Gavin Bahadur, Lewis Macdonald, Shawn Lin, Cynthia Boxrud, Ralph Crew
{"title":"Advantages of eliminating the cataract surgery post-operative day 1 appointment in a rural practice.","authors":"Gavin Bahadur, Lewis Macdonald, Shawn Lin, Cynthia Boxrud, Ralph Crew","doi":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_14_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_14_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>We sought to streamline cataract surgery post-operative care when COVID-19 hit by discontinuing the 1-day post-operative visit. We wanted to know if this change was safe and beneficial to our patients by reducing patients' time and transportation burden, opening appointment slots allowing providers to see more patients and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By minimising intraoperative use of dispersive viscoelastic, increasing irrigation/aspiration time at the end of the surgery and using intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering medications such as carbachol, brimonidine and acetazolamide routinely, we posit that post-operative day 1 IOP spikes can be avoided, thereby eliminating the need for the 1st post-operative day visit. We also sought to show the positive environmental impact of eliminating that 1st day.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively reviewed cataract surgeries performed before COVID-19 to determine the incidence of serious pathology discovered at the post-operative day 1 visit. Subsequently, we examined all the cataract surgeries performed in 2023 by our practice.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>One hundred and ninety-three cataract surgeries performed before COVID-19 and 832 performed in 2023 were reviewed. We found that the post-operative day 1 visit after cataract surgery is unnecessary in most routine uncomplicated cases.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By eliminating hundreds of post-operative day 1 visits for a busy rural practice annually, patients, their friends and relatives are spared an extra trip to the office (that can be 100 km each way), the office schedule is open to accommodate more patients, and the patients' carbon footprint of travel to the office is reduced.</p><p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Nous avons cherché à rationaliser les soins postopératoires de la chirurgie de la cataracte lors de l'arrivée de la Covid en supprimant la visite postopératoire d'un jour. Nous voulions savoir si ce changement était sécuritaire et bénéfique pour nos patients en réduisant le temps et la charge de transport des patients, en ouvrant des créneaux de rendez-vous permettant aux prestataires de voir plus de patients et en réduisant les émissions de gaz à effet de serre. En minimisant l'utilisation peropératoire de viscoélastique dispersif, en augmentant le temps d'irrigation/aspiration à la fin de l'opération et en utilisant systématiquement des médicaments abaissant la PIO, tels que le carbachol, la brimonidine et l'acétazolamide, nous pensons que les PIO postopératoire du premier jour peuvent être évitées, éliminant ainsi la nécessité d'une première visite de jour postopératoire. Nous avons également cherché à démontrer l'impact environnemental positif de l'élimination de ce premier jour.</p><p><strong>Mthodes: </strong>Nous avons examiné rétrospectivement opérations de la cataracte réalisées avant la Covid afin de déterminer l'incidence des pathologies graves découvertes lors de ","PeriodicalId":44615,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine","volume":"29 4","pages":"173-176"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthew D Lavery, Rylen A Williamson, Jason Curran, July Wilkey, Kirk McCarroll
{"title":"Canadian CT head rule adherence in a rural hospital without in-house computed tomography.","authors":"Matthew D Lavery, Rylen A Williamson, Jason Curran, July Wilkey, Kirk McCarroll","doi":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_1_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_1_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>We sought to determine the difference between Canadian CT Head Rule (CCHR) indicated imaging rates and actual imaging rates for patients with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) at a rural emergency department (ED) without in-house computed tomography (CT). In addition, we compared CCHR adherence at a hospital without CT to previous publications from centres with CT to determine if rural populations receive less CT imaging for minor head traumas when indicated by the CCHR.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective chart review explored individuals who presented to a rural ED (no in-house CT scanner) with a primary diagnosis of mild head injury or concussion between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2021. Information regarding CCHR criteria, transfer status and patient demographics was collected. Descriptive analyses were completed to determine the percentage of patients who received appropriate transfer for imaging, did not receive transfer for imaging when indicated and received unnecessary transfer.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 124 charts met our inclusion criteria (17 [12.1%] charts excluded), with 25.8% transferred to the nearest hospital for CT imaging. After applying the CCHR criteria to our charts, 62.1% were indicated for CT. Of the 62.1%, only 35.1% were transferred for imaging (51.2% of high-risk and 16.7% of medium-risk).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By exploring CT rates for mTBIs in a rural Canadian ED, we found low transfer rates (35.1%) of CCHR-indicated patients for imaging needed to guide further healthcare decisions. This work highlights a discrepancy within the Canadian healthcare system between rural and urban centres and allows for opportunities to help narrow the gap in health care.</p><p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Nous avons cherché à déterminer la différence entre les taux d'imagerie indiqués par le Canadian CT Head Rule (CCHR, règlement canadien relatif à la tomodensitométrie de la tête) et les taux d'imagerie réels pour les patients souffrant de traumatismes craniocérébraux légers (TCCL) dans un service d'urgence rural ne disposant pas d'une tomographie par ordinateur interne. En outre, nous avons comparé l'adhésion au CCHR dans un hôpital sans tomographie par ordinateur à des publications antérieures provenant de centres avec tomographie par ordinateur afin de déterminer si les populations rurales reçoivent moins d'imagerie par tomodensitométrie pour les traumatismes crâniens mineurs lorsque le CCHR l'indique.</p><p><strong>Mthodes: </strong>Cette étude rétrospective des dossiers a exploré les personnes qui SE sont présentées à une urgence rurale (sans tomodensitomètre interne) avec un diagnostic primaire de traumatisme crânien léger ou de commotion cérébrale entre le 1er janvier 2017 et le 31 décembre 2021. Les informations concernant les critères du CCHR, l'état de transfert et les données démographiques des patients ont été recueillies. Des analyses de","PeriodicalId":44615,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine","volume":"29 4","pages":"167-172"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"À la défense de la 'non-adhésion' aux directives.","authors":"Peter Hutten-Czapski","doi":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_72_24","DOIUrl":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_72_24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44615,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine","volume":"29 4","pages":"152"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142636141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia Panchuk, Stephanie Hobson, Jennifer Dahl, Aaron Moulson, Denise Jaworsky
{"title":"COVID-19 in a rural intensive care unit in Northern British Columbia: Descriptive analysis of outcomes and demands on rural resources.","authors":"Julia Panchuk, Stephanie Hobson, Jennifer Dahl, Aaron Moulson, Denise Jaworsky","doi":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_42_23","DOIUrl":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_42_23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This descriptive study reviews clinical outcomes of individuals admitted to a northern Canadian, rural intensive care unit (ICU) with severe COVID-19. It reports our site-specific data that is part of an ongoing global effort to gather data and guide therapy; the aims of this study were to describe participants admitted to our ICU with COVID-19 and illuminate challenges faced by rural and remote centres.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective study examined data from participants admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 pneumonia between 24th November 2020 and 28th February 2022. Using data from electronic and hardcopy health records, data were obtained according to standardised forms developed for the Short Period Incidence Study of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty-five adult participants were admitted to our ICU with COVID-19. The median age of participants was 57 years old (range: 23-83 years); 49.4% were males and 50.6% were females. Of our cohort, 58.9% required mechanical ventilation at some point during their stay and the median duration of stay in our ICU was 5 days (range: 1-36 days). Amongst individuals included, 25.9% were discharged alive from our hospital on their index admission, 57.6% were transferred to another facility and 16.5% died in our facility.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>COVID-19 significantly strained our local ICU resources, necessitating high numbers of patient transfers. However, despite limited resources, patients at our site received contemporary guideline-based care for COVID-19 pneumonia. Future pandemic and surge capacity planning must ensure that rural and remote communities receive adequate additional resources to meet the anticipated needs of their local populations.</p><p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cette étude descriptive examine les résultats cliniques des personnes admises dans une unité de soins intensifs rurale du nord du Canada avec une COVID-19 sévère. Elle rapporte des données spécifiques à notre site qui font partie d'un effort global en cours pour rassembler des données et guider la thérapie. Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de décrire les participants admis dans notre unité de soins intensifs avec la COVID-19 et d'éclairer les défis auxquels sont confrontés les centres ruraux et éloignés.</p><p><strong>Mthodes: </strong>Cette étude rétrospective a examiné les données des participants admis à l'unité de soins intensifs pour une pneumonie due à la COIVD-19 entre le 24 novembre 2020 et le 28 février 2022. Les données ont été obtenues à partir de dossiers médicaux électroniques et papier, selon des formulaires standardisés développés pour l'étude d'incidence à court terme des infections respiratoires aiguës sévères (SPRINT-SARI).</p><p><strong>Rsultats: </strong>85 participants adultes ont été admis dans notre unité de soins intensifs avec la COVID-19. L'âge médian des participants était de 57 ans (intervalle:","PeriodicalId":44615,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine","volume":"29 3","pages":"109-116"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142000996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Le Monde Change.","authors":"Peter Hutten-Czapski","doi":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_46_24","DOIUrl":"10.4103/cjrm.cjrm_46_24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44615,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine","volume":"29 3","pages":"100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142001001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}