Madsen, Bo E.

Background: Diagnostic delay and error represent pervasive problems in healthcare with grave implications for treatment and prognosis. Though characteristic of human cognition, cognitive biases commonly contribute to delays in the physician decision-making process, particularly in atypical or complex presentations in youth. Methods: We present a case series of three adolescent athletes with varied clinical presentations whose diagnostic conceptualization and treatment were delayed in part due to cognitive biases with consequences for overall health and development, as well as return to sport. Results: The first case depicts how an atypical presentation of celiac disease was attributed to growing pains, illustrating the contribution of anchoring bias and confirmation bias in medical decision making. The second case represents the misattribution of chronic exertional compartment syndrome pain to growing pains and post-exercise soreness, highlighting the influence of ascertainment bias on the initial misdiagnosis. The third case describes how a vertebral mass was misdiagnosed as a left shoulder strain from weightlifting, depicting the contribution of anchoring bias and ascertainment bias in medical decision making. Conclusions: Early recognition of cognitive biases, including confirmation bias, anchoring bias, and ascertainment bias, is crucial for improving medical decision making, particularly in cases of rare or atypical presentations, reducing unnecessary diagnostic delays, and setting more realistic patient expectations. Through discussion of these cases, we highlight concrete steps to manage bias to facilitate timely diagnosis within the primary care and sports medicine setting.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY We sought to determine emergency medicine physicians’ accuracy in designating patients’ disposition status as “inpatient” or “observation” at the time of hospital admission in the context of Medicare’s Two-Midnight rule and to identify characteristics that may improve the providers’ predictions. We conducted a 90-day observational study of emergency department (ED) admissions involving adults aged 65 years and older and assessed the accuracy of physicians’ disposition decisions. Logistic regression models were fit to explore associations and predictors of disposition. A total of 2,257 patients 65 and older were admitted through the ED. The overall error rate in physician designation of observation or inpatient was 36%. Diagnoses most strongly associated with stays lasting less than two midnights included diverticulitis, syncope, and nonspecific chest pain. Diagnoses most strongly associated with stays lasting two or more midnights included orthopedic fractures, biliary tract disease, and back pain. ED physicians inaccurately predicted patient length of stay in more than one third of all patients. Under the Two-Midnight rule, these inaccurate predictions place hospitals at risk of underpayment and patients at risk of significant financial liability. Further work is needed to increase providers’ awareness of the financial repercussions of their admission designations and to identify interventions that can improve prediction accuracy.

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the association between emergency department (ED) organizational models and the risk of death within 7 days of ED discharge. Patients and methods We included Danish ED discharges between 1 January 2011 and 24 December 2014 that led to death within 7 days of discharge. The inclusion criterion was age older than 18 years. The exclusion criterion was further in-hospital admission. First model (Virtual): other departments employ interns who perform ED tasks. They are responsible for ED patient care and prioritize their task order between their own department and the ED. Second model (Hybrid): the ED/other departments perform tasks; interns/consultants are employed by the ED/other departments. The ED/other departments have patient care responsibility. Third model (Independent): the ED performs all tasks; employs interns/consultants; and have patient care responsibility. Sex, age, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and primary diagnosis were used to describe patient characteristics. We calculated the risk of death within 7 days of discharge using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results In 805 out of 201 299 discharges included in the study, the patient died within 7 days. Compared with the Virtual model, the odds ratio for death within 7 days of discharge was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.59–0.92) for the Independent model and 0.75 (95% confidence interval: 0.61–0.92) for the Hybrid+Virtual model. Increased risk was associated with male sex, older age, and a medium or a high Charlson Comorbidity Index score. Conclusion Compared with discharges from a Virtual model, the risk of death within 7 days of discharge was lower if the ED had an Independent or a Hybrid+Virtual model.

Introduction Twenty-one new Danish emergency departments (EDs) were established following a 2007 policy reform that included ED autonomy to self-organize. The aim of this study was to describe the organization of the 21 departments and their organizational challenges. Participants and methods We used a qualitative design based on COREQ guidelines. All 21 EDs participated, and 123 semi-structured interviews with hospital and ED leaders, physicians, nurses, and secretaries were performed between 2013 and 2015. We used the framework matrix method to investigate the ED goals, setting, structure, staff, task coordination, and incentive structure. Results We identified three generic models (virtual, hybrid, and independent). All had goals of high quality of care and high efficiency. The virtual model was staffed by junior physicians and tasks were coordinated by other departments. The hybrid model was staffed by junior physicians and senior physicians according to other departments and the ED. The ED coordinated all activities. The independent model was staffed by junior physicians and senior physicians, and activities were coordinated by the ED. Of the EDs, 19 utilized different organizational models at different times during a 24-h period and on weekdays and weekends. The main challenge of the virtual and hybrid models was high dependency on other departments. The main challenge of the independent model was establishing a high level of quality of emergency medicine. Discussion and conclusion We identified three organizational ED models (virtual, hybrid, and independent). Nineteen EDs used more than one organizational model depending on the time of day or day of the week.