criteria for severe sepsis and septic shock (SS/SSh) and risk was determined according to Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) criteria. The end point was the implementation of guidelines. Management of patients with SS/SSh required: (i) adequate intravenous (IV) antimicrobial therapy for the first 90 min (broad-spectrum beta-lactam with or without an aminoglycoside); (ii) fluid challenge (500 mL); (iii) lactate measurement; (iv) at least one blood culture; and (v) hospitalization. Management of patients without SS/SSh required: (1) no initiation of granulocyte - cell stimulating factor (G-CSF); (2) adequate IV antimicrobial therapy (broad-spectrum beta-lactam) and hospitalization if the patient was high-risk according to MASCC criteria; (3) adequate oral antimicrobial therapy (quinolone or amoxicillin/clavulanate or cephalosporin) and hospital discharge if the patient was low-risk. RESULTS: 198 patients were enrolled; 89 patients had SS/SSh, of whom 19 received adequate antimicrobial therapy within 90 min and 42 received appropriate fluid challenge. Blood cultures were obtained from 87 and lactate concentration was measured in 29. Overall, only 6 (7%) patients with SS/SSh received adequate management. Among 108 patients without SS/SSh, 38 (35%) were high-risk and 70 (65%) low-risk. In the high-risk group, adequate antimicrobial therapy was given to 31 patients, G-CSF was initiated in 4 and 35 were hospitalized. In the low-risk group, 4 patients received adequate oral antimicrobial therapy, IV antimicrobial therapy was prescribed in 59, G-CSF was initiated in 12 and six patients were discharged. Adequate management was given to 26/38 (68%) high-risk and 1/70 low-risk patients. Factors associated with adequate management were absence of SS/SSh (P = 0.0009) and high-risk according to MASCC criteria (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this French sample of cancer patients presenting to the ED with FN, management was often inadequate and severity was under-evaluated in the critically ill.

Appropriateness of diagnosis and orientation of 996 consecutive patients admitted in an emergency department with flow-based organization.

BACKGROUND: Recent data, focused on the inability to transfer emergency patients to inpatient beds, has shown this to be the single most important factor contributing to overcrowding. Our Emergency Department (ED) was reorganized in the year 2000 based on the optimization of patients' flow. In this model, the emergency team had to refer patients to units fitting best to their condition with minimal delays. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate adequacy of both diagnosis between emergency room and hospitalization wards and patients' orientation in the context of an early discharge from the ED. METHODS: We collected data from 996 consecutive nontrauma patients for whom an admission was decided. Duration of stay in the ED and all related parameters were studied. Patients were categorized according to the adequacy of the diagnosis proposed at ED discharge as compared with the final diagnosis at hospital discharge. The patients' orientation appropriateness was also assessed. RESULTS: Despite a median duration of time of 6 h (21 min-54 h) diagnostics made by the emergency physicians and the patients' orientation were considered as adequate in most of the cases (66 and 96%, respectively). Fast track developed with medical intensive care and cardiology intensive care allowed referral of patients requiring these specific units within 2.2 h (27 min-17 h) and 2 h (41 min-8 h), respectively. The ED length of stay was highly influenced by the admission location and by the patient's age. CONCLUSION: A short time of stay in the ED is compatible with both a good diagnosis and a good orientation of ED patients requiring admission for specialized care.