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The primary means of diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) is CT Angiography (CTA). However, Northwestern is one of four centers testing a new device that aims to evaluate for PE quicker and at the bedside by calculating a ratio of exhaled carbon dioxide to exhaled oxygen. Patients breathe normally into the noninvasive BreathScreen device for about two minutes. The device is the center of this FDA phase II study that in conjunction also measures a quantitative D-dimer and inflammation/regulatory proteins from peripheral blood. The study does not affect the standard care of patients and results are only used by investigators. The main inclusion criteria are patients getting a CTA for PE who will provide reliable follow-up. So far, 60 Northwestern Memorial Hospital patients under evaluation for PE have been enrolled. All four sites plan to enroll a combined 500 patients. When approved, this device will be the first of its kind globally and the first breath based device approved to evaluate for the presence or absence of a specific disease. Contact D. Mark Courtney, MD, (drcourtney@mac.com) for further details. Funding Agency: BreathQuant R Funding amount: $150,000 Funding Duration: 05/01/2007-04/30/2008 “Improving Pain Management Through Surveillance and Quality Improvement-The Illinois Emergency Department Pain Collaborative” (IED-PMC); Sickle Cell Disease-Acute Pain Episodes (SCD-APE) PI: Paula Tanabe, PhD, MPH, RN This three year multi-site project funded by the Mayday Fund aims to improve emergency department care for persons with sickle cell disease and associated pain episodes. In addition to Northwestern, OSF St. Francis in Peoria are partners. The research team is in the process of finalizing the third site and have interest from two additional sites. Each site will form a collaborative team consisting of an ED nurse, physician and either an internist or hematologist. The team will be responsible for helping design interventions aimed at improving pain management specific to their ED. Northwestern team members include Nadya Valdovinos, D. Mark Courtney, Mark Mycyk, and Anaa Zakarija. Residents involved with the project include Randy Myers, Heather Costello, and Matt Lazio. Please share any thoughts you have with any of the team members or with Paula Tanabe. We look forward to the opportunity to not only improve the ED experience for these patients, but also to help reduce the frustration experienced by many clinicians often associated with emergency department management of person with sickle cell anemia. Enrollment begins October 1, 2007. Funding Agency: Mayday Foundation Funding Amount: $302,035 Funding Duration: 6/01/2007-5/31/2010 The Ken M. Davee Innovations: Optimizing Emergency Department Communication, Improving the Physical Environment to Improve Quality of Emergency Care PI: James Adams, MD Purpose: The Ken M. Davee Initiative will provide funding to our ED to enhance patient services by devising innovative service delivery methods, developing quality measures and process management tools, increasing efficiency, and ensuring the highest quality expert urgent care. This Initiative will focus on a broad spectrum of innovative solutions such as developing a well-planned communication strategy all the way to improving the physical environment. Evaluations of Success: 1. Communication: *Creation and implementation of comprehensive training curriculum *Direct Feedback from Patients *Patient Satisfaction Survey Scores *Caregiver Feedback regarding improvements in care 2. Physical Environment: *Direct Feedback from Patients regarding new EDOU unit *Direct Feedback from Caregivers regarding the new EDOU unit *Patient Satisfaction Scores on Surveys *Quality Metrics for Emergency department care Funding Agency: Ken M. Davee Foundation Funding amount: 2,000,000 Funding Duration: 5/01/2007- 4/30/2009 NP CAPS Study: Nurse Practitioner Certification and Practice Setting Study PI: Paula Tanabe, PhD, MPH, RN This two year, national survey project funded by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing aims to identify gaps between certification area and practice setting for Adult, Acute Care and Family Nurse Practitioners. Respondents will also identify gaps in education. Based on results of the project, suggestions for changes in curriculum will be given to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. In early September an expert panel meeting was held in Chicago to revise and finalize the National Survey. The survey is currently being completed and pilot testing will take place in October. Funding Agency: National Council of State Boards of Nursing Funding Amount: $294,463 Funding Duration: 06/01/2007-5/31/2009 For a complete list of citations according to fiscal year, see the links below.Past Investigations: Adams JG, Lucenti M, Pang P, Khare R. Enhancing the safety of emergency care. Excellence in Academic Medicine (EAM). Northwestern Memorial Hospital. $100,000. Kline J, Courtney DM. Pretest probability and d-dimer testing for pulmonary embolism. National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute (NHLBI). 9/1/04 - 8/31/06. $37,800. Gisondi M, Tanabe P. Should you close your waiting room? The effect on emergency department overcrowding. Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) & Emergency Nurses' Association Foundation (ENAF). 7/1/05 - 6/30/06. $20,000. Kyriacou DN. Advanced emergency medicine clinical research project. Excellence in Academic Medicine (EAM). Northwestern Memorial Hospital. $100,000. Lucenti M. The impact of physician triage on the emergency department waiting room. Woman's Board of Northwestern Memorial Foundation. 7/1/04 - 8/31/06. $16,289. Pang P, Gisondi M, Lucenti M. Curriculum re-design focused on systems-based practice to improve patient safety and quality. Augusta Webster Grants, Northwestern University. 9/1/05 - 8/31/08.$73,214. Pang P. Designing an emergency care process for the older patient. Woman's Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 9/1/05 - 8/31/06. $23,863. Tanabe P. Undetected hypertension in the emergency department. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). 10/1/05 - 9/30/06. $100,000. Bennett C, Yarnold P. Supplement to Research for Adverse Drug-Events and Reports (RADAR). National Institutes of Health (NIH). 12/01/04 – 05/31/07, $318,334 Zich D. Improving antibiotic use in acute care therapy (IMPAACT). Center for Disease Control (CDC). 11/1/03 - 7/31/08. $70,000. Zull D, Stone DB. Syncope: A prospective validation of clinical predictors of outcome in an emergency department observation unit. 7/1/04 - 12/31/05. $50,000.
Emergency Medicine Research Program Grant Citations (full list)
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