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This study researches the quality of care of the newly redesigned Department of Acute Care (AAZ), at the Noordwest Hospital in Den Helder. It is a multi-methodological study. Quality indicators were descriptively compared with a conventional Emergency Department (ED) at the location in Alkmaar. Moreover, focus groups were held among nurses employed in the AAZ and patient experiences were recorded by the Picker Institute with a validated questionnaire. The study shows that the quality of acute care in the harmonica model of the AAZ achieves comparable results compared to the conventional ED design at Alkmaar. These results imply that it is feasible to provide acute care near the patient, with efficient staffing through a redesign of the acute care chain.

Introduction: Early and adequate preliminary diagnosis reduce emergency department (ED) and hospital stay and may reduce mortality. Several studies demonstrated adequate preliminary diagnosis as stated by emergency medical services (EMS) ranging between 61 and 77%. Dutch EMS are highly trained, but performance of stating adequate preliminary diagnosis remains unknown., Methods: This prospective observational study included 781 patients (> 18years), who arrived in the emergency department (ED) by ambulance in two academic hospitals. For each patient, the diagnosis as stated by EMS and the ED physician was obtained and compared. Diagnosis was categorized based on the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision., Results: The overall diagnostic agreement was 79% [95%-CI: 76-82%]. Agreement was high for traumatic injuries (94%), neurological emergencies (90%), infectious diseases (84%), cardiovascular (78%), moderate for mental and drug related (71%), gastrointestinal (70%), and low for endocrine and metabolic (50%), and acute internal emergencies (41%). There is no correlation between 28-day mortality, the need for ICU admission or the need for hospital admission with an adequate preliminary diagnosis., Conclusion: In the Netherlands, the extent of agreement between EMS diagnosis and ED discharge diagnosis varies between categories. Accuracy is high in diseases with specific observations, e.g., neurological failure, detectable injuries, and electrocardiographic abnormalities. Further studies should use these findings to improve patient outcome., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) is a global problem. Early and accurate recognition of a patient's disposition could limit time spend at the ED and thus improve throughput and quality of care provided. This study aims to compare the accuracy among healthcare providers and the prehospital Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) in predicting the requirement for hospital admission., Methods: A prospective, observational, multi-centre study was performed including adult patients brought to the ED by ambulance. Involved Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel, ED nurses and physicians were asked to predict the need for hospital admission using a structured questionnaire. Primary endpoint was the comparison between the accuracy of healthcare providers and prehospital MEWS in predicting patients' need for hospital admission., Results: In total 798 patients were included of whom 393 (49.2%) were admitted to the hospital. Sensitivity of predicting hospital admission varied from 80.0 to 91.9%, with physicians predicting hospital admission significantly more accurately than EMS and ED nurses (p < 0.001). Specificity ranged from 56.4 to 67.0%. All healthcare providers outperformed MEWS ≥ 3 score on predicting hospital admission (sensitivity 80.0-91.9% versus 44.0%; all p < 0.001). Predictions for ward admissions specifically were significantly more accurate than MEWS (specificity 94.7-95.9% versus 60.6%, all p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Healthcare providers can accurately predict the need for hospital admission, and all providers outperformed the MEWS score., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Implant ruptures and gel bleed are not uncommon among women with silicone breast implants. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is traditionally considered the gold standard diagnostic modality, recent studies suggest ultrasound might be an acceptable alternative. This study compares the efficacy of ultrasound and MRI in assessing implant integrity., Methods: Women with silicone breast implants underwent a breast and axillary ultrasound and MRI on the same day. All tests were assessed by experienced radiologists. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound and MRI for implant rupture detection and silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes were evaluated., Findings: A total of 104 women participated in the study. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound for detecting implant ruptures compared to MRI were 96 %, 95 %, and 96 %, respectively. MRI demonstrated significantly lower sensitivity (44 %) for detecting silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes compared to ultrasound. A significant association was observed between the presence of enlarged axillary lymph nodes and/or axillary pain and the detection of silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes on ultrasound (χ 2 (1, N  = 104) = 5·1, p  = 0·024). Six women exhibited silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes despite having intact first-pair implants, indicative of gel bleed., Interpretation: Ultrasound is nearly as effective as MRI for detecting breast implant ruptures and is superior for detecting silicone depositions in axillary lymph nodes. We therefore recommend initiating radiological examination in women with breast implants with a breast and axillary ultrasound, proceeding to MRI only if the ultrasound is inconclusive. The prevalence of gel bleed is understudied and its potential adverse health effects might be underestimated. Further research is needed to explore its potential association with development of systemic symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: The liberal use of blood cultures in emergency departments (EDs) leads to low yields and high numbers of false-positive results. False-positive, contaminated cultures are associated with prolonged hospital stays, increased antibiotic usage and even higher hospital mortality rates. This trial aims to investigate whether a recently developed and validated machine learning model for predicting blood culture outcomes can safely and effectively guide clinicians in withholding unnecessary blood culture analysis., Methods and Analysis: A randomised controlled, non-inferiority trial comparing current practice with a machine learning-guided approach. The primary objective is to determine whether the machine learning based approach is non-inferior to standard practice based on 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes include hospital length-of stay and hospital admission rates. Other outcomes include model performance and antibiotic usage. Participants will be recruited in the EDs of multiple hospitals in the Netherlands. A total of 7584 participants will be included., Ethics and Dissemination: Possible participants will receive verbal information and a paper information brochure regarding the trial. They will be given at least 1 hour consideration time before providing informed consent. Research results will be published in peer-reviewed journals. This study has been approved by the Amsterdam University Medical Centers' local medical ethics review committee (No 22.0567). The study will be conducted in concordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act, General Data Privacy Regulation and Medical Device Regulation., Trial Registration Number: NCT06163781., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) is an effective tool to identify patients in the acute care chain who are likely to deteriorate. Although it is increasingly being implemented in the ED, the optimal moment to use the MEWS is unknown. This study aimed to determine at what moment in the acute care chain MEWS has the highest accuracy in predicting critical illness., Methods: Adult patients brought by ambulance to the ED at both locations of the Amsterdam UMC, a level 1 trauma centre, were prospectively included between 11 March and 28 October 2021. MEWS was calculated using vital parameters measured prehospital, at ED presentation, 1 hour and 3 hours thereafter, imputing for missing temperature and/or consciousness, as these values were expected not to deviate. Critical illness was defined as requiring intensive care unit admission, myocardial infarction or death within 72 hours after ED presentation. Accuracy in predicting critical illness was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC)., Results: Of the 790 included patients, critical illness occurred in 90 (11.4%). MEWS based on vital parameters at ED presentation had the highest performance in predicting critical illness with an AUROC of 0.73 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.79) but did not significantly differ compared with other moments. Patients with an increasing MEWS over time are significantly more likely to become critical ill compared with patients with an improving MEWS., Conclusion: The performance of MEWS is moderate in predicting critical illness using vital parameters measured surrounding ED admission. However, an increase of MEWS during ED admission is correlated with the development of critical illness. Therefore, early recognition of deteriorating patients at the ED may be achieved by frequent MEWS calculation. Further studies should investigate the effect of continuous monitoring of these patients at the ED., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: The full impact of an acute illness on subsequent health is seldom explicitly discussed with patients. Patients' estimates of their likely prognosis have been explored in chronic care settings and can contribute to the improvement of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. This scoping review aimed to identify studies of acutely ill patients' estimates of their outcomes and potential benefits for their care., Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Google Scholar, using terms related to prognostication and acute care. After removal of duplicates, all articles were assessed for relevance by six investigator pairs; disagreements were resolved by a third investigator. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions., Results: Our search identified 3265 articles, of which 10 were included. The methods of assessing self-prognostication were very heterogeneous. Patients seem to be able to predict their need for hospital admission in certain settings, but not their length of stay. The severity of their symptoms and the burden of their disease are often overestimated or underestimated by patients. Patients with severe health conditions and their relatives tend to be overoptimistic about the likely outcome., Conclusion: The understanding of acutely ill patients of their likely outcomes and benefits of treatment has not been adequately studied and is a major knowledge gap. Limited published literature suggests patients may be able to predict their need for hospital admission. Illness perception may influence help-seeking behaviour, speed of recovery and subsequent quality of life. Knowledge of patients' self-prognosis may enhance communication between patients and their physicians, which improves patient-centred care., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Background: The etiology of capsular contracture (CC), the most common complication following breast augmentation, remains unclear. Chronic, fibrotic inflammation resulting in excessive fibrosis has been proposed as a potential mechanism., Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relation between biomarkers that are associated with inflammation and fibrosis and the severity of CC., Methods: Fifty healthy females were categorized into 3 groups: females with no-to-mild CC (Baker 1-2; n = 15), females with severe CC (Baker 3-4; n = 20), and a control group awaiting breast augmentation ( n = 15). We assessed 5 biomarkers (galectin-1 [Gal-1], interferon-β [INF-β], interferon-γ [INF-γ], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]) in breast implant capsules and serum samples., Results: No significant differences in intracapsular cytokine levels were observed between the Baker 1-2 and the Baker 3-4 groups, as the levels were generally low and, in some cases, almost undetectable. In the blood samples, no significant differences in Gal-1, INF-γ, IL-6, or TNF-α levels were found within the 3 groups. We identified significantly increased levels of INF-β ( P = .009) in the blood samples of females with severe CC, driven mainly by 3 extremely high values., Conclusions: The cytokines assessed in this study did not reflect the degree of CC among females with silicone breast implants. However, 3 females with severe CC, who all had prolonged silicone exposure, showed extremely elevated levels of INF-β in their serum samples. This possible association between prolonged silicone exposure and systemic inflammation in some females should be further investigated., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Aesthetic Society.)

Breast augmentation is a widely performed surgical procedure worldwide, predominantly using silicone gel-filled implants. Concerns have primarily revolved around ruptures and the potential health risks associated with leaked silicone from silicone gel-filled implants. Cases of silicone migration from the shell of saline breast implants remain scarce. This case report introduces a unique case of a 66-year-old patient with silicone migration from intact saline breast implants. The patient presented with a range of symptoms consistent with breast implant illness. Radiological findings suggested the presence of silicone in the axillary lymph nodes, despite the integrity of the implants, thereby confirming silicone migration. Histopathological evaluation revealed a foreign body reaction and the presence of silicone in the axillary lymph nodes. Given the saline filling, the source is likely the polydimethylsiloxane shell. The rarity of documented silicone migration from intact saline breast implants, especially in patients with breast implant illness, underscores the need for more research into the health implications of leaked silicone particles from breast implants., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article. This research was financially supported by the silicone breast implant research program, coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and is likely to rise. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is consequent on inflammation. As a common and cost-effective inflammatory biomarker, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may be beneficial in cardiovascular medicine., Aims: This meta-analysis examines the diagnostic and prognostic performance of the NLR in ACS., Methods: We systematically searched PubMed Central, Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinicaltrial.gov databases. The search spanned from databases inception to January 10, 2024. The findings were aggregated into normalized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals., Results: Ninety articles, with 45 990 participants, were included. Pooled analysis of the NLR varied and was higher in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) vs. non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients (4.94 ± 3.24 vs. 3.24 ± 2.74), acute myocardial infarction vs. unstable angina (4.47 ± 3.43 vs. 2.97 ± 1.58), ACS vs. stable angina (SA) (5.45 ± 4.28 vs. 2.46 ± 2.15), and ACS vs. controls (5.31 ± 4.01 vs. 2.46 ± 2.45). The NLR also was associated with ACS mortality, with survivors having lower results (3.67 ± 2.72 vs. 5.56 ± 3.93). Subanalysis showed that differences in the NLR were observed in STEMI survivors (4.28 ± 3.24 vs. 6.79 ± 3.98). Of ACS patients with major cardiovascular events (MACE) vs. without MACE, the NLR was 6.29 ± 4.89 vs. 3.82 ± 4.12. In STEMI patients, the NLR differed between those with and without MACE (6.99 ± 5.27 vs. 4.99 ± 4.12)., Conclusions: The NLR is an effective tool for differentiating between different types of ACS. A high NLR is associated with ACS and increased MACE at 30 days. The NLR also appears to be a good predictor of MACE risk, at least in STEMI patients.

Background and Importance: Long waiting times in the emergency department (ED) is an increasing problem in the recent years and is expected to become an even bigger problem in the future Objective: We aimed to test the hypothesis whether increasing awareness of the time lapse with the treating physician, 2 hours after patient arrival, can reduce long patient turnaround time (TAT)., Method: In this prospective single-center cohort study we compared and analyzed patient TAT in the ED before and after implementation of a so called 'traffic light' moment 2 hours after patient arrival. At this 'traffic light' moment a team member contacted the treating physician to increased awareness over the time lapse. Difference in percentage of patients who stayed more than 4 hours in the ED before and after intervention was the primary outcome Results: Between October 2nd 2021 and January 2nd,2022 1494 patients were included for primary outcome analysis. A total of 419 patients (n=740, 56.6%) had a TAT of less than 4 hour in the ED before intervention, compared to 497 (n=754, 65.9%) after intervention (p <0.001). Median time spent in de ED before intervention was 3:40 (IQR 2:24 - 5:04) compared to 3:15 (IQR 2:03 - 4:38) after intervention (p<0.001)., Conclusion: This simple and low-cost intervention reduces the ED length of stay significantly. Although multiple interventions will be required to ensure less patients spending more than 4-hours in the ED, a 'traffic light' moment can be a simple and an effective tool.

The majority of older patients' Emergency Department (ED) repeat visits are disease-related or caused by new complaints. Whether these repeat visits should and can be avoided is debated, given the vulnerability of this patient category. A proportion of patients still returns despite careful discharge planning. However, this number represents only a small fraction of the total of ED visits. In conclusion, this situation is likely to persist because the number of patients is growing, the problem is unpredictable and the care capacity is limited. For the small part that we can prevent, there is a shared responsibility for both the ED, but also for the entire care network due to the chronic nature of a large proportion of the complaints in the ED. Advance care planning is crucial in shifting to appropriate, timely and patient-centered care.

Background: Excessive use of blood cultures (BCs) in Emergency Departments (EDs) results in low yields and high contamination rates, associated with increased antibiotic use and unnecessary diagnostics. Our team previously developed and validated a machine learning model to predict BC outcomes and enhance diagnostic stewardship. While the model showed promising initial results, concerns over performance drift due to evolving patient demographics, clinical practices, and outcome rates warrant continual monitoring and evaluation of such models., Methods: A real-time evaluation of the model's performance was conducted between October 2021 and September 2022. The model was integrated into Amsterdam UMC's Electronic Health Record system, predicting BC outcomes for all adult patients with BC draws in real time. The model's performance was assessed monthly using metrics including the Area Under the Curve (AUC), Area Under the Precision-Recall Curve (AUPRC), and Brier scores. Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts were used to monitor variation over time., Findings: Across 3.035 unique adult patient visits, the model achieved an average AUC of 0.78, AUPRC of 0.41, and a Brier score of 0.10 for predicting the outcome of BCs drawn in the ED. While specific population characteristics changed over time, no statistical points outside the statistical control range were detected in the AUC, AUPRC, and Brier scores, indicating stable model performance. The average BC positivity rate during the study period was 13.4%., Interpretation: Despite significant changes in clinical practice, our BC stewardship tool exhibited stable performance, suggesting its robustness to changing environments. Using SPC charts for various metrics enables simple and effective monitoring of potential performance drift. The assessment of the variation of outcome rates and population changes may guide the specific interventions, such as intercept correction or recalibration, that may be needed to maintain a stable model performance over time. This study suggested no need to recalibrate or correct our BC stewardship tool., Funding: No funding to disclose., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests regarding this work., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The latest Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines advocate that all hospitals use sepsis performance improvement programs. However, there is a limited evidence about how to structure such programs and what their potential impact is on sepsis management and outcomes in the emergency department (ED). In this study, we evaluated the implementation of a sepsis performance improvement program in the ED including a dedicated sepsis response team and analyzed the management and outcomes of sepsis patients before and after., Methods: We conducted a before-after interventional study in the ED of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands. The sepsis performance improvement program included regular educational meetings, daily audits and weekly feedback, a screening tool, and a dedicated multidisciplinary sepsis response team. We studied all adult patients who presented to the ED with a suspected infection and a Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) ≥ 3 during their stay. In the postintervention phase, these patients were seen by the sepsis team. Process-related and patient-related outcomes were measured between November 2019 and February 2020 (preintervention) and December 2021-May 2022 (postintervention)., Results: A total of 265 patients were included in the primary study, 132 patients preintervention and 133 patients postintervention. The postintervention phase was associated with improvements in nearly all process-related outcomes, such as a shorter time to antibiotics (66 vs. 143 min; p < 0.001), increased number of lactate measurements (72.9 vs. 46.2%; p < 0.001), and improved completeness of documented MEWS scores (85.0 vs. 62.9%; p < 0.001). Except for an improvement in the number of immediate versus delayed ICU admissions (100% immediate vs. 64.3% immediate; p = 0.012), there was no improvement in the other patient-related outcomes such as 28 days mortality (14.3 vs. 9.1%; p = 0.261), during the postintervention phase., Conclusion: Our program stimulated physicians to make timely decisions regarding diagnostics and treatment of sepsis in the ED. Implementing the sepsis performance improvement program was associated with significant improvements in most process-related outcomes but with minimal improvements in patient-related outcomes in our cohort., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The quality of communication influences the patient-doctor relationship. Patient satisfaction and compliance improve when a healthcare professional shows empathy and compassion. A substantial part of communication is non-verbal, especially in more complex conversations. A physician's physical posture during interaction with the patient is therefore crucial. Although sitting at the bedside is considered as best practice, we increasingly tend to stand during bedside interactions. This might be caused by time constraints and the idea that sitting down may be more time consuming. In this article we discuss the importance of posture. The psychological background of certain body language is reviewed. In addition, we give a concise review of the literature which shows that patient outcomes such as satisfaction are better in a sitting interactions, and that this interaction is not more time consuming.

Inappropriate bed occupancy due to delayed hospital discharge affects both physical and psychological well-being in patients and can disrupt patient flow. The Dutch healthcare system is facing ongoing pressure, especially during the current coronavirus disease pandemic, intensifying the need for optimal use of hospital beds. The aim of this study was to quantify inappropriate patient stays and describe the underlying reasons for the delays in discharge. The Day of Care Survey (DoCS) is a validated tool used to gain information about appropriate and inappropriate bed occupancy in hospitals. Between February 2019 and January 2021, the DoCS was performed five times in three different hospitals within the region of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All inpatients were screened, using standardized criteria, for their need for in-hospital care at the time of survey and reasons for discharge delay. A total of 782 inpatients were surveyed. Of these patients, 94 (12%) were planned for definite discharge that day. Of all other patients, 145 (21%, ranging from 14% to 35%) were without the need for acute in-hospital care. In 74% (107/145) of patients, the reason for discharge delay was due to issues outside the hospital; most frequently due to a shortage of available places in care homes (26%, 37/145). The most frequent reason for discharge delay inside the hospital was patients awaiting a decision or review by the treating physician (14%, 20/145). Patients who did not meet the criteria for hospital stay were, in general, older [median 75, interquartile range (IQR) 65-84 years, and 67, IQR 55-75 years, respectively, P < .001] and had spent more days in hospital (7, IQR 5-14 days, and 3, IQR 1-8 days respectively, P < .001). Approximately one in five admitted patients occupying hospital beds did not meet the criteria for acute in-hospital stay or care at the time of the survey. Most delays were related to issues outside the immediate control of the hospital. Improvement programmes working with stakeholders focusing on the transfer from hospital to outside areas of care need to be further developed and may offer potential for the greatest gain. The DoCS can be a tool to periodically monitor changes and improvements in patient flow., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: It is unclear if relevant changes in pulmonary involvement in critically ill COVID-19 patients can be reliably detected by the CT severity score (CTSS) and lung ultrasound score (LUSS), or if these changes have prognostic implications. In addition, it has been argued that adding pleural abnormalities to the LUSS could improve its prognostic value. The objective of this study was to compare LUSS and CTSS for the monitoring of COVID-19 pulmonary involvement through: first, establishing the correlation of LUSS (± pleural abnormalities) and CTSS throughout admission; second, assessing agreement and measurement error between raters for LUSS, pleural abnormalities, and CTSS; third, evaluating the association of the LUSS (± pleural abnormalities) and CTSS with mortality at different timepoints., Methods: This is a prospective, observational study, conducted during the second COVID-19 wave at the AmsterdamUMC, location VUmc. Adult COVID-19 ICU patients were prospectively included when a CT or a 12-zone LUS was performed at admission or at weekly intervals according to local protocol. Patients were followed 90 days or until death. We calculated the: (1) Correlation of the LUSS (± pleural abnormalities) and CTSS throughout admission with mixed models; (2) Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and smallest detectable changes (SDCs) between raters; (3) Association between the LUSS (± pleural abnormalities) and CTSS with mixed models., Results: 82 consecutive patients were included. Correlation between LUSS and CTSS was 0.45 (95% CI 0.31-0.59). ICCs for LUSS, pleural abnormalities, and CTSS were 0.88 (95% CI 0.73-0.95), 0.94 (95% CI 0.90-0.96), and 0.84 (95% CI 0.65-0.93), with SDCs of 4.8, 1.4, and 3.9. The LUSS was associated with mortality in week 2, with a score difference between patients who survived or died greater than its SDC. Addition of pleural abnormalities was not beneficial. The CTSS was associated with mortality only in week 1, but with a score difference less than its SDC., Conclusions: LUSS correlated with CTSS throughout ICU admission but performed similar or better at agreement between raters and mortality prognostication. Given the benefits of LUS over CT, it should be preferred as initial monitoring tool., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: Risk stratification is increasingly based on Early Warning Score (EWS)-based models, instead of clinical judgement. However, it is unknown how risk-stratification models and EWS perform as compared with the clinical judgement of treating acute healthcare providers. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of all available literature evaluating clinical judgement of healthcare providers to the use of risk-stratification models in predicting patients' clinical outcome., Methods: Studies comparing clinical judgement and risk-stratification models in predicting outcomes in adult patients presenting at the ED were eligible for inclusion. Outcomes included the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission; severe adverse events; clinical deterioration and mortality. Risk of bias among the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool., Results: Six studies (6419 participants) were included of which 4 studies were judged to be at high risk of bias. Only descriptive analysis was performed as a meta-analysis was not possible due to few included studies and high clinical heterogeneity. The performance of clinical judgement and risk-stratification models were both moderate in predicting mortality, deterioration and need for ICU admission with area under the curves between 0.70 and 0.89. The performance of clinical judgement did not significantly differ from risk-stratification models in predicting mortality (n=2 studies) or deterioration (n=1 study). However, clinical judgement of healthcare providers was significantly better in predicting the need for ICU admission (n=2) and severe adverse events (n=1 study) as compared with risk-stratification models., Conclusion: Based on limited existing data, clinical judgement has greater accuracy in predicting the need for ICU admission and the occurrence of severe adverse events compared with risk-stratification models in ED patients. However, performance is similar in predicting mortality and deterioration., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42020218893., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Sleep is essential for recovery from illness. As a result, researchers have shown a growing interest in the sleep of hospitalized patients. Although many studies have been conducted over the past years, an up to date systematic review of the results is missing., Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to assess sleep quality and quantity of hospitalized patients and sleep disturbing factors., Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted within four scientific databases. The search focused on synonyms of 'sleep' and 'hospitalization'. Papers written in English or Dutch from inception to April 25th,2022 were included for hospitalized patients >1 year of age. Papers exclusively reporting about patients receiving palliative, obstetric or psychiatric care were excluded, as well as patients in rehabilitation and intensive care settings, and long-term hospitalized geriatric patients. This review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines., Results: Out of 542 full text studies assessed for eligibility, 203 were included, describing sleep quality and/or quantity of 17,964 patients. The median sample size of the studies was 51 patients (IQR 67, range 6-1472). An exploratory meta-analysis of the Total Sleep Time showed an average of 7.2 h (95%-CI 4.3, 10.2) in hospitalized children, 5.7 h (95%-CI 4.8, 6.7) in adults and 5.8 h (95%-CI 5.3, 6.4) in older patients (>60y). In addition, a meta-analysis of the Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) showed a combined high average of 1.8 h (95%-CI 0.7, 2.9). Overall sleep quality was poor, also due to nocturnal awakenings. The most frequently cited external factors for poor sleep were noise and number of patients in the room. Among the variety of internal/disease-related factors, pain and anxiety were most frequently mentioned to be associated with poor sleep., Conclusion: Of all studies, 76% reported poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep duration in hospitalized patients. Children sleep on average 0.7-3.8 h less in the hospital than recommended. Hospitalized adults sleep 1.3-3.2 h less than recommended for healthy people. This underscores the need for interventions to improve sleep during hospitalization to support recovery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Study Objective: To compare the prognostic accuracy of clinical judgment for frailty in older patients at the emergency department with a validated screening instrument and patient-perceived frailty., Methods: A prospective cohort study in patients 70 years of age and older in 2 Dutch EDs with a follow-up of 3 months. A dichotomous question was asked to the physician and patient: "Do you consider the patient / yourself to be frail?" The Identification of Seniors At Risk-Hospitalized Patients (ISAR-HP) was used as a validated screening instrument. The primary composite outcome consisted of either functional decline, institutionalization, or mortality., Results: A total of 736 patients were included. The physician identified 59% as frail, compared with 49% by ISAR-HP and 43% by patients themselves. The level of agreement was fair (Fleiss Kappa, 0.31). After 3 months, 31% of the patients experienced at least 1 adverse health outcome. The sensitivity was 79% for the physician, 72% for ISAR-HP, 61% for the patient, and 48% for all 3 combined. The specificity was 50% for the physician, 63% for ISAR-HP, 66% for the patient, and 85% for all 3 positive. The highest positive likelihood ratio was 3.03 (physician, ISAR-HP, patient combined), and the lowest negative likelihood ratio was 0.42 (physician). The areas under the receiver operating curves were all poor: 0.68 at best for ISAR-HP., Conclusion: Clinical judgment for frailty showed fair agreement with a validated screening instrument and patient-perceived frailty. All 3 instruments have poor prognostic accuracy, which does not improve when combined. These findings illustrate the limited prognostic value of clinical judgment as a frailty screener in older patients at the ED., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Older adults at the emergency department (ED) with polypharmacy, comorbidity, and frailty are at risk of adverse health outcomes. We investigated the association of polypharmacy with adverse health outcomes, in relation to comorbidity and frailty., Methods: This is a prospective cohort study in ED patients  ≥ 70 years. Non-polypharmacy was defined as 0-4 medications, polypharmacy 5-9 and excessive polypharmacy ≥ 10. Comorbidity was classified by the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Frailty was defined by the Identification of Seniors At Risk-Hospitalized Patients (ISAR-HP) score. The primary outcome was 3-month mortality. Secondary outcomes were readmission to an ED/hospital ward and a self-reported fall < 3 months. The association between polypharmacy, comorbidity and frailty was analyzed by logistic regression., Results: 881 patients were included. 43% had polypharmacy and 18% had excessive polypharmacy. After 3 months, 9% died, 30% were readmitted, and 21% reported a fall. Compared with non-polypharmacy, the odds ratio (OR) for mortality ranged from 2.62 (95% CI 1.39-4.93) in patients with polypharmacy to 3.92 (95% CI 1.95-7.90) in excessive polypharmacy. The OR weakened after adjustment for comorbidity: 1.80 (95% CI 0.92-3.52) and 2.32 (95% CI 1.10-4.90). After adjusting for frailty, the OR weakened to 2.10 (95% CI 1.10-4.00) and OR 2.40 (95% CI 1.15-5.02). No significant association was found for readmission or self-reported fall., Conclusions: Polypharmacy is common in older patients at the ED. Polypharmacy, and especially excessive polypharmacy, is associated with an increased risk of mortality. The observed association is complex given the confounding effect of comorbidity and frailty., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Overuse of blood cultures (BCs) in emergency departments (EDs) leads to low yields and high numbers of contaminated cultures, accompanied by increased diagnostics, antibiotic usage, prolonged hospitalization, and mortality. We aimed to simplify and validate a recently developed machine learning model to help safely withhold BC testing in low-risk patients., Methods: We extracted data from the electronic health records (EHR) for 44.123 unique ED visits with BC sampling in the Amsterdam UMC (locations VUMC and AMC; the Netherlands), Zaans Medical Center (ZMC; the Netherlands), and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC; United States) in periods between 2011 and 2021. We trained a machine learning model on the VUMC data to predict blood culture outcomes and validated it in the AMC, ZMC, and BIDMC with subsequent real-time prospective evaluation in the VUMC., Findings: The model had an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.81 (95%-CI = 0.78-0.83) in the VUMC test set. The most important predictors were temperature, creatinine, and C-reactive protein. The AUROCs in the validation cohorts were 0.80 (AMC; 0.78-0.82), 0.76 (ZMC; 0.74-0.78), and 0.75 (BIDMC; 0.74-0.76). During real-time prospective evaluation in the EHR of the VUMC, it reached an AUROC of 0.76 (0.71-0.81) among 590 patients with BC draws in the ED. The prospective evaluation showed that the model can be used to safely withhold blood culture analyses in at least 30% of patients in the ED., Interpretation: We developed a machine learning model to predict blood culture outcomes in the ED, which retained its performance during external validation and real-time prospective evaluation. Our model can identify patients at low risk of having a positive blood culture. Using the model in practice can significantly reduce the number of blood culture analyses and thus avoid the hidden costs of false-positive culture results., Funding: This research project was funded by the Amsterdam Public Health - Quality of Care program and the Dutch "Doen of Laten" project (project number: 839205002)., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests pertaining to the submitted work., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) can be caused by a variety of pathogens, of which Streptococcus pneumoniae, Influenza and currently SARS-CoV-2 are the most common. We sought to identify shared and pathogen-specific host response features by directly comparing different aetiologies of CAP., Methods: We measured 72 plasma biomarkers in a cohort of 265 patients hospitalized for CAP, all sampled within 48 hours of admission, and 28 age-and sex matched non-infectious controls. We stratified the biomarkers into several pathophysiological domains- antiviral response, vascular response and function, coagulation, systemic inflammation, and immune checkpoint markers. We directly compared CAP caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19, n=39), Streptococcus pneumoniae (CAP-strep, n=27), Influenza (CAP-flu, n=22) and other or unknown pathogens (CAP-other, n=177). We adjusted the comparisons for age, sex and disease severity scores., Findings: Biomarkers reflective of a stronger cell-mediated antiviral response clearly separated COVID-19 from other CAPs (most notably granzyme B). Biomarkers reflecting activation and function of the vasculature showed endothelial barrier integrity was least affected in COVID-19, while glycocalyx degradation and angiogenesis were enhanced relative to other CAPs. Notably, markers of coagulation activation, including D-dimer, were not different between the CAP groups. Ferritin was most increased in COVID-19, while other systemic inflammation biomarkers such as IL-6 and procalcitonin were highest in CAP-strep. Immune checkpoint markers showed distinctive patterns in viral and non-viral CAP, with highly elevated levels of Galectin-9 in COVID-19., Interpretation: Our investigation provides insight into shared and distinct pathophysiological mechanisms in different aetiologies of CAP, which may help guide new pathogen-specific therapeutic strategies., Funding: This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council, the European Commission and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests JS was on the Data Safety Monitoring Board of the Pointer trial (ISRCTN33682933), and is the Vice President of the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology. All other authors declare no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sleep is vital for recovery during hospital stay. Many sleep-promoting interventions have been investigated in the past. Nurses seem to overestimate their patients sleep and their perspective is needed for these interventions to be successfully implemented., Objectives: To assess the patient's and nurse's agreement on the patient's sleep and factors disturbing sleep., Methods: The instruments used included 1) five Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) items plus a rating of nighttime noise and 2) the Consensus Sleep Diary (CSD). The mean of the five RCSQ items comprised a total score, which reflects sleep quality. Once a week, unannounced, nurses and patients were asked to fill in questionnaires concerning last night's sleep. Neither nurses nor patients knew the others' ratings. Patient-nurse agreement was evaluated by using median differences and Bland-Altman plots. Reliability was evaluated by using intraclass correlation coefficients., Results: Fifty-five paired patient-nurse assessments have been completed. For all RCSQ subitems, nurses' scores were higher (indicating "better" sleep) than patients' scores, with a significantly higher rating for sleep depth (median [IQR], 70 [40] vs 50 [40], P = .012). The Bland-Altman plots for the RSCQ Total Score (r = 0.0593, P = .008) revealed a significant amount of variation (bias). The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) indicated poor reliability for all 7 measures (range -0.278 - 0.435). Nurses were relatively overestimating their own role in causing sleep disturbances and underestimating patient-related factors., Conclusions: Nurses tend to overestimate patients' sleep quality as well as their own role in causing sleep disturbances., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Up to 22% of older patients who visit the emergency department (ED) have a return visit within 30 days. To achieve patient-centered care for this group at the ED it is important to involve the patient perspective and strive to provide the best possible experience. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives of older patients from initial to return ED visit by mapping their patient journey., Methods: We performed a qualitative patient journey study with 13 patients of 70 years and older with a return ED visit within 30 days who presented at the Amsterdam UMC, a Dutch academic hospital. We used semi-structured interviews focusing on the patient experience during their journey and developed a conceptual framework for coding., Results: Our sample consisted of 13 older patients with an average age of 80 years, and 62% of them were males. The framework contained a timeline of the patient journey with five chronological main themes, complemented with an 'experience' theme, these were divided into 34 subthemes. Health status, social system, contact with the general practitioner, aftercare, discharge and expectations were the five main themes. The experiences regarding these themes differed greatly between patients. The two most prominent subthemes were waiting time and discharge communication, which were mostly related to a negative experience., Conclusions: This study provides insight into the experiences and perspectives of older patients from initial to return ED visit. The two major findings were that lack of clarity regarding waiting times and suboptimal discharge communication contributed to negative experiences. Recommendations regarding waiting time (i.e. a two-hour time out at the ED), and discharge communication (i.e. checklist for discharge) could contribute to a positive ED experience and thereby potentially improve patient-centered care., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

This article is one of ten reviews selected from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2022. Other selected articles can be found online at https://www.biomedcentral.com/collections/annualupdate2022 . Further information about the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine is available from https://link.springer.com/bookseries/8901 ., (© 2022. Schinkel et al.)

Objective: Validated clinical risk scores are needed to identify patients with COVID-19 at risk of severe disease and to guide triage decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the performance of early warning scores (EWS) in the ED when identifying patients with COVID-19 who will require intensive care unit (ICU) admission for high-flow-oxygen usage or mechanical ventilation., Methods: Patients with a proven SARS-CoV-2 infection with complete resuscitate orders treated in nine hospitals between 27 February and 30 July 2020 needing hospital admission were included. Primary outcome was the performance of EWS in identifying patients needing ICU admission within 24 hours after ED presentation., Results: In total, 1501 patients were included. Median age was 71 (range 19-99) years and 60.3% were male. Of all patients, 86.9% were admitted to the general ward and 13.1% to the ICU within 24 hours after ED admission. ICU patients had lower peripheral oxygen saturation (86.7% vs 93.7, p≤0.001) and had a higher body mass index (29.2 vs 27.9 p=0.043) compared with non-ICU patients. National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) ≥ 6 and q-COVID Score were superior to all other studied clinical risk scores in predicting ICU admission with a fair area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.740 (95% CI 0.696 to 0.783) and 0.760 (95% CI 0.712 to 0.800), respectively. NEWS2 ≥6 and q-COVID Score ≥3 discriminated patients admitted to the ICU with a sensitivity of 78.1% and 75.9%, and specificity of 56.3% and 61.8%, respectively., Conclusion: In this multicentre study, the best performing models to predict ICU admittance were the NEWS2 and the Quick COVID-19 Severity Index Score, with fair diagnostic performance. However, due to the moderate performance, these models cannot be clinically used to adequately predict the need for ICU admission within 24 hours in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting at the ED., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

COVID-19 patients have increased risk of pulmonary embolism (PE), but symptoms of both conditions overlap. Because screening algorithms for PE in COVID-19 patients are currently lacking, PE might be underdiagnosed. We evaluated a screening algorithm in which all patients presenting to the ED with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 routinely undergo D-dimer testing, followed by CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) if D-dimer is ≥ 1.00 mg/L. Consecutive adult patients presenting to the ED of two university hospitals in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, between 01-10-2020 and 31-12-2020, who had a final diagnosis of COVID-19, were retrospectively included. D-dimer and CTPA results were obtained. Of 541 patients with a final diagnosis of COVID-19 presenting to the ED, 25 (4.6%) were excluded because D-dimer was missing, and 71 (13.1%) because they used anticoagulation therapy. Of 445 included patients, 185 (41.6%; 95%CI 37.0-46.3) had a D-dimer ≥ 1.00 mg/L. CTPA was performed in 169 of them, which showed PE in 26 (15.4%; 95%CI 10.3-21.7), resulting in an overall detection rate of 5.8% (95%CI 3.9-8.4) in the complete study group. In patients with and without PE at CTPA, median D-dimer was 9.84 (IQR 3.90-29.38) and 1.64 (IQR 1.17-3.01), respectively (p < 0.001). PE prevalence increased with increasing D-dimer, ranging from 1.2% (95%CI 0.0-6.4) if D-dimer was 1.00-1.99 mg/L, to 48.6% (95%CI 31.4-66.0) if D-dimer was ≥ 5.00 mg/L. In conclusion, by applying this screening algorithm, PE was identified in a considerable proportion of COVID-19 patients. Prospective management studies should assess if this algorithm safely rules-out PE if D-dimer is < 1.00 mg/L., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Optimizing emergency care for the aging population is an important future challenge, as the proportion of older patients at the emergency department (ED) rapidly increases. Older patients, particularly those who are frail, have a high risk of adverse outcomes after an ED visit, such as functional decline, institutionalization, and death. The ED can have a key position in identifying frail older patients who benefit most from comprehensive geriatric care [including delirium preventive measures, early evaluation of after-discharge care, and a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)]. However, performing extensive frailty assessment is not suitable at the ED. Therefore, quick and easy-to-use instruments are needed to identify older patients at risk for adverse outcomes. This narrative review outlines the importance and complexity of frailty assessment at the ED. It aligns the available screening instruments, including clinical judgment as frailty assessment, and summarizes arguments for and against frailty assessment at the ED., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Use of tele-health programs and wearable sensors that allow patients to monitor their own vital signs have been expanded in response to COVID-19. We aimed to explore the utility of patient-held data during presentation as medical emergencies., Methods: We undertook a systematic scoping review of two groups of studies: studies using non-invasive vital sign monitoring in patients with chronic diseases aimed at preventing unscheduled reviews in primary care, hospitalization or emergency department visits and studies using vital sign measurements from wearable sensors for decision making by clinicians on presentation of these patients as emergencies. Only studies that described a comparator or control group were included. Studies limited to inpatient use of devices were excluded., Results: The initial search resulted in 896 references for screening, nine more studies were identified through searches of references. 26 studies fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria and were further analyzed. The majority of studies were from telehealth programs of patients with congestive heart failure or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. There was limited evidence that patient held data is currently used to risk-stratify the admission or discharge process for medical emergencies. Studies that showed impact on mortality or hospital admission rates measured vital signs at least daily. We identified no interventional study using commercially available sensors in watches or smart phones., Conclusions: Further research is needed to determine utility of patient held monitoring devices to guide management of acute medical emergencies at the patients' home, on presentation to hospital and after discharge back to the community., Competing Interests: The authors report no declarations of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Study Objective: Debate exists about the mortality benefit of administering antibiotics within either 1 or 3 hours of sepsis onset. We performed this meta-analysis to analyze the effect of immediate (0 to 1 hour after onset) versus early (1 to 3 hours after onset) antibiotics on mortality in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock., Methods: This review was consistent with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Searched databases included PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, as well as gray literature. Included studies were conducted with consecutive adults with severe sepsis or septic shock who received antibiotics within each period and provided mortality data. Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers and pooled with random effects. Two authors independently assessed quality of evidence across all studies with Cochrane's Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology and risk of bias within each study, using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale., Results: Thirteen studies were included: 5 prospective longitudinal and 8 retrospective cohort ones. Three studies (23%) had a high risk of bias (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale). Overall, quality of evidence across all studies (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) was low. Pooling of data (33,863 subjects) showed no difference in mortality between patients receiving antibiotics in immediate versus early periods (odds ratio 1.09; 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 1.21). Analysis of severe sepsis studies (8,595 subjects) found higher mortality in immediate versus early periods (odds ratio 1.29; 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.53)., Conclusion: We found no difference in mortality between immediate and early antibiotics across all patients. Although the quality of evidence across studies was low, these findings do not support a mortality benefit for immediate compared with early antibiotics across all patients with sepsis., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The world is currently embroiled in a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness caused by the novel betacoronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The severity of COVID-19 disease ranges from asymptomatic to fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome. In few patients, the disease undergoes phenotypic differentiation between 7 and 14 days of acute illness, either resulting in full recovery or symptom escalation. However, the mechanism of such variation is not clear, but the facts suggest that patient's immune status, comorbidities, and the systemic effects of the viral infection (potentially depending on the SARS-CoV-2 strain involved) play a key role. Subsequently, patients with the most severe symptoms tend to have poor outcomes, manifest severe hypoxia, and possess elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) along with elevated levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, marked lymphopenia, and elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios. Based on the available evidence, we propose a mechanism wherein SARS-CoV-2 infection induces direct organ damage while also fueling an IL-6-mediated cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and hypoxia, resulting in escalating systemic inflammation, multi-organ damage, and end-organ failure. Elevated IL-6 and hypoxia together predisposes patients to pulmonary hypertension, and the presence of asymptomatic hypoxia in COVID-19 further compounds this problem. Due to the similar downstream mediators, we discuss the potential synergistic effects and systemic ramifications of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus during co-infection, a phenomenon we have termed "COVI-Flu." Additionally, the differences between CRS and cytokine storm are highlighted. Finally, novel management approaches, clinical trials, and therapeutic strategies toward both SARS-CoV-2 and COVI-Flu infection are discussed, highlighting host response optimization and systemic inflammation reduction.

What started as a cluster of patients with a mysterious respiratory illness in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, was later determined to be coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel Betacoronavirus , was subsequently isolated as the causative agent. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by respiratory droplets and fomites and presents clinically with fever, fatigue, myalgias, conjunctivitis, anosmia, dysgeusia, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. In most critical cases, symptoms can escalate into acute respiratory distress syndrome accompanied by a runaway inflammatory cytokine response and multiorgan failure. As of this article's publication date, COVID-19 has spread to approximately 200 countries and territories, with over 4.3 million infections and more than 290,000 deaths as it has escalated into a global pandemic. Public health concerns mount as the situation evolves with an increasing number of infection hotspots around the globe. New information about the virus is emerging just as rapidly. This has led to the prompt development of clinical patient risk stratification tools to aid in determining the need for testing, isolation, monitoring, ventilator support, and disposition. COVID-19 spread is rapid, including imported cases in travelers, cases among close contacts of known infected individuals, and community-acquired cases without a readily identifiable source of infection. Critical shortages of personal protective equipment and ventilators are compounding the stress on overburdened healthcare systems. The continued challenges of social distancing, containment, isolation, and surge capacity in already stressed hospitals, clinics, and emergency departments have led to a swell in technologically-assisted care delivery strategies, such as telemedicine and web-based triage. As the race to develop an effective vaccine intensifies, several clinical trials of antivirals and immune modulators are underway, though no reliable COVID-19-specific therapeutics (inclusive of some potentially effective single and multi-drug regimens) have been identified as of yet. With many nations and regions declaring a state of emergency, unprecedented quarantine, social distancing, and border closing efforts are underway. Implementation of social and physical isolation measures has caused sudden and profound economic hardship, with marked decreases in global trade and local small business activity alike, and full ramifications likely yet to be felt. Current state-of-science, mitigation strategies, possible therapies, ethical considerations for healthcare workers and policymakers, as well as lessons learned for this evolving global threat and the eventual return to a "new normal" are discussed in this article., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Global Infectious Diseases.)

Health care is evolving and with it the need to reform medical education. As the practice of medicine enters the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the use of data to improve clinical decision making will grow, pushing the need for skillful medicine-machine interaction. As the rate of medical knowledge grows, technologies such as AI are needed to enable health care professionals to effectively use this knowledge to practice medicine. Medical professionals need to be adequately trained in this new technology, its advantages to improve cost, quality, and access to health care, and its shortfalls such as transparency and liability. AI needs to be seamlessly integrated across different aspects of the curriculum. In this paper, we have addressed the state of medical education at present and have recommended a framework on how to evolve the medical education curriculum to include AI., (©Ketan Paranjape, Michiel Schinkel, Rishi Nannan Panday, Josip Car, Prabath Nanayakkara. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (http://mededu.jmir.org), 03.12.2019.)

Objectives: Inadequate patient handovers are associated with the occurrence of medical errors. The objective of the present study was to explore the structure and quality of handovers in the acute medical assessment unit., Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in an academic hospital in the Netherlands. Handover structure was observed by ordering handover information according to the elements of the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, and Read back (SBAR-R) handover tool. Handover quality was measured by means of a questionnaire, i.e., the rating tool for handover quality, and by assessing situation awareness of the degree to which professionals after a handover agreed on the complexity of the patient's care needs., Results: A total of 71 handovers were observed. In most handovers, different elements of the SBAR-R were used frequently (median, 7.5 elements; range, 2.0-15.0). On the quality of handovers, 109 respondents (44.1%) completed the questionnaire. On a 0-to-100 scale, median scores on information transfer were 67.9 (interquartile range [IQR],17.9), 75.0 (IQR, 25.0) on shared understanding, and 75.0 (IQR, 16.7) on working atmosphere. Agreement in situation awareness was 70.0%., Conclusions: Handovers in the acute medical assessment unit were poorly structured; however, the perceived quality of handovers was substantial. Implementing the SBAR-R may be an effective strategy to improve handover practice and situation awareness, although further study to its applicability in acute medical assessment units is necessary.

Background: Sepsis remains one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In approximately 30-50% of cases of suspected sepsis, no pathogen is isolated, disabling the clinician to treat the patient with targeted antimicrobial therapy. Studies investigating the differences in the patient outcomes between culture-positive and culture-negative sepsis patients have only been conducted in subgroups of sepsis patients and results are ambiguous., Methods: This is a sub-analysis of the PHANTASi (Prehospital Antibiotics Against Sepsis trial), a randomized controlled trial that focused on the effect of prehospital antibiotics in sepsis patients. We evaluated the outcome of cultures from different sources and determined what the clinical implications of having a positive culture compared to negative cultures were for patient outcomes. Furthermore, we looked at the effect of antibiotics on culture outcomes., Results: 1133 patients (42.6%) with culture-positive sepsis were identified, compared to 1526 (56.4%) patients with culture-negative sepsis. 28-day mortality (RR 1.43 [95% CI 1.11-1.83]) and 90-day mortality (RR 1.41 [95% CI 1.15-1.71]) were significantly higher in culture-positive patients compared to culture-negative patients. Culture-positive sepsis was also associated with ≥ 3 organ systems affected during the sepsis episode (RR 4.27 [95% CI 2.78-6.60]). Patients who received antibiotics at home more often had negative blood cultures (85.9% vs. 78%) than those who did not (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Our results show that culture-positive sepsis is associated with a higher mortality rate and culture-positive patients more often have multiple organ systems affected during the sepsis episode., Trial Registration: The PHANTASi trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01988428 . Date of registration: November 20, 2013.

Background: Although unscheduled readmissions are increasingly being used as a quality indicator, only few readmission studies have focused on surgical patient populations., Methods: An observational study "CURIOS@" was performed at three centers in the Netherlands. Readmitted patients and treating doctors were surveyed to assess the discharge process during index admission and their opinion on predictability and preventability of the readmission. Risk factors associated with predictability and preventability as judged by patients and their doctor were identified. Cohen's kappa was calculated to measure pairwise agreement of considering readmission as predictable/preventable. PRISMA root cause categories were used to qualify the reasons for readmission., Results: In 237 unscheduled surgical readmissions, more patients assessed their readmissions to be likely preventable compared with their treating doctors (28.7% versus 6.8%; kappa, 0.071). This was also reflected in poor consensus about risk factors and root causes of these readmissions. When patients reported that they did not feel ready for discharge or requested their doctor to allow them to stay longer at discharge during index admission, they deemed their readmission more likely predictable and preventable. Doctors focused on measurable factors such as the clinical frailty scale and biomarkers during discharge process. Health-care worker failures were strongly associated with preventable readmissions., Conclusions: There is no consensus between readmitted patients and treating doctors about predictability and preventability of readmissions, nor about associated risk factors and root causes. Patients should be more effectively involved in their discharge process, and the relevance of optimal communication between them should be emphasized to create a safe and efficient discharge process., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treatment with antipsychotic drugs has been associated with glucose dysregulation in older outpatients, especially in the early stage of therapy. The underlying mechanism is, however, unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in glucose levels during haloperidol use compared with the use of placebo among older hospitalized patients., Methods: This substudy was part of a larger multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial among hospitalized patients aged 70 years and older who had an increased risk of in-hospital delirium. Patients who were admitted to the Jeroen Bosch Hospital in 's-Hertogenbosch between June 2014 and February 2015 were invited to participate in the study. Participating patients were randomized for treatment and given 1 mg of haloperidol or a placebo twice daily for a maximum of 7 consecutive days (14 doses). Exclusion criteria for this substudy were the use of corticosteroids and changes in diabetes medication. Random blood samples to determine glucose levels were collected before day 1 and on day 6 of the study. Student independent sample t test was used to determine differences in glucose changes between both groups., Results: Twenty-nine patients were included (haloperidol, n = 14; placebo, n = 15). The mean glucose level for placebo users was 139.3 mg/dL (SD, 50.1) on day 1 and 140.8 mg/dL (SD, 45.7) on day 6, and the mean glucose level for haloperidol users was 139.9 mg/dL (SD, 71.0) on day 1 and 150.2 mg/dL (SD, 39.1) on day 6. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.685)., Conclusions: Short-term prophylactic use of haloperidol was not associated with changes in glucose levels in older hospitalized patients compared with those given a placebo in this small study.

Background: Systemic hemodynamic characteristics of patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke are poorly described. The objective of this study was to identify baseline hemodynamic characteristics of emergency department (ED) patients with suspected acute stroke., Methods: This was a planned analysis of the stroke cohort from a multicenter registry of hemodynamic profiling of ED patients. The registry prospectively collected non-invasive hemodynamic measurements of patients with suspicion for acute stroke within 12h of symptom onset. K-means cluster analysis identified hemodynamic phenotypes of all suspected stroke patients, and we performed univariate hemodynamic comparisons based on final diagnoses., Results: There were 72 patients with suspected acute stroke, of whom 38 (53%) had a final diagnosis of ischemic stroke, 10 (14%) had hemorrhagic stroke, and 24 (33%) had transient ischemic attack (TIA). Analysis defined three phenotypic clusters based on low or normal cardiac index (CI) and normal or high systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI). Patients with TIA had lower mean CI (2.3L/min/m2) compared to hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke patients (p<0.01)., Conclusions: The study demonstrates the feasibility of defining hemodynamic phenotypes of ED patients with suspected stroke., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Because of fundamental differences in healthcare systems, US readmission data cannot be extrapolated to the European setting: To investigate the opinions of readmitted patients, their carers, nurses and physicians on predictability and preventability of readmissions and using majority consensus to determine contributing factors that could potentially foresee (preventable) readmissions., Design: Prospective observational study. Readmitted patients, their carers, and treating professionals were surveyed during readmission to assess the discharge process and the predictability and preventability of the readmission. Cohen's Kappa measured pairwise agreement of considering readmission as predictable/preventable by patients, carers and professionals. Subsequently, multivariable logistic regressionidentified factors associated with predictability/preventability., Setting: 15 hospitals in four European countries PARTICIPANTS: 1398 medical patients readmitted unscheduled within 30 days MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: (1) Agreement between the interviewed groups on considering readmissions likely predictable or preventable;(2) Factors distinguishing predictable from non-predictable and preventable from non-preventable readmissions., Results: The majority deemed 27.8% readmissions potentially predictable and 14.4% potentially preventable. The consensus on predictability and preventability was poor, especially between patients and professionals (kappas ranged from 0.105 to 0.173). The interviewed selected different factors as potentially associated with predictability and preventability. When a patient reported that he was ready for discharge during index admission, the readmission was deemed less likely by the majority (predictability: OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.40 to 0.75; preventability: OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.49)., Conclusions: There is no consensus between readmitted patients, their carers and treating professionals about predictability and preventability of readmissions, nor associated risk factors. A readmitted patient reporting not feeling ready for discharge at index admission was strongly associated with preventability/predictability. Therefore, healthcare workers should question patients' readiness to go home timely before discharge., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Unplanned medical 30 day readmissions place a burden on the provision of acute hospital services and are increasingly used as quality indicators to assess quality of care in hospitals. Multivariable logistic regression of a 10 year database showed that four factors were most strongly associated with early readmission: Charlson comorbidity index >=1, respiratory disease as a principal diagnosis, liver disease and alcohol-related illness as an additional diagnosis, and the number of previous readmissions. Disease and patient-related factors beyond control of the hospital are the factors most strongly associated with 30 day readmission to hospital, suggesting that this may not be an appropriate quality indicator.

Introduction: Sepsis is one of the most frequent reasons for referral to emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. Sepsis becomes more serious when left untreated with a high mortality rate, exceeding even those of myocardial infarction and stroke. Therefore, much effort has been put in to start with appropriate therapy as early as possible. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel have already made a significant difference in improving care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, multiple trauma and stroke. Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock could also benefit from timely prehospital care. Earlier recognition and initiation of treatment by EMS personnel may improve survival of these critically ill patients. Methods and analysis: The Prehospital Antibiotics against Sepsis (PHANTASi) trial is an investigator- initiated, multicentre, randomized controlled open-label clinical trial nested within a step wedge design. This study compares the effects of usual care to that of training EMS personnel in recognizing and initiating treatment in the prehospital setting together with early administration of antibiotics for patients suspected of (severe) sepsis and septic shock. Primary outcome is 28 day mortality. Secondary outcomes include, length of hospital stay and admission to intensive care units. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the research ethics committee of VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Protocol 2013.458/ NL 42001.029.13). The results of the study will be disseminated at several research conferences and international peer reviewed journals. The study will be implemented and reported in line with the CONSORT statement.

Introduction: General practitioners (GPs) and the emergency medical services (EMS) personnel have a pivotal role as points of entry into the acute care chain. This study was conducted to investigate the recognition of sepsis by GPs and EMS personnel and to evaluate the associations between recognition of sepsis in the pre-hospital setting and patient outcomes. Methods Design: prospective, observational study during a 12 week period in the emergency department (ED) of two academic hospitals., Study Population: Patients >18 years presenting with sepsis at the ED. The information available in the ED discharge letter and the ED charts was used to make a definite diagnosis of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock Outcome measures: primary: recognition/documentation of sepsis. Secondary: ED arrival time to antibiotic administration, in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission., Results: A total of 301 patients were included in the study. GPs and EMS personnel correctly identified and documented 31.6% (n=114) and 41.4% of all sepsis patients (n=140) respectively. Recognition and documentation of sepsis improved with increasing severity. The mean time to administration of antibiotics (TTA) was nearly halved for the group of patients where sepsis was documented (GP: 66,4 minutes, EMS: 65,6 minutes) compared to the group in which sepsis was not documented (GP: 123,9 minutes, EMS: 101,5 minutes; p: 0.365 and p: 0.024 respectively). Conclusions There is room for improvement in the recognition of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock by practitioners working in the pre-hospital setting. Documentation of sepsis prior to arrival in hospital led to a reduced time delay in administration of antibiotics.

The percentage of readmissions within 30 days after discharge is an official quality indicator for Dutch hospitals in 2016. In this commentary the authors argue why readmissions cannot be regarded as a reliable way of assessing quality of healthcare in a hospital. To date, policy makers have been struggling with its precise definition and the indicator has not been properly formulated yet. It does not distinguish between planned and unplanned readmissions and does not take into account the 'preventability'. Therefore the authors believe that the indicator in its current form might falsely interpret the quality of care of a hospital and it is questionable to use readmissions as a quality indicator.

Background: Hospital readmissions are increasingly used as a quality indicator. Patients with cancer have an increased risk of readmission. The purpose of this study was to develop an in depth understanding of the causes of readmissions in patients undergoing cancer treatment using PRISMA methodology and was subsequently used to identify any potentially preventable causes of readmission in this cohort., Methods: 50 consecutive 30 day readmissions from the 1st November 2014 to the medical admissions unit (MAU) at a specialist tertiary cancer hospital in the Northwest of England were analysed retrospectively., Results: Q25(50%) of the patients were male with a median age of 59 years (range 19-81). PRISMA analysis showed that active (human) factors contributed to the readmission of 4 (8%) of the readmissions, which may have been potentially preventable. All of the readmissions were driven by a medical condition related to the patient's underlying cancer and ongoing cancer treatment., Conclusions: The majority of readmissions of patients undergoing cancer treatment appear to be related to the underlying condition and, as such, are predictable but not preventable. This suggests that hospital readmission is not a good quality indicator in this cohort of patients.

A 49-year-old woman with a history of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) presented with fever, general malaise and a rash. Laboratory blood testing revealed an extremely high level of serum ferritin, essentially restricting the differential diagnosis to either haemophagocytic syndrome as a complication of AOSD, or a flare-up of the latter. Haemophagocytosis as a complication of AOSD was diagnosed in our patient. After treatment with prednisone, she fully recovered and the serum ferritin returned to a normal level. Haemophagocytic syndrome is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases, as well as of viral infections. It is characterised by high fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia and extremely high levels of serum ferritin. Activation of macrophages and histiocytes induces phagocytosis of erythrocytes in the bone marrow and other parts of the reticuloendothelial system. The fact that haemophagocytic syndrome and AOSD are often described together, and coincide with extremely elevated serum ferritin levels characteristic to both entities, suggests a related pathogenesis.

Objective: To establish the yield of diagnostic second opinions in patients referred to a general internal medicine outpatient clinic at an academic hospital., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: Of the patients newly referred to the general internal medicine outpatient clinic at the VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands during 2007, 86 were referred for a diagnostic second opinion. The diagnostic yield was assessed by comparing the outcome of the first and second opinions. To assess patient satisfaction, a telephone survey was held., Results: There was a difference in diagnostic outcome between the first and the second opinions in 10 of the 86 patients included (12%). A significantly higher proportion of these patients was referred by a specialist, as compared to self-referrals or referrals by a general practitioner. The average satisfaction rate was high in all groups with a statistically significant difference in favour of the group with a different diagnostic outcome after the second opinion. The communication skills of the physician were the strongest determinant for overall satisfaction (r = 0.845; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: In an academic hospital second opinions for diagnostic purposes rarely yield a different diagnosis. Nonetheless, patients are usually satisfied with the process. During referral for a second opinion, care should be taken to avoid creating high expectations regarding a difference in diagnostic outcome.