Interlocuções entre acolhimento e crise psíquica: percepção dos trabalhadores de uma Unidade de Pronto-Atendimento / Interlocution between reception and psychic crisis: perception of an Emergency Care Unit workers

Resumo A Lei da Reforma Psiquiátrica Brasileira (RPB) dispõe sobre os cuidados e sobre a atenção à pessoa em crise psíquica e, a partir desse documento, tais demandas passaram a ser ponto-chave para os serviços de saúde, inclusive para as unidades de urgência e de emergência. Com base nessa normativa, objetivou-se analisar as noções que os profissionais apresentam com relação ao acolhimento e à crise psíquica. Optou-se pela pesquisa qualitativa exploratória, que realizou entrevistas semiestruturadas com 11 profissionais de distintos setores de uma Unidade de Pronto Atendimento no interior do Rio Grande do Sul. Utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo, em que se constataram duas categorias emergentes: 1) Noção de crise psíquica para os profissionais da UPA e 2) Noções e as práticas de acolhimento à crise psíquica exercida pelos(as) trabalhadores(as) da UPA. Os resultados evidenciam que tanto a noção de crise psíquica quanto as práticas de acolhimento empregadas pelos trabalhadores, de uma forma geral, estão associadas ao modelo biomédico, com dificuldade para ampliar a compreensão e os modos de acolher sujeitos em crise. Nesse sentido, a noção dos trabalhadores da UPA em estudo, com relação ao acolhimento da pessoa em crise psíquica, está desarticulado com o que preconiza a RPB.

Abstract The Brazilian Psychiatric Reform Law provides for the care and attention to the person in a mental crisis and based on this document, such demands became a key point for health services, including emergency units and of emergency. Based on this normative, we aimed to analyze the notions that professionals have regarding reception and the psychic crisis. We used exploratory qualitative research, which conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 professionals from different sectors of an Emergency Care Unit (ECU) in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Content analysis was used, in which two emerging categories were found: 1) Notion of psychic crisis for ECU professionals and 2) Notions and practices of reception to the psychic crisis exercised by ECU workers. The results show that both the notion of psychic crisis and the welcoming practices employed by workers, in general, are associated with the biomedical model, with difficulty to broaden the understanding and ways of welcoming individuals in crisis. In this sense, the notion of ECU workers under study, in relation to the reception of the person in a mental crisis, is not articulated with what the Psychiatric Reform Law advocates.

Alcohol-related emergency department admissions in an elderly population.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol abuse remains a major health concern. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of alcohol-related emergency department (ED) admissions in an elderly population. METHODS: Between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014, we retrospectively analyzed patient charts of patients admitted with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.5 g/L to the EDs of all five hospitals in two distinct areas. We focused on the population ≥65 years, divided in three subgroups (65-74, 75-84 and ≥85, respectively) and compared them to the 55-64 year group. RESULTS: Of the 3918 included patients 645 (16.5%) were between 55 and 64, and 406 (10.4%) were ≥65 years (65-74: 267, 6.8%; 75-84: 128, 3.3%; ≥85: 11, 0.3%). The male-to-female ratio ranged between 2.1:1 and 2.7:1. BACs decreased with increasing age. In all age groups the majority of patients (71.0-77.8%) were transported by emergency medical services. The chief presenting complaint was trauma and its relative importance increased with age. Contextual factors consisted mostly of chronic abuse (43.1-57.8%). Most frequently patients could be discharged within 24 h, although hospital admission rates increased with age. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that alcohol-related ED admissions in the elderly are common, but less frequent than in younger age groups. More (preferentially prospective) studies are needed to give more insight in the living environment, prescription medication, socioeconomic cost, etc. Nonetheless, it is clear that a national action plan should be developed to tackle the alcohol abuse problem in all age groups.

Noise exposure during prehospital emergency physicians work on Mobile Emergency Care Units and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services.

BACKGROUND: Prehospital personnel are at risk of occupational hearing loss due to high noise exposure. The aim of the study was to establish an overview of noise exposure during emergency responses in Mobile Emergency Care Units (MECU), ambulances and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). A second objective was to identify any occupational hearing loss amongst prehospital personnel. METHODS: Noise exposure during work in the MECU and HEMS was measured using miniature microphones worn laterally to the auditory canals or within the earmuffs of the helmet. All recorded sounds were analysed in proportion to a known tone of 94 dB. Before and after episodes of noise exposure, the physicians underwent a hearing test indicating whether the noise had had any impact on the function of the outer sensory hair cells. This was accomplished by measuring the amplitude level shifts of the Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions. Furthermore, the prehospital personnels' hearing was investigated using pure-tone audiometry to reveal any occupational hearing loss. All prehospital personnel were compared to ten in-hospital controls. RESULTS: Our results indicate high-noise exposure levels of ≥80 dB(A) during use of sirens on the MECU and during HEMS operations compared to in-hospital controls (70 dB(A)). We measured an exposure up to ≥90 dB(A) under the helmet for HEMS crew. No occupational hearing loss was identified with audiometry. A significant level shift of the Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions at 4 kHz for HEMS crew compared to MECU physicians was found indicating that noise affected the outer hair cell function of the inner ear, thus potentially reducing the hearing ability of the HEMS crew. DISCUSSION: Further initiatives to prevent noise exposure should be taken, such as active noise reduction or custom-made in-ear protection with communication system for HEMS personnel. Furthermore, better insulation of MECU and ambulances is warranted. CONCLUSION: We found that the exposure levels exceeded the recommendations described in the European Regulative for Noise, which requires further protective initiatives. Although no hearing loss was demonstrated in the personnel of the ground-based units, a reduced function of the outer sensory hair cells was found in the HEMS group following missions.

Characteristics and prognoses of patients treated by an anaesthesiologist-manned prehospital emergency care unit. A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: When planning and dimensioning an emergency medical system, knowledge of the population serviced is vital. The amount of literature concerning the prehospital population is sparse. In order to add to the current body of literature regarding prehospital treatment, thus aiding future public health planning, we describe the workload of a prehospital anaesthesiologist-manned mobile emergency care unit (MECU) and the total population it services in terms of factors associated with mortality. PARTICIPANTS: The study is a register-based study investigating all missions carried out by a MECU operating in a mixed urban/rural area in Denmark from 1 May 2006 to 31 December 2014. Information on missions was extracted from the local MECU registry and linked at the individual level to the Danish population-based databases, the National Patient Registry and the Civil Registration System. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures were number of missions and number of patient contacts. Secondary patient variables were mortality and association between mortality and age, sex, comorbidity, prior admission to hospital and response time. RESULTS: The MECU completed 41 513 missions (mean 13.1 missions/day) having 32 873 patient contacts, corresponding to 19.2 missions and 15.2 patient encounters per 1000 patient years. Patient variables: the median age was 57 years (range 0-108 years), 42.8% (42.3% to 43.4%) were women. For patients admitted to hospital alive, 30-day mortality was 5.7% (5.4% to 6.0%); 90-day mortality was 8.1% (7.8% to 8.5%) while 2-year mortality was 16.4% (16.0% to 16.8%). Increasing age, male sex, comorbidity and prior admission to hospital but not response time were associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality following an incident requiring the assistance of a MECU was high in the first 2 years following the incident. MECU response time assessed as a continuous parameter was not associated with patient outcome.

A Validation Study of Nursing Diagnosis in Emergency Care Unit / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: Related factors for 24 nursing diagnoses frequently used in the emergency care unit were validated in this study. METHOD: A convenience sample of 65 registered nurses who had worked for 2 years or more in emergency care units and received instruction on nursing diagnosis was used for the study. The classification of nursing diagnoses was based on NANDA (1996) and validation, on Fehring (1987)'s DCV model. RESULT: Differences were found between emergency and general care units for related factors for nursing diagnosis. Newly reported related factors were not found for emergency care units. CONCLUSION: It is helpful for nurses who work in emergency care to be able to apply the nursing diagnosis validated in this study. These findings can be used as the database to provide a nursing diagnosis system appropriate to improving the emergency nursing practice.