Trends in oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesics administration for back pain in emergency departments in the USA(2007–2018)

BACKGROUND:To describe trends in oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesic prescribing for the treatment of back pain among adults in emergency departments(EDs) in the USA from 2007 to 2018.METHODS:Data were gathered from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey(NHAMCS) from 2007 to 2018.The study population included individuals of all ages presenting to USA EDs.The NHAMCS reasons for visit and oxycodone drug ID codes were used to isolate patients with back pain.The main outcome was the proportion of oxycodone and oxycodone-containing analgesics prescribed for back pain in the EDs over the specified time period.RESULTS:There was a relative decrease in the overall administration of oxycodone for back pain in the EDs by 62.3% from 2007(244,000 visits) to 2018(92,000 visits).The proportion of ED patients prescribed with oxycodone-containing analgesics for back pain increased among patients aged 45 years and older(from 43.8% to 57.6%),female patients(from 54.5% to 62.0%),black patients(from 22.5% to 30.4%),and Hispanic/Latino patients(from 9.4% to 19.6%).Oxycodone/acetaminophen was most prescribed and accounted for 90.2% of all oxycodone-containing analgesics in 2007,with a decrease to 68.5% in 2018.Pure oxycodone was the second most prescribed medication,accounting for 6.1% in 2007 and 31.5% in 2018.CONCLUSION:The overall number of oxycodone-containing analgesics decreased significantly from 2007 to 2018.However,that number trended upward in 45-year-old and older,female,black,or Hispanic/Latino patients from 2007 to 2018.The total amount of pure oxycodone increased significantly from 2007 to 2008.

Prediction of sepsis within 24 hours at the triage stage in emergency departments using machine learning

BACKGROUND:Sepsis is one of the main causes of mortality in intensive care units(ICUs).Early prediction is critical for reducing injury.As approximately 36%of sepsis occur within 24 h after emergency department(ED)admission in Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care(MIMIC-IV),a prediction system for the ED triage stage would be helpful.Previous methods such as the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(qSOFA)are more suitable for screening than for prediction in the ED,and we aimed to fi nd a light-weight,convenient prediction method through machine learning.METHODS:We accessed the MIMIC-IV for sepsis patient data in the EDs.Our dataset comprised demographic information,vital signs,and synthetic features.Extreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost)was used to predict the risk of developing sepsis within 24 h after ED admission.Additionally,SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)was employed to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the model's results.Ten percent of the patients were randomly selected as the testing set,while the remaining patients were used for training with 10-fold cross-validation.RESULTS:For 10-fold cross-validation on 14,957 samples,we reached an accuracy of 84.1%±0.3%and an area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of 0.92±0.02.The model achieved similar performance on the testing set of 1,662 patients.SHAP values showed that the fi ve most important features were acuity,arrival transportation,age,shock index,and respiratory rate.CONCLUSION:Machine learning models such as XGBoost may be used for sepsis prediction using only a small amount of data conveniently collected in the ED triage stage.This may help reduce workload in the ED and warn medical workers against the risk of sepsis in advance.

Practice of Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Risk Departments during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Objective: To explore the practice and application of infection prevention and control strategies in risk departments during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to formulate the infection prevention and control measures to provide advice and guidance in risk departments. Methods: According to the latest plan of diagnosis and treatment, prevention and control issued by the National Health Commission, expert advice and consensus, combined with the actual situation in our hospital, a series of infection prevention and control measures of COVID-19 in risk department was formulated. Results: During the epidemic period, the prevention and control measures of nine risk departments including emergency operation, anesthesiology, endoscopy center, blood purification center, otolaryngology, stomatology, medical imaging department, medical cosmetology department and pulmonary function room were established from six aspects, including pre-examination and screening, medical technology control, personnel management, personal protection, environmental disinfection, medical waste disposal, etc. Conclusion: During the epidemic period, the infection prevention and control strategy of risk departments is one of the key links to control the spread of the epidemic, and risk departments must pay attention to and strictly implement various infection prevention and control measures.

Assessing the Impact of Regulations on Radiation Safety Culture and Practices in Radiology Departments

Background: The need to establish a strong culture around radiation safety is derived from the assertion that medical practitioners, patients, and third parties should not be exposed to unnecessary radiation. Authorities have endeavored to enact policies to protect all employers and patients in radiology departments. Objectives: To assess the impact of radiation safety practices and regulations on the ongoing improvements in radiation safety culture and practices in radiology departments. This will be achieved through a subjective assessment of national and international rules and regulations by healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey in the radiology departments of three JCI-accredited hospitals in the Riyadh region to identify and assess the impact of national radiation regulations and the accompanying processes on the improvement of radiation safety culture and practices in radiology departments. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the grading system results among various groups of respondents, based on their educational level. Also, there are statistically significant differences between the assessments of safety level results in the answers provided by various groups of respondents according to education level in favor of the master’s degree. Conclusion: The study concludes that technicians with a diploma degree require stricter regulation. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that an exposure tracking system and a regulatory action supporting it may be useful in the ongoing task of improving patients’ radiation safety.

Trends in mortality of emergency departments patients in China

BACKGROUND: Emergency medical service system (EMSS) in China is becoming more important. However, studies on mortality of emergency departments (EDs) patients in tertiary hospitals and on the trends in mortality of ED patients all over China are stagnant. The objective of this study was to quantify and describe the trends in mortality of ED patients in China. METHODS: Nine tertiary teaching hospitals were selected from tertiary teaching hospitals in different regions. The annual numbers of ED visits and deaths of these hospitals in 2004, 2009 and 2014 were recorded and analyzed. Chi-square test was used to compare the mortality of the EDs’ visits. Moreover, data on the mortality of ED patients in China from 2005 to 2015 were summarized and analyzed from the China Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbooks (2006–2016). RESULTS: From 2004 to 2014, the overall annual mortalities in EDs increased among the tertiary hospitals (P<0.001). However, the overall annual mortality in EDs all over China decreased from 0.12% in 2005 to 0.08% in 2015. And the mortalities of EDs patients in the eastern, central and western regions of China all decreased. In addition, the average mortality of EDs patients in northern China was obviously higher than that in southern China (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The ED mortality was increased in tertiary hospitals while decreased all over China during the past decade, which may be partly caused by some critical challenges faced by China’s EMSS, such as overcrowding and long length of stay in EDs of tertiary hospitals.

Utilization of the Accident & Emergency Departments by Chinese elderly in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND: The epidemiological data on elderly patients attending Accident and Emergency Departments(AEDs) in Hong Kong is lacking. The study aimed to examine the epidemiology of geriatric patient visits to AEDs in Hong Kong, including demographic data and predictors of life-saving interventions(LSI) and admission.METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study of geriatric patients older than 64 years old attending three AEDs during the year 2012, with a sample of 1 200 patient visits recruited. The data were retrieved from the medical records of the respective hospitals. Descriptive characteristics of the visits were provided. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the predictors of LSI and hospital admission.RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 79.1 years. Totally 49.7% of the patients were male. "Diseases of the respiratory system" was the commonest diagnosis in AEDs as well as that required admission. The admission rate was 56.8%. Logistic regression demonstrated that dependent activity of daily living(ADL), arrival by ambulance, and the higher number of co-morbidities were predictors of LSI, while advanced age, dependent ADL, institutionalized patients, arrival by ambulance, and higher number of co-morbidities were predictors of hospital admission.CONCLUSIONS: Ageing population is creating an imminent burden on the emergency service in Hong Kong. Previously unavailable epidemiological information about geriatric attendance to AEDs was described. This forms the basis for development of future studies concerning the medical services on this specific group of patients.

Availability and quality of procedural sedation and analgesia in emergency departments without emergency physicians: A national survey in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians have been successful in implementing procedural sedation and analgesia(PSA) to treat emergency department(ED) patients who need to undergo painful procedures.However, 25% of the EDs in the Netherlands are not staffed by emergency physicians.The aim of this study was to investigate PSA availability and quality in EDs without emergency physicians.METHODS: We performed an exploratory cross-sectional study amongst ED nurses and physicians in all 13 EDs without emergency physicians in the Netherlands.Data were gathered using a standardized questionnaire.RESULTS: The response rate was 34.3%(148/432).Of the respondents, 84/148(56.8%) provided adult PSA and 30/148(20.3%) provided paediatric PSA.Main reasons for not providing PSA were insufficient numbers of trained staff to support PSA in the ED and insufficient training and exposure.The providers agreed significantly stronger when reflecting their PSA competencies in adults compared to paediatric patients.CONCLUSION: The key to improve pain management in the ED-setting may lay in investing in continuous training of ED health care professionals and/or acquiring professionals who are both qualified in PSA and available in the ED.

Evaluating the management of anaphylaxis in US emergency departments:Guidelines vs.practice

BACKGROUND:Anaphylaxis is characterized by acute episodes of potentially life-threatening symptoms that are often treated in the emergency setting.Current guidelines recommend:1) quick diagnosis using standard criteria;2) first-line treatment with epinephrine;and 3) discharge with a prescription for an epinephrine auto-injector,written instructions regarding long-term management,and a referral(preferably,allergy) for follow-up.However,studies suggest low concordance with guideline recommendations by emergency medicine(EM) providers.The study aimed to evaluate how emergency departments(EDs) in the United States(US) manage anaphylaxis in relation to guideline recommendations.METHODS:This was an online anonymous survey of a random sample of EM health providers in US EDs.RESULTS:Data analysis included 207 EM providers.For respondent EDs,approximately 9%reported using agreed-upon clinical criteria to diagnose anaphylaxis;42%reported administering epinephrine in the ED for most anaphylaxis episodes;and <50%provided patients with a prescription for an epinephrine auto-injector and/or an allergist referral on discharge.Most provided some written materials,and follow-up with a primary care clinician was recommended.CONCLUSIONS:This is the first cross-sectional survey to provide "real-world" data showing that practice in US EDs is discordant with current guideline recommendations for the diagnosis,treatment,and follow-up of patients with anaphylaxis.The primary gaps are low(or no) utilization of standard criteria for defining anaphylaxis and inconsistent use of epinephrine.Prospective research is recommended.

Infected aortic and iliac aneurysms:Clinical manifestations in the emergency departments of two hospitals in southern Taiwan,China

BACKGROUND: Accurate diagnosis of infected aortic and iliac aneurysms is often delayed, hampering timely treatment and potentially resulting in a fatal consequence. The aim of this study was to discover useful clinical features that can help physicians to identify these patients.METHODS: We reviewed the discharge notes from two hospitals and identifi ed all patients who had a diagnosis of infected aneurysms of the thoracoabdominal aorta and iliac arteries between July 2009 and December 2013. Eighteen patients, aged from 41 to 93, were reviewed. Only 6 patients were diagnosed accurately in their fi rst visit to our ED.RESULTS: Most patients had at least one underlying illness, and it took 1 to 30(9.9±6.5) days for physicians to diagnose their infected aneurysm. Localized pain and fever were the two most commonly presented symptoms. The majority(92%) of isolated microorganisms were gram-negative bacilli, including Salmonella spp, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Two of the 3 patients who underwent non-operative therapy died, and all of the patients who underwent a combination of medical and operative therapies survived.CONCLUSION: We suggest that physicians liberally use computed tomography scans on patients with unknown causes of pain and inflammatory processes. A combination of surgical and medical treatments is indicated for all patients with infected aortic and iliac aneurysms.

Language affects length of stay in emergency departments in Queensland public hospitals

BACKGROUND:A long length of stay(LOS) in the emergency department(ED) associated with overcrowding has been found to adversely affect the quality of ED care.The objective of this study is to determine whether patients who speak a language other than English at home have a longer LOS in EDs compared to those whose speak only English at home.METHODS:A secondary data analysis of a Queensland state-wide hospital EDs dataset(Emergency Department Information System) was conducted for the period,1 January 2008 to 31 December 2010.RESULTS:The interpreter requirement was the highest among Vietnamese speakers(23.1%)followed by Chinese(19.8%) and Arabic speakers(18.7%).There were significant differences in the distributions of the departure statuses among the language groups(Chi-squared=3236.88,P<0.001).Compared with English speakers,the Beta coefficient for the LOS in the EDs measured in minutes was among Vietnamese,26.3(95%Cl:22.1-30.5);Arabic,10.3(95%Cl:7.3-13.2);Spanish,9.4(95%CI:7.1-11.7);Chinese,8.6(95%Cl:2.6-14.6);Hindi,4.0(95%Cl:2.2-5.7);Italian,3.5(95%Cl:1.6-5.4);and German,2.7(95%Cl:1.0-4.4).The final regression model explained 17%of the variability in LOS.CONCLUSION:There is a close relationship between the language spoken at home and the LOS at EDs,indicating that language could be an important predictor of prolonged LOS in EDs and improving language services might reduce LOS and ease overcrowding in EDs in Queensland's public hospitals.

Correlation between crowdedness in emergency departments and anxiety in Chinese patients

BACKGROUND Emergency department(ED)overcrowding is a severe health care concern,while anxiety and depression rates among ED patients have been reported to be substantially higher compared to the general population.We hypothesized that anxiety due to over crowdedness may lead to adverse events in EDs.AIM To investigate correlations between crowdedness in EDs and anxiety of patients and nurses,and to identify factors affecting their anxiety.METHODS In this prospective observational study,a total 43 nurses and 389 emergency patients from two tier III hospitals located in Beijing were included from January 2016 to August 2017.Patients were grouped into inpatients when they were hospitalized after diagnoses,or into outpatients when they were discharged after treatments.The State Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI Form Y)questionnaire was used to investigate patient and nurse anxieties,while crowdedness of EDs was evaluated with the National Emergency Department Over Crowding Score.RESULTS The present results revealed that state anxiety scores(49.50±6.00 vs 50.80±2.80,P=0.005)and trait anxiety scores(45.40±5.70 vs 46.80±2.70,P=0.002)between inpatients(n=173)and outpatients(n=216)were significantly different,while the state anxiety of nurses(44.70±5.80)was different from those of both patient groups.Generalized linear regression analysis demonstrated that multiple factors,including crowdedness in the ED,were associated with state and trait anxieties for both inpatients and outpatients.In addition,there was an interaction between state anxiety and trait anxieties.However,multivariable regression analysis showed that while overcrowding in the ED did not directly correlate with patients’and nurses’anxiety levels,the factors that did correlate with state and trait anxieties of inpatients were related to crowdedness.These factors included waiting time in the ED,the number of patients treated,and the number of nurses in the ED,whereas for nurses,only state and trait anxieties correlated significantly with each other.CONCLUSION Waiting time,the number of patients treated,and the number of nurses present in the ED correlate with patient anxiety in EDs,but crowdedness has no effect on nurse or patient anxiety.

Influence of resilience on depression among nurses in clean operating departments:The mediating effect of life satisfaction

BACKGROUND A clean operating room is an important part of surgical and critical treatment in hospitals.The workload is substantial,the pace is rapid,and the working environment is intense;therefore,nurses who work in clean operating rooms are constantly challenged,which can lead to anxiety,depression,and other mental health issues.Life satisfaction and resilience are important factors that ensure mental health.Therefore,exploring the mediating role of life satisfaction in the influence of resilience on depression among nurses in clean operating rooms can help improve nursing services and teamwork.AIM To explore the mediating effect of satisfaction on the influence of resilience on depression among nurses in a clean operating department.METHODS From April to November 2022,196 nurses from the Department of Clean Operating at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital participated in this study.Participants were selected using convenience sampling.Participants’gender,age,marital status,position,length of service,personal monthly income,daily working hours,employment status,and professional title were collected,and the Connor-Davidson resilience scale,satisfaction with life scale,and selfrating depression scale were used to evaluate resilience,life satisfaction,and depression.The researchers conducted professional training in advance,introduced the research methods to the participants before the investigation,and explained the study’s significance and purpose.Surveys were distributed and collected on-site.Each questionnaire took 30 min to complete.RESULTS The average scores for life satisfaction,resilience,and depression were 3.13(±0.28),4.09(±0.78),and 56.21(±8.70),respectively.The correlation between resilience and depression was negative(r=-0.829,P<0.01).Life satisfaction was positively related to resilience(r=0.855,P<0.01)and negatively related to depression(r=-0.778,P<0.01).The relationship between resilience and depression was partially mediated by life satisfaction.The value of the mediating effect was-6.853(26.68%of the total effect).CONCLUSION Life satisfaction partially mediates the link between resilience and depression among nurses in clean operating departments.

Integrating palliative care in oncologic emergency departments:Challenges and opportunities

Although visiting the emergency departments(EDs) is considered poor quality of cancer care,there are indications these visits are increasing.Similarly,there is growing interest in providing palliative care(PC) to cancer patients in EDs.However,this integration is not without major challenges.In this article,we review the literature on why cancer patients visit EDs,the rates of hospitalization and mortality for these patients,and the models for integrating PC in EDs.We discuss opportunities such integration will bring to the quality of cancer care,and resource utilization of resources.We also discuss barriers faced by this integration.We found that the most common reasons for ED visits by cancer patients are pain,fever,shortness of breath,and gastrointestinal symptoms.The majority of the patients are admitted to hospitals,about 13% of the admitted patients die during hospitalization,and some patients die in ED.Patients who receive PC at an ED have shorter hospitalization and lower resource utilization.Models based solely on increasing PC provision in EDs by PC specialists have had modest success,while very limited ED-based PC provision has had slightly higher impact.However,details of these programs are lacking,and coordination between ED based PC and hospitalwide PC is not clear.In some studies,the objectives were to improve care in the communities and reduce ED visits and hospitalizations.We conclude that as more patients receive cancer therapy late in their disease trajectory,more cancer patients will visit EDs.Integration of PC with emergency medicine will require active participation of ED physicians in providing PC to cancer patients.PC specialist should play an active role in educating ED physicians about PC,and provide timely consultations.The impact of integrating PC in EDs on quality and cost of cancer care should be studied.

A Profile of Traumatic Brain Injury within Hospital Emergency Departments—A Retrospective Study in the Republic of Moldova

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a critical public health and socio-economic problem throughout the world, making epidemiological monitoring of incidence, prevalence, and outcome of TBI necessary. TBI is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in adolescents, young adults, and the elderly, one of the leading causes being road traffic accidents. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among patients with TBI within 2 medical institutions in Chisinau municipality: Emergency Medicine Institute (EMI) and Valentin Ignatenco Municipal Children’s Hospital (MCH). A questionnaire was applied, completed on the basis of medical records according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes. The collection period was August 1-October 31, 2018. Data were uploaded using the existing electronic data collection tool—Red Cap and analyzed through Microsoft Excel. Data collection was performed by a resident neurosurgery and a scientific researcher. The ethics committee’s approval has been obtained. Results: There have been identified 150 patients: 57 cases (38.5%) of TBI among children and 93 cases (61.5%) among adults aged between 18 - 73 years old. A large majority (62%) of head injuries were among patients from the urban area (most in adults—60% and males—74%). The most common mechanisms of head injury were falls (53.3%) and road traffic injuries (24%), followed by assault (14.7%) and struck by/or against (8%). The distributions by place of occurrence highlighted that most injuries occurred at home (33.4%) and in transport area (25.3%). Most head injuries were registered among men 121 (81.2%) with a predominance of minor Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (65.1%), followed by moderate GCS (9.4%), while in women all cases with GCS minor (18.8%). Conclusion: The data obtained could be useful for the hospital administration in managing the necessary resources and for conducting information campaigns among the high-risk groups.

Development and Validation of the Japanese Version of a Job Stressor Scale for Triage Nurses in Emergency Departments

Background: With an increasing number of patients who visit emergency outpatient units, a shortage of physicians and nurses in emergency units has become an issue in Japan. Triage nurses who interview patients and their families before medical examinations feel stressed to determine the triage level in a limited time, necessitating the measures to alleviate stressors. Objective: To develop a triage nurse job stressor scale (TNJSS) for Japanese triage nurses in emergency outpatient units and to verify the reliability and validity of this scale. Methods: Anonymous, self-administered questionnaires were sent to nursing directors of 180 emergency and critical care centers randomly selected from 251 centers throughout Japan, requesting to distribute the questionnaire to nurses. Results: Based on the responses obtained from 363 nurses, the construct validity, internal consistency, and criterion-related validity were verified. A factor analysis of 44 items yielded five factors: “Lack of triage ability”, “Busy triage work”, “Patients without understanding of explanations”, “Complaints from patients waiting for treatment”, and “Lack of support to improve triage ability”. Cronbach’s α was 0.93 for the full scale and significant correlations were observed between the nurses’ stressor scores and scores for the Stress Response Scale-18 (r = 0.409;p < 0.01) and for the Nursing Job Stressor Scale (r = 0.410;p < 0.01). Conclusions: The TNJSS with a five-factor structure containing 44 items was determined to be a reliable and valid tool for evaluating Japanese triage nurse job stressors. The findings suggest the necessity to continuously educate and support triage nurses.

Immigrants and the utilization of hospital emergency departments

BACKGROUND：Immigrants with language barriers are at high risk of having poor access to health care services. However, several studies have indicated that immigrants tend to use emergency departments （EDs） as their primary source of care at the expense of primary care. This may place an additional burden on already overcrowded EDs and lead to a low level of patient satisfaction with ED care. The study was to review if immigrants utilize ED care differently from host populations and to assess immigrants＇ satisfaction with ED care. METHODS：Studies about immigrants＇ utilization of EDs in Australia and worldwide were reviewed.RESULTS：There are conflicting results in the literature about the pattern of ED care use among immigrants. Some studies have shown higher utilization by immigrants compared to host populations and others have shown lower utilization. Overall, immigrants use ED care heavily, make inappropriate visits to EDs, have a longer length of stay in EDs, and are less satisfied with ED care as compared to host populations.CONCLUSION：Immigrants might use ED care differently from host populations due to language and cultural barriers. There is sparse Australian literature regarding immigrants＇ access to health care including ED care. To ensure equity, further research is needed to inform policy when planning health care provision to immigrants.

Living Environment and Hypercholesterolemia: Case of Mono and Couffo Departments, Benin, in 2015

Introduction: Studies conducted in Benin have often not emphasized the living environment underlying hypercholesterolemia. The objective was to study the prevalence and factors associated with hypercholesterolemia in the Mono and Couffo departments in 2015 with consideration of the living environment. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study with an analytical aim that involved 2490 subjects aged 18 - 69 years, selected using a three-stage randomized sampling technique. Data were collected using the Personal Digital Assistant (WHO STEPS instrument) and analyzed according to STEPS recommendations using Epi-Info7.1.5.0 and SPSS20 software. The Chi-square test was used to compare proportions and the difference was considered significant for p < 0.05. Results: Out of 2490 respondents, 60.20% were women. The mean age was 36.14 ± 12.82 years. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 4.7% (95% CI: [3.88 - 5.54]) and lower in the Couffo. Factors associated with hypercholesterolemia after multivariate analysis were harmful alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and overweight. Conclusions: Living environment was found to be one of the important factors to consider in strategies to control hypercholesterolemia in the Mono and Couffo departments.

A GIS Tool That Provides Intelligent Solutions in Emergency Departments during COVID-19

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a revolution in open geographic information system (GIS) sources and Web GIS, which have grown considerably. Patient handover and crowding are critical issues to address during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to optimise quality and resource utilisation in emergency departments (EDs). GIS technology has been used to clarify the state of COVID-19 at the country level, however, the potential of GIS technology requires ongoing investigation to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. During a pandemic, great pressure is placed on EDs, with patients waiting long periods for treatment, which can lead to great health risks. This paper aims to illustrate the rule of GIS in providing intelligent solutions in emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to over 180 patients who were selected randomly from the nine emergency rooms of Jeddah governorate hospitals from different priority levels. Fifteen factors are determined and grouped into five domains to reflect patients’ satisfaction: emergency department environment, emergency department staff, physician care satisfaction, and wait time satisfaction. The critical values reveal in wait time were 84% of patients from the second to the fourth level of priority had waited a long or extremely. Most of the respondents (87%) wanted to know ER wait times before arrival hospital. The website was the most preferred choice for publishing wait times outside the ER for 56.7% of them. An online ArcGIS dashboard was developed to monitor hospital wait times in Jeddah City. This dashboard can be useful to the public to guide them in determining which hospital is the most suitable regarding a minimum waiting time and can also help in considering the travel distance.

Effects of Information Technologies Over Decision-Making Process About Cost Controlling at Food and Beverage Departments at Five-Star Hotels

Information technologies play an important role in many business areas. One of these areas is hotel information system. Many operations, such as check-in, check-out, and food and beverage, are performed owing to information technologies. Package programs are used for managing hotel operations. Software provides reporting, filtering, remote accessing, and cost control services which are important key parameters of decision-making processes of hotel managers. Cost control is one of the most important operations in hotel management. Cost control service of package programs assists managers in monitoring overall cost and computing each department＇s partial cost and serves information to the different departments of hotels using information technologies. Cost control is important in the departments which are profitable in a hotel. Food and beverage is one of these profitable departments, which is the second profitable department in hotels. It makes profit between mostly 20% and 40%. This research aims to understand effects of information technologies during decision-making processes. The sample of study is food and beverage managers in five-star hotels in Istanbul. Questionnaire was applied to 45 participants.

Efficient Model for Emergency Departments:Real Case Study

There are several challenges that hospitals are facing according to the emergency department(ED).Themain two issues are department capacity and lead time.However,the lack of consensus on performance criteria to evaluateEDincreases the complication of this process.Thus,this study aims to evaluate the efficiency of the emergency department in 20 Egyptian hospitals(12 private and 8 general hospitals)based on 13 performance metrics.This research suggests an integrated evaluation model assess ED under a framework of plithogenic theory.The proposed framework addressed uncertainty and ambiguity in information with an efficient manner via presenting the evaluation expression by plithogenic numbers.Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA)technique is used in order to measure the efficiency of the emergency department of 20 hospitals according to the number of treated patients and effect on patient’s life quality based on 11 factors.Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP),the weight of efficiency factors will be measured based on neutrosophic linguistic scale pairwise comparison.Plithogenic operations provide more accurate aggregation result according to contradiction degree between criteria values.The results show that ten of the hospitals are providing efficient service in their emergency department,while the other ten are less efficient.The analysis of the results shows that 58%of private hospitals emergency department is operating efficiently,while the efficient general hospitals represent 38%.