Evaluation of an innovative virtual follow-up program for emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our intervention is focused on the first 72 hours after the initial ED visit - a time frame in which access to other providers is rarely possible and the clinical relationship established in the ED is still relevant.

 

We believe that a virtual visit with the capacity to intervene has the potential to: (1) increase patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment plans; (2) decrease 72-hour return ED visits for specific patient groups; and (3) improve the transfer of care to ongoing providers. 

 

Inclusion Criteria:
Any ED patient who agrees to be enrolled by their treating physician for a 72-hour virtual care phone call follow-up will be included in the study. The dates of enrollment will be January 3, 2022 to March 31, 2022.

Exclusion criteria:
Patients will be excluded if they indicate to the research team that they do not wish to participate. Additionally, patients who cannot complete the telephone surveys in English will not be able to participate, as the research assistants will not have access to translator services that may be available for the clinical virtual care visit

Survey questionnaire

 

Availability of anti-craving medications for alcohol use disorder in community pharmacies: a cross-sectional survey study  

The area of focus of this project is to examine the issue of AUD medication accessibility. We propose to survey community pharmacies across Ontario to describe the current availability of the medication is, and better understand the barriers to stocking these medications from the perspective of the pharmacists. The main outcome of this survey will be the percentage of pharmacies that have at least one of the recommended treatments for AUD available for immediate dispensing.
 

 

Survey questionnaire

 

Exploring patients’ perspectives regarding privacy when using e-communications to deliver research surveys after emergency department visits.

Goal: To better understand patients' concerns around privacy when receiving e-communications for research studies

Hypothesis: Patients feel comfortable receiving e-communications to complete research studies

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Inclusion criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years old

• Patients assigned a Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) score of 2-5

• Expected discharge home

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Exclusion criteria:

• Patient unable to provide informed consent

• Insurmountable language barrier

• Acute medical issue, such as severe pain, for which study participation may interfere with the provision of care

• At the request of the treating physician

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Link to the summary can be found here

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Experience and perception of care by refugee patients presenting to a community emergency department.

The overall objective of this research study is to understand what medical concerns bring recent immigrants and refugees to our academic community ED and to examine the patient perspective and experience of their encounters with our acute care system.

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This mixed methods study will use a combination of chart reviews and qualitative interviews. We will conduct a retrospective medical record review for refugee patients presenting to our ED from 2020-2022. Patients will be included if they used the Interim Federal Health Plan (IFHP) as the insurance payment method for their ED visit.

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As well, one-on-one interviews will be conducted by trained qualitative research personnel after the ED visit and will follow a semi-structured format using an interview guide informed by the study aim and addressing key topics, including an understanding of the patient’s functional status, health concerns, and experience of the ED visit.

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Other ongoing or pending projects

(updated April 2023):​

Refugee and Recent Immigrant Care

1. Utilization of emergency departments by individuals with refugee status: a systematic review of studies using data from Canadian care centres

2. Outcomes in refugee patients seeking care after a cardiac diagnosis in the ED 

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​Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium 

1. Occult opioid use as a cause of cardiac arrest

2. Using POCUS to identify LV and maximize cardiac output during CPR

3. CPR quality during transitions from EMS to ED 

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Care of the Elderly 

1. Use of urine metabolomics to predict delirium in hip-fracture patients (pending pilot study results at SHSC)

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Cardiovascular Care 

1. Examining the capacity of a key opinion leader to alter emergency physician practice: Initiating oral anticoagulation for patients with atrial fibrillation.

2. Guideline Adherence for Repeat High-Sensitivity Troponin Testing for Patients with Low-risk Chest Pain: A Systematic Review

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Artificial Intelligence and Enhancing Technology Use in Emergency Care 

1. Pre-post implementation of computerized physician order entry on patient centred outcomes in the emergency department: a systematic review

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Knowledge Translation in the ED 

1. The pharmacological treatment of Bell’s Palsy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
    

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Contact Dr. Rohit Mohindra for more details, as the project list is always evolving! 

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